->''"A romance on the brink of reality."''

In this 1993 film, a mentally ill young woman finds her love in an eccentric man who models himself after Creator/BusterKeaton.

Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson) is smart, creative and pretty -- and severely schizophrenic. She lives together with her protective brother Benny (Aidan Quinn). When Joon "wins" the eccentric and possibly mentally disabled Sam (Creator/JohnnyDepp) during a poker game, Benny reluctantly agrees to let Sam stay with them for a while.

Sam and Joon inevitably fall in love, and as they try to set up a life together, the darker side of Joon's schizophrenia comes to light. Still, Sam refuses to give up, despite Benny flat-out telling him that Joon would never be fit for an adult relationship.

!!This film contains the following tropes:

* AmbiguousDisorder: While Joon is stated to be schizophrenic, Sam appears to be not so far behind her. It's hard to tell what are just eccentricities and what is a genuine harmful condition. Beyond trying to be a real life silent movie character, it's shown he can't read or write either. He likely just hasn't been diagnosed with anything, but at the very least has some sort of learning difference.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Sam.
* CharlieChaplinShoutOut: Depp, a Chaplin enthusiast, stated that it took him several weeks to get the bread roll dance he performs in this movie (a shout-out to Film/TheGoldRush) down perfectly, including all the little head movements and everything (Chaplin, being an almost obsessive perfectionist, would probably also have spent weeks getting the entire routine down perfectly).
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Sam and Joon.
* DeadpanSnarker: Benny.
* FunnySchizophrenia: Averted. At first it seems like Joon's mental handicap will be played for wackiness, but the film also shows the full extent of what having a personal relationship with someone like her would entail. Her breakdown on the bus while trying to run away with Sam is particularly tragic.
* GoryDiscretionShot: In the SoBadItsGood [[ShowWithinAShow Movie Within a Movie]].
* INeedAFreakingDrink: Benny, shortly after meeting [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Sam]] for the first time.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Sam is a male example.
* MySisterIsOffLimits: Benny, though being Joon's brother, acts much like an OverprotectiveDad, and is against Sam and Joon's relationship.
* NameAndName
* NiceHat: Sam wears one in homage to Creator/BusterKeaton.
* PrecisionFStrike: Benny throws one out to Sam as he throws him out [[spoiler: after Sam and Joon reveal their relationship]]. Surprisingly, the film held on to a PG rating.
* ShoutOut: Johnny Depp's character, Sam, is a walking tribute to Creator/BusterKeaton. He also reenacts Creator/CharlieChaplin's bread roll dance from ''Film/TheGoldRush'' at one point.
* SliceOfLife
* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: "For grilled cheese, I would have used the wool setting." "That's what I told him!" Though they are siblings this isn't too surprising.
* TheStoic: Benny.
* UnconventionalSmoothie: Among other culinary innovations.