Title: Discovering whiffs of me in ‘Benny and Joon’

And they sure are pungently sweet- you know, a potpourri of cinnamon, fairy-floss and indeed, the sharper smelling juniper (for the sake of convenience; Juniper is the lead female character of this stunning film). Starring the incorrigibly gorgeous Johnny Depp as an eccentric hubcap-twirler, Buster Keaton aspirant, connoisseur of the art of ironing sandwich slices, the sweet romantic comedy possesses an abstruser, somewhat deeper strain of reality through its emotional sashays from the inventively whimsical to bitingly real, now humorously deadpan, now tear-wrenching (though not for me… my tear ducts, I believe, are reserved only for the self-pitying episodes during turbulent pre-exam or post-debacle moments). Depp’s fantabulous performance as well as Mary Stuart Masterson’s as Joon and Aidan Quinn’s as Benny really set the flavour of ‘Benny and Joon’ (1993), magically transmuting what could have been a sappy chick flick into a classic genre-defying ‘film’ (though I guess it lies comfortably within the romantic comedy genre).


Capable of thawing even the iciest of hearts, ‘Benny and Joon’ is tastefully colourful in palette and sense (i.e. it provides the much needed absence of garish bloody scenes, sex scenes– though a single cinemaphile like me cannot thrive long without them, the latter in particular ;P). Plus I now know that wool setting is really the only recommended one for making the best grilled cheese. Best practised on an ironing board, too.

Excuse me for the many odd expressions employed this night. I’ve been criticised many a times so please be kind.