Benjamin

"It's about my inability to love. But I'm fine now."

2019 1h 25m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🔥

90%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.5

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 91🍅90%Rotten Tomatoes●70Metacritic★6.5IMDB · 2,882

RomanceComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Benjamin, a rising star filmmaker, is on the brink of premiering his difficult second film No Self at the London Film Festival when Billie, his hard drinking publicist, introduces him to a mesmeric French musician called Noah.

“It's about my inability to love. But I'm fine now.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Colin Morgan
Benjamin
Phénix Brossard
Noah
Joel Fry
Stephen
Jessica Raine
Billie
Jack Rowan
Harry
Anna Chancellor
Tessa
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett
Paul
Michèle Belgrand
Adrienne

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Simon Amstell
Writers: Simon Amstell
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Simon Amstell, shot by David Pimm. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Righton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robin Peters shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Colin Morgan and Phénix Brossard and Joel Fry carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It's about my inability to love. But I'm fine now.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt7455076 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Simon Amstell directs. David Pimm behind the camera. James Righton scores. Robin Peters cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 7 years ago.
3Directed by Simon Amstell, shot by David Pimm. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by James Righton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Robin Peters shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Colin Morgan and Phénix Brossard and Joel Fry carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "It's about my inability to love. But I'm fine now.".
8IMDB entry: tt7455076 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 91 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: David Pimm
Original score: James Righton
Editing: Robin Peters
Production design: Hannah Purdy Foggin
Costume design: Oliver Cronk
Makeup / hair: Zoey Olechnowicz
Sound: Ben Baird
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Benjamin (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 70/100
IMDB rating: 6.5/10 · 2,882 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 win & 2 nominations total

Also by

Simon Amstell

Carnage: Swallowing the Past
2017 · ★ 6.4

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

SWITCH.2019-10-08
★ 7/10
‘Benjamin’ is an enjoyable rom-com, filled with equal amounts of sweet moments and tense ones. - Chris dos Santos Read Chris' full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-benjamin-gay-dramedy-tugs-at-the-heartstrings-in-all-the-right-ways
CinemaSerf2024-05-29
★ 6/10
I really did want to like this - but I wasn't really given anywhere near enough meat on the bones of the story or the characters to het to know. The comedy is pretty thin on the ground and the underlying storyline is clichéd and muddles love and lust in an unconvincing fashion. It may well be partially autobiographical, but that - and the best efforts of the eponymous and engaging Colin Morgan as well as Jack Rowan's heart-throb "Harry" - doesn't help us through it's mediocrity. It's a pity, but I think that maybe auteur Simon Amstell was just too close to this to make it work in any objective or less awkward fashion.
kinrich302026-08-30
★ 3/10
This was an all right movie, but many of the characters were very annoying or acted very oddly during the entire movie, in a way that most people wouldn't act in real life.