Benny And Joon 1993

Janet Maslin, New York Times: Mr. Depp may look nothing like Buster Keaton, but there are times when he genuinely seems to become the Great Stone Face, bringing Keaton's mannerisms sweetly and magically to life. Read more

Entertainment Weekly: Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Benny & Joon tries to get by on quirkiness alone, and, while something this offbeat frequently carries a unique kind of appeal, it needs stronger characters than Sam and Joon. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The movie suggests that love and magic can overcome madness, and for at least the length of the film I was prepared to accept that. Much of the credit for that goes to Depp... Read more

Wally Hammond, Time Out: It's acted out in the secondary emotional register of the glass menagerie: whimsical, delicate, idiosyncratic, barmy. Read more

Emanuel Levy, Variety: As the outsider who courts the mentally ill Mary Stuart Masterson, Johnny Depp renders a startling performance that elevates the romantic fable way above its writing and directing shortcomings; look for the young Julianne Moore in a small part. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Riddled with insufferably contrived zaniness ... it deals as deeply with mental illness as The Sound of Music explored the genocidal advance of the Third Reich. Read more

Rita Kempley, Washington Post: [Chechik] has crafted Benny & Joon not as a seamless whole but as a tumble of scenes. Unfortunately, too many of them are inspired by Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd or Buster Keaton, and they seem to spill from the screen like Bozos from a kiddie car. Read more