Movie Review: Benny Loves You (2019)

Synopsis: After his parents die in a fluke accident on his 35th birthday, Jack struggles to keep the bank from foreclosing on their home and is close to losing his job at a toy company. Determined to get his life in order, he throws out all his childhood toys, including his favorite bear, Benny. Benny comes to life and begins killing both those who wronged Jack and those he believes Jack loves more than him.

Who's in it? The movie stars Karl Holt, Claire Cartwright, James Parsons, Anthony Styles and David Wayman.


Review: I came across this movie earlier today and since my first choice ended up being in a language I didn't understand, I decided to give it a try. I'll give it this much, it was definitely unique.

I think the thing I liked most about this film was Benny (unlike a lot of toys from other films) was limited to some very generic toy-like responses, something that made the character a lot less predictable than he would have been had he been capable of having a normal conversation and explaining his motivations. It also gave him a surprisingly creepy vibe because it was a bit like a child who had a basic (violent) response to everything and didn't seem to have an ability to have higher reasoning, something that made it seem a lot more dangerous than most horror movie killers.

I also loved the twist involving who Benny was stalking. At first, I thought it would be one of those movies that had the killer doll only acting the way it did because it was protecting its owner. Having Benny (voiced by Holt) also trying to kill those who expressed any sort of affection toward Jack (Holt), like his girlfriend, Dawn (Cartwright), out of jealousy was a nice touch.

Another thing that kept this interesting was the question about how Jack would find a way out of the situation. The police were already suspicious of him, and Benny did a good job committing the murders without witnesses, making Jack the most obvious suspect. Jack choosing to bury bodies in his backyard wasn't going to help him either.

The movie does have a bit of a slow pace at times. Plus, I wasn't a big fan of Benny's obsession with killing pets (I hate movies that do that with no motivation). However, I did think the ending was somewhat unexpected and worked with the rest of the film, something that isn't always the case with films in this genre.

Final Opinion: It's a weird movie and a bit gory but was definitely entertaining. At minimum, I'd recommend it if you can't find anything else.

My Grade: B

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