MovieChat Forums > Benny & Joon (1993) Discussion > First time posting here

First time posting here


Greetings and salutations! This is the first time I posted on a movie message board since the days of IMBD (may it rest in peace). I revisited Benny and Joon recently after so many years. It's kinda part of my childhood. The scene where Sam and Joon admitted to Benny at the breakfast table that they ''did it''. He initially thinks that they're bullshitting him, but when they kept insisting that they were being serious. He furiously throws Sam out of the house and begins a heated argument with his sister.

Now, since the details of her condition were not clearly defined in the movie. There are two ways of looking at this:

1) Sam took advantage of her situation and was thus fair game to press charges against.

2) Even though Joon tenia sus problemas she was still cognizant enough to understand the concept of consensual sex.

I don't think Sam is that kind of guy but maybe her brother thought that that was the case. Hence why he became infuriated.

PS: The moment in that scene where Joon cries ''I hate you'' to her brother as her voice cracks and walks away tore my heart when I first saw it. That was the first time I learned that even people suffering from some type of mental impairment are still capable of displaying feelings, like the rest of us.

PSS: It was established early on that Benny is very overprotective of his sister. So I don't think he would have been okay with the idea of letting a complete stranger into their house. And especially leave the two them alone when he wasn't around. All because of a bet that he wasn't even involved in, much less agreed upon. Poor writing in my opinion.

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Welcome!

I look forward to sharing with you my favorite movies with retards!

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I appreciate the reply but I don't think the word ''retard'' is considered politically correct these days. I myself am always cautious with these sort of things. But thank you for the welcoming.

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My ex-wife was a tard, now she's a pilot.

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I see. Well, I'm not a doctor but I'm under the impression that the the term ''retarded'' is a broad one and can obviously vary from person to person. Some patients are better off than others, condition wise. But I'm glad your ex was able to overcome her situation.

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There are plenty of 'tards out there living really kick-ass lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdPmNM0IF7Y

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I always assumed that she was schizophrenic. That condition can vary so widely in severity that it's not really possible to say for sure whether the character could consent or not

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I read the same thing when I looked it up. But like you said. The extent of one's schizophrenia can vary from person to person. But this is suppose to be a lighthearted romantic comedy. If they implied that Sam did indeed take advantage of her. This movie would have taken a dark turn and I don't think that that was their intention.

But still an interesting food for thought.

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