Benny & Joon - wikipedia Benny & Joon Benny & Joon Theatrical release poster Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik Produced by Susan Arnold Donna Roth Written by Barry Berman Lesley McNeil Starring Johnny Depp Mary Stuart Masterson Aidan Quinn Julianne Moore Oliver Platt Music by Rachel Portman Cinematography John Schwartzman Edited by Carol Littleton Distributed by Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer Release date April 23, 1993 ( 1993 - 04 - 23 ) Running time 98 minutes Country United States Language English Box office $23,261,580 Benny & Joon is a 1993 romantic comedy film released by Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer about how two eccentric individuals, Sam ( Johnny Depp ) and Juniper `` Joon '' ( Mary Stuart Masterson ), find each other and fall in love. Aidan Quinn also stars, and it was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik. The film is perhaps best known for Depp 's humorous physical comedy routines ( which are based on silent film comics Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd ) and for popularizing, in the United States, the song `` I 'm Gonna Be ( 500 Miles ) '' by The Proclaimers. Benny & Joon was shot primarily on location in Spokane, Washington, while the train scenes at the beginning were shot near Metaline Falls, Washington. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Critical reception 4.1 Box office 5 Portrayal of schizophrenia 6 Awards and honors 7 References 8 External links Plot Benjamin `` Benny '' Pearl and his mentally ill sister Juniper `` Joon '' Pearl, live together following the accidental death of their parents. Benny 's friend Mike has his cousin Sam staying with him. Joon joins a poker game at Mike 's and loses a bet that commits Sam to live with the Pearls. Benny is at first angry, but after an evening with Sam at the local diner and then coming home the next day to find Sam has cleaned the house, Benny decides Sam should stay. Joon aids an illiterate Sam when he is struggling with writing to his mother, and the two go to the local diner where Ruthie is working. She takes them on an errand, and then takes them home. After Ruthie stays for dinner, her car wo n't start, and Benny drives her home, where they set a dinner date. Meanwhile, left alone, Joon and Sam kiss. Benny and Ruthie have a fun date, but it ends abruptly because Benny wants to get home to Joon. Sam goes to a video store to try and apply for a job there. Benny, Joon, and Sam go to a park where Sam starts doing tricks with his hat, attracting an appreciative crowd. Benny stays at the park to reflect and sends Joon home with Sam, where they make love. Sam then tells Joon he loves her which Joon reciprocates. When Benny makes suggestions to Sam about his comedy routines, Joon becomes agitated and makes Sam explain that he and Joon are romantically involved. An angry Benny throws Sam out, yells at Joon, and shows her a pamphlet about a group home that would be a better home for her. Joon starts hitting Benny and screaming, and he pushes her away. Feeling bad, Benny leaves to get her some tapioca. While Benny is away, Sam arrives. They pack suitcases and get on a bus, but Joon soon begins to hear voices in her head and argues with them, in great distress. Sam tries to soothe her, but she becomes more agitated. The bus is stopped, and two paramedics restrain Joon. When Benny arrives at the hospital, the doctor tells him Joon does n't want to see him. He finds Sam in the waiting room, and they argue. Sam goes to stay with Ruthie. Meanwhile, Benny begins to feel guilty about his treatment of Joon. Benny finds Sam, now working at the video store, and asks for his help. They go to the hospital. Benny apologizes to Joon, persuades her to consider getting her own apartment, and tells her that Sam has come back for her. Joon tells the doctor that she would like to try living in her own apartment. Benny and Joon reconcile and Sam and Joon are reunited. Later, Benny brings roses to Ruthie. He takes another bouquet to Joon 's apartment but leaves the flowers in the doorway when he sees Sam and Joon making grilled cheese sandwiches with a clothes iron. Cast Johnny Depp as Sam Mary Stuart Masterson as Juniper `` Joon '' Pearl Aidan Quinn as Benjamin `` Benny '' Pearl Julianne Moore as Ruthie Oliver Platt as Eric C.C.H. Pounder as Dr. Garvey Dan Hedaya as Thomas Joe Grifasi as Mike William H. Macy as Randy Burch Production Laura Dern and Woody Harrelson were originally cast to play the title roles. Dern changed her mind, and Harrelson quit to take a role in Indecent Proposal. Aidan Quinn was brought in at the last minute to replace Harrelson. Unbeknownst to Harrelson, the producer was Donna Roth, the wife of then - Paramount Studios head Joe Roth. A lawsuit later ensued with Winona Ryder who was dating Johnny Depp at the time, and was slated to play Joon after Dern quit. Depp and Ryder broke up, leaving the role of Joon open, which was given to Masterson just days before production began. Critical reception Roger Ebert gave the film three out of 4 stars. Owen Gleiberman gave the film a grade of `` B '', saying `` the movie is full of absurdist fripperies we 're meant to find magically funny ; mostly they 're just cute ( Sam cooking up grilled cheese sandwiches with an iron, a poker game in which a snorkel mask and baseball tickets are used as stakes ). Beneath the domesticated surrealism, though, Benny & Joon becomes genuinely touching -- a love story about separation anxiety. Benny, the saintly grease monkey, thinks he has to devote his life to Joon in order to keep her out of an institution. Can he give her the space she needs to fall in love ( and then take said space for himself ) ? You already know the answer, but Quinn and Masterson -- now gentle, now sniping -- let it play out with tender conviction. '' Janet Maslin wrote : In a more realistic film ( and to some degree this film recalls Dominick and Eugene, which also dealt with a hard - working brother taking care of a mentally impaired sibling ), troubling issues might well shade the story. But Benny and Joon succeeds in remaining blithe and sunny, directed by Jeremiah Chechik ( National Lampoon 's Christmas Vacation ) with a commercial liveliness and a suitable sense of the absurd. The film 's greatest asset is the obvious conviction of its actors, who never condescend to their roles. 