Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 21, 1993 TAG: 9308240205
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Mike Mayo
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Though the film took favorable to rave reviews earlier this year, it did only fair business at the theatrical box office. It's hard to say why, though the facts that the stars aren't exactly household names and that the story involves mental illness probably had something to do with it.
But as all true movie fans know, with acting, fame doesn't equal talent, and sometimes Hollywood can deal with sensitive subject matter in an honest way. This is one of those rare combinations where everything falls together right.
Benny (Aidan Quinn) is an auto mechanic with a thriving garage and a sister, Joon (Mary Stuart Masterton), who takes up his entire life. Though the details of Joon's condition are never spelled out, she's a bright young woman who's subject to spells of irrational behavior and uncontrollable anger. She's also attracted to fire, and so she really can't be left on her own for any period of time.
Her psychiatrist (C.C.H. Pounder) thinks that she might be ready for a group home, but Benny resists the idea. She's his responsibility. If her behavior continues to drive away the housekeepers who stay with her during the day, they'll just have to try something else.
Enter Sam (Johnny Depp) with problems of his own. He's a brilliant mimic who appears to be seriously dyslexic, though again, that's not made completely clear. Through one of those twists of fate that only happen in movies, he winds up living with Benny and Joon. As far as the plot goes, you know most of what's going to happen from there, but that's not important.
The characters are the key to this one and they're just fine. The three leads along with Julianne Moore as Ruthie the actress turned waitress make an attractive quartet that viewers will enjoy spending time with. Johnny Depp's recreations of famous comic routines from silent films (choreographed by Dan Kamin) are the brightest and funniest moments.
The strongest dramatic scenes belong to Mary Stuart Masterton. She is frighteningly believable when Joon's darker nature breaks through. But the filmmakers were careful to neither demonize nor sugarcoat mental illness. Joon and Sam aren't meant to be feared and they aren't "just like everybody else only a little different" either. Writer Barry Berman has created four realistic characters who have to deal with their problems every day. And, as the cliche goes, some days are better than others.
Director James Chechik often teeters on the verge of cuteness. Benny and Joon's house, for example, is a veritable gingerbread cottage. A non-monetary poker game and the characters' penchant for funny hats are suspect too, but balanced against other elements in the film, they're not a serious problem.
In the end, "Benny & Joon" is a well-told story about interesting, different characters. Highly recommended for audiences of virtually all ages.
"Riff Raff" is another curious character-based story. But it's so unusual that it's recommended only for viewers who are in the mood for something extremely off-beat, extremely British.
This is a comedy-drama about poor day laborers doing construction work. Writer-director Ken Loach has given the film a sharply honed leftish edge, but he stops short of propaganda. The cast is unknown on this side of the Atlantic and the characters speak such heavily accented English that much of the dialogue is subtitled.
The loose, episodic story has to do with the relationship between Stevie, who's squatting in a London apartment building scheduled for renovation or demolition, and Susie, a singer whose dreams of success are not matched by her voice. A few of the scenes are wildly funny while others are so realistic they look like they could have come from a documentary. Some are driven by a passionate anti-drug message.
Certainly not for all tastes, "Riff Raff" is so uncompromising that it will be appreciated most by the PBS faithful and other Anglophiles.
\ THE ESSENTIALS:
Benny & Joon: *** MGM/UA. 98 min. Rated PG for subject matter, some strong language.
Riff Raff: ** New Line. 96 min. Unrated, contains brief nudity, strong language, some violence, drug use.
\ New releases this week:
The Temp: ** Stars Lara Flynn Boyle, Timothy Hutton, Faye Dunaway. Directed by Tom Holland. Paramount 97 min. Rated R for violence, sexual content, strong language.
Here's yet another killer blonde thriller, in the "Hand That Rocks the Cradle" school. Overall, it's fairly well made, with a refreshing sense of humor. Timothy Hutton, Faye Dunaway and Lara Flynn Boyle seem to be having fun, but the whole thing falls apart in the last five minutes.
Groundhog Day: ***1/2 Stars Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell. Directed by Harold Ramis. Columbia Tristar. Rated PG for adult situations; 120 minutes.
Perhaps Bill Murray's best comedy. The story of the redemption of a disagreeable TV weatherman who is destined to live the dreaded Groundhog Day over and over again. Andie MacDowell sparkles with Southern charm as the producer he courts.
by CNB