Aside from being a little mentally ill...

I've wanted to write a review for this movie for a long time, but have always put it off. In finally looking at it, I've come to the conclusion that I've been afraid to review it for fear of not doing it justice.

Although superficially as simple a plot as possible, looking a bit deeper reveals Benny & Joon to be incredibly complex. At first it appears to be the story of Benny and Juniper (Benny & Joon) Pearl, and how Juniper finds a boyfriend. Then comes the kicker; Joon is mentally ill and living on the edge of institutionalization. It is solely the protective care of Benny that is keeping her in the world. Then comes another kicker; Sam.

Sam, who Joon wins in a poker game (see the movie for yourself) is a personable but peculiar young man. Otherwise seemingly "normal," he also sees himself as a reincarnation of Buster Keaton and wanders around in a Keaton style pork-pie hat and doing Keaton style humor-bits. To most people, Sam would be considered a candidate for either therapy or commitment.

Filmed on location in Spokane, Washington, the atmosphere seems to validate the characterizations of the actors. Benny has sacrificed his personal life out of love for his sister and his passionate resistance to the idea of institutionalizing her. Although he has had occasional dates, his situation with Joon has made him afraid to involve another person. And then there's Sam.

Sam doesn't react toward Joon as others do. He not only treats her like a normal person, like a normal female person, but like a normally attractive female person. In short, Sam shows the development of feelings for Joon -- feelings that are frightening Benny.

Benny finds himself liking Sam, but also fearing Sam's effect on Joon's mental illness. He also sees Joon's response to Sam, and doesn't want to do anything to him that would hurt his sister. With an amazing degree of caring, he opens up to Sam with a mutual exploration of how each sees the girl they both (in their own way) love. When Benny reminds Sam that Joon is "sick," Sam responds with; "How sick is she?" "Oh, she's plenty sick," Benny replies. "Oh," Sam says, "because you know, it seems to me that, aside from being a little mentally ill, she's pretty normal."

The plot doesn't flow gently, like the lyrical "Sweet Afton," but churns and roils over emotional rapids that will keep you spellbound. There is a scene on a bus with Joon and Sam that will have your heart pounding. There is a scene in which Benny showers with Sam sitting in the tub that is both poignant and funny. There is Sam running through his repertoire of Keaton stunts and keeping both Benny and Joon - and a crowd of onlookers in stitches.

There comes a time when Joon feels the need to return to the hospital, and Benny feels the need to take her there. It is weirdo Sam who feels that this is wrong, and who swings outside Joon's hospital window in a bosun's chair to try and persuade her to come out again. It is one of the most touching scenes in the movie, and also one of the funniest.

Although both Aidan Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson (Benny & Joon) do an outstanding job of creating their characters, it is Johnny Depp as Sam who really carries the film. I personally think it had to be an actor with as many idiosyncrasies as Depp in order to carry it off. It is Depp who carries the self-chosen nickname of Mr. Stench, and it is Johnny Depp who trashed a NYC hotel room and was arrested in 1994. And, it is Johnny Depp who even now regularly cuts his arm to mark milestones in his life and career.

Depp currently plays with a rock group called just "P" and is also the owner of The Viper Room nightclub in LA. It was outside this club that River Phoenix died of an overdose. Whatever else, Depp's friends are both close friends and loyal which also says something good about his personality and character. It's almost as if he really was/is the character of Sam.

I could go on at length about both the movie and its stars, but prefer to just say that this is both an amusing comedy, and a heartwarming romance, and a powerful (but not preachy) statement about mental illness. It is a movie which I would classify as a must-see for anyone with a heart.