HD Cinema (104): Butterflies Are Free *** (1972, Comedy)
Summary: Young Don Baker (Edward Albert) is blind. In the San Francisco's Haight Ashbury district at the beginning of the 1970s, he makes the considerable move toward independence by moving away from his mother (Eileen Heckart) and into his own place. Incidentally, he finds himself falling for Jill (Goldie Hawn), the kooky, free spirited actress in the apartment next door. Don must then convince his mother that Jill is good for him. Leonard Gershe's adapted this film version from his own Broadway play of the same name. Heckart won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work in the film.
HD Cinema (104): Benny & Joon *** (1993, Romance)
Summary: An oddball love story about a fey loner named Sam (Johnny Depp), who falls in love with the mentally unbalanced Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), who lives in the care of her protective brother Benny (Aidan Quinn). This 1993 story is hard to swallow, with its message that love can conquer a brand of mental illness that manifests itself in pyromania: Joon has a bad habit of going a bit around the bend and setting fires, but Sam's tender care apparently has the cure for what ails her. Still, if you want proof that Depp has significant chops as a physical comedian, give this film a try: He does note-perfect renditions of slapstick routines made famous by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. --Marshall Fine --
