BENNY & JOON
Rating: 
Original Review: Benny & Joon was one of the first major studio pictures Rachel Portman scored when she first hit the Hollywood big time. An offbeat romantic comedy with an eccentric edge, starring Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson and Aidan Quinn, Portman's score is both lovely and eccentric, in an endearing kind of way. The whole album exudes an air of almost child-like innocence and playfulness and is built around a bouncy main theme, 'Benny & Joon', which highlights Portman's talent for crafting elegant woodwind solos, in this instance flutes and clarinets. Parts of Benny & Joon are quite reminiscent of Danny Elfman's more light-hearted work and, as well as the main theme, there are a number of tracks worth noting, such as 'Joon's Medicine', which is slightly more downbeat in tone; 'Raisins', which incorporates a wistful harmonica solo into the proceedings; 'Balloon', a slow, dreamlike rendition of the main theme offset by magical-sounding chimes; 'On The Bus' which, with the addition of a poignant violin, gives the main theme a real tragic twist; and 'Swinging', a wonderfully vibrant version of the Benny & Joon theme in an almost circus-style, using a thumping bass drum and resonant tubas to spice up the melody. The real highlight for me, though, is the 'Love Theme', which is quite different from the rest of the album in that it has a more sensuous, emotional feeling, and swells into a beautifully lush string melody after a minute or so of airy build up. Throughout the entire running time of Benny & Joon, I was constantly thinking about the films of Charlie Chaplin, and especially the enduring image of Johnny Depp sticking two forks into his bread rolls and pretending they are feet, a la The Gold Rush. This, to me, is always the sign of a good and effective score, if it can make a certain scene from a film you haven't seen for two or three years pop into your head as soon as the music strikes up. As a companion to Only You and Addicted To Love, Benny & Joon confirms Portman's standing as the queen of romantic comedies. Also included on the album is The Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be", a catchy track performed in extremely thick Scottish accents by singer/songwriter twins Craig and Charlie Reid, which was a massive hit in Britain in 1993 and has been a popular club song ever since.
Track Listing:
- I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (written by Craig Reid and Charlie Reid, performed by The Proclaimers) (3:34)
- Benny & Joon (2:45)
- Snorkel Mask (1:03)
- Joon's Medicine (1:41)
- Hubcaps (0:31)
- Sam's New Home/Raisins (2:39)
- Balloon (1:49)
- In The Park (5:09)
- Love Theme (3:08)
- Sam is Kicked Out (3:36)
- On The Bus (4:10)
- Swinging (2:59)
- Sam and Joon (1:39)
- Benny & Joon (Reprise) (2:44)
Running Time: 37 minutes 51 seconds
Milan 74321-15168-2 (1993)
Music composed by Rachel Portman. Conducted by J.A.C. Redford. Orchestrations by Rachel Portman. Recorded and mixed by John Richards. Edited by Bill Abbott. Mastered by Joe Gastwirt. Album produced by David Franco.
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These web pages were designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton copyright 1998. All opinions and views expressed on these pages are my own and are in no way intended to reflect those of my employer, the Trent Institute for Health Services Research, or those of the University of Sheffield.