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. As Mr. Depp and the rest of the film makers surely must have known, an impersonation like that is an all - or - nothing proposition. Ms. Masterson, a remarkably incisive and determined actress, never sentimentalizes Joon despite many ripe opportunities to do exactly that. She remains fierce, funny and persuasive even when the film conveniently soft - pedals the reality of Joon 's situation. Mr. Quinn, often in the position of playing straight man to the other two leads, still makes Benny a touchingly sincere and sympathetic figure. Box office In spite of its `` commercially improbable story '', the film became a `` sleeper hit '', evidence of the resurgence of date movies `` after a decade dominated by action film and horror films. '' In the first two weeks of a limited release, Benny and Joon grossed $8 million. In its domestic box office total reached over $23.2 million. Portrayal of schizophrenia Roger Ebert writes that Joon is `` schizophrenic, although the screenplay does n't ever say the word out loud. '' David J. Robinson remarks that `` More convincing features of schizophrenia ( undifferentiated type ) soon follow. We are told that Joon experiences auditory hallucinations, does well with a stable routine, and takes medication on a daily basis. Her use of language is one of her most interesting attributes. She uses the last housekeeper 's surname ( '' Smail `` ) to refer to anyone who might fill the position, which is how Sam ( Johnny Depp ) enters her life. '' E. Fuller Torrey calls the film `` a beautifully filmed but unrealistic story about a brother who is the sole caretaker of his kid sister, who has schizophrenia... While the film addresses such issues as noncompliance with medication and disputes over independent living arrangements, the bad times are never too severe or long - lasting. Reviewers Mick Martin and Marsha Porter point out `` ( Although ) most viewers will enjoy this bittersweet comedy... Folks coping with mental illness in real life will be offended by yet another film in which the problem is sanitized and trivialized ''. Awards and honors Although the film did n't win any awards, actor Johnny Depp gained his second Golden Globe Award nomination. Nomination Person Golden Globe Best Actor - Comedy Movie Johnny Depp MTV Movie Award Best Comedic Performance Johnny Depp MTV Movie Award Best On - Screen Duo Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson MTV Movie Award Best Movie Song The Proclaimers - I 'm Gonna Be ( 500 Miles ) References ^ Jump up to : Benny & Joon at Box Office Mojo Jump up ^ http://toponehitwonders.com/pop/im-gonna-be-500-miles-the-proclaimers/ ^ Jump up to : Murphy, Ryan ( May 7, 1993 ). `` A Perfect Mismatch ''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011 - 09 - 29. After a decade dominated by action films, the sleeper success of Benny & Joon -- an oddball romance starring Masterson and Depp as seemingly ill - matched lovers who find each other a perfect fit -- is the latest evidence that movies made for couples are finding their niche once again. Jump up ^ Saban, Stephen ( October 1994 ). `` The Mighty Quinn ''. Movieline. p. 67. Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger ( April 16, 1993 ). `` Benny and Joon ''. Chicago Sun - Times. Retrieved 2011 - 09 - 29. Jump up ^ Gleiberman, Owen ( April 23, 1993 ). `` Benny & Joon ''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011 - 09 - 29. Jump up ^ Maslin, Janet ( April 16, 1993 ). `` He 's His Sister 's Keeper, and What a Job That Is ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 2011 - 09 - 29. Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger. Roger Ebert 's Video Companion. p. 69. Jump up ^ Robinson, David J. Reel Psychiatry : Movie Portrayals of Psychiatric Conditions. p. 36. Jump up ^ Torrey, E. Fuller. Surviving Schizophrenia : A Manual for Families, Patients, and Providers ( fifth ed. ). p. 377. ISBN 978 - 0 - 06 - 084259 - 8. Jump up ^ Mick Martin, Marsha Porter. Video movie guide 2002. p. 87. ISBN 978 - 0 - 345 - 42100 - 5. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Benny & Joon Wikimedia Commons has media related to Benny & Joon. Benny & Joon on IMDb Benny & Joon at AllMovie Benny & Joon at Box Office Mojo Benny & Joon at Rotten Tomatoes Films directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik National Lampoon 's Christmas Vacation ( 1989 ) Arrive Alive ( 1990 - 1991, unfinished ) Benny & Joon ( 1993 ) Tall Tale ( 1995 ) Diabolique ( 1996 ) The Avengers ( 1998 ) Meltdown ( 2004 ) The Bronx Is Burning ( 2007 ) The Right Kind of Wrong ( 2013 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benny_%26_Joon&oldid=836884583 '' Categories : English - language films 1993 films 1990s comedy - drama films 1990s romantic comedy films American comedy - drama films American films American romantic comedy films Films directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik Films shot in Washington ( state ) Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer films Films about psychiatry Mental illness in fiction Schizophrenia Fictional portrayals of schizophrenia Hidden categories : Film articles using image size parameter Pages using div col without cols and colwidth parameters Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Català Čeština Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 हिन्दी Italiano עברית Қазақша Magyar 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska Українська 12 more Edit links This page was last edited on 17 April 2018, at 12 : 45. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who starred in the movie benny and joon
Answer: Johnny Depp