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Benny and Joon

(1993, Rated PG, Drama, Starring Johnny Depp, Aidan Quinn, Mary Stuart Masterson)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 0, age appropriate for kids over 11; suggested age 11.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Quirky comedy about oddballs is edgy for a PG movie.

Themes in this movie include:   dating/crushes, family relationships, growing up

Why We Rated This on for Ages 11 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    The movie is about caring: Benny cares for Joon as her brother, but also as her only family member. Sam cares for Joon, first as a housekeeper and then as a boyfriend. Ruthie cares for everyone in her way, giving tapioca and kindness when it's asked for.

  • Role models:

    Though Benny is gruff and sometimes a bully, he sets up his life to care for his mentally ill sister. Joon, in her own right, is a free spirit, whose creative energy is expressed everywhere in their home. Sam has special talents, which Benny admires. All of the characters are somehow damaged, but this makes them all the more real.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Benny is a protective big brother, who roughs up Sam when he hears that Sam and Joon are having a relationship.

  • Sex:

    Some steamy kisses and a scene where Joon and Sam are in bed together: no skin is shown, except for their bare calves sticking out of the covers.

  • Language:

    Runs the gamut, from "damn" to "s--t" and one instance of the f-word.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Benny and his friends drink beer when they play poker, though no one is shown being intoxicated. Ruthie offers Benny a beer when they have an awkward moment. Benny later says, "I need a beer."
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Benny and Joon

Parents need to know that the subject of caring for a mentally ill family member is the focal point of this movie. Joon seems "normal," as Sam remarks to Benny, but she has tantrums, pyromaniac moments, and breakdowns. But Joon is also an adult, and she has adult feelings, which lead to romance with Sam. Whether this romance is appropriate or not supplies some of the edge to the plot of the movie.

Read our full review by Joly Herman

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the medication Joon relies on to keep her mental illness in check. These days, prescription drugs are advertised on television and in magazines. How does this effect our view of medicine? When is medication truly necessary? When is it abused? 
  • Benny gets very upset when Joon and Sam admit that they have begun an adult relationship. Why is Benny so upset? Did he think that Joon should not be having sex because of her age or because of her mental illness, or because of the fact that she was not married? 
  • Sam is an adult who cannot read. How can that be? How does illiteracy hinder him? How has he compensated?
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