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What's Eating Gilbert Grape - A Movie Review

I fell in love with 'What’s Eating Gilbert Grape' the first time I watched it.

By Marielle SabbagPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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Pursue your happiness. Love your family. Every day is a new day.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape was released into theaters in 1993. Gilbert Grape lives with his family in a small Midwestern town. Looking after both his mentally challenged brother and morbidly obese mother, Gilbert grapples with finding the meaning of life.

I fell in love with What’s Eating Gilbert Grape the first time I watched it. It is a pure film with a deep message about life. The characters, story, and setting breathes in a simplistic tone. Nobody ever knows what is going on in other people’s lives. The important message about Gilbert Grape is to value life.

One of my favorite aspects of Johnny Depp’s performance as Gilbert Grape is how he can say so much through minimal expressions. As a young man who is trapped inside his own head, Gilbert fights to recognize his true worth.

His journey in the film is profound slowly walking out of his mind, back into reality. His interactions with the members of his family, but mostly newcomer love interest, Becky (Juliette Lewis) are important to his growth to see what impact he has made.

People actually believed that Leonardo Dicaprio was mentally handicapped after witnessing his terrific performance as Arnie Grape. DiCaprio impressed me with how closely he researched for his part, going so far as to interact with mentally handicapped teens copying their mannerisms, behavior, and the way they spoke. As he quoted, I could tell that he had the time of his life working on this film.

I have so much gratitude for the late Darlene Cates. She was a beautiful human being with an inspiring story. Playing the obese mother of the Grapes, Cates dug deep into her own personal life, delivering a performance that was so compelling that I applaud her. I deeply recommend that you read into this woman’s story. She had an incredible emotional impact on the movie and I loved her spirit.

I was surprised to learn that Cates had no acting background, knocking her incredible scenes out of the ballpark. Cates only appeared in a few short films after the release of Gilbert Grape. Cates will forever be a role model for those who are struggling with insecurities.

Character interaction is so important in this movie. I loved every interaction between the members of the Grape family. They don’t get along, finding it tough to voice their concerns, but they make an incredible effort to be a family. Tragedy has hit this family one too many times, but they are still a family.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape has a marvelous cast of actors including the talents of Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen, Laura Harrington, Mary Kate Schellhardt, John C. Reilly, and Crispin Glover. This is a character movie.

This movie is a great exploratory of character dynamics and relationships. Aside from Gilbert and Arnie’s relationship, I loved how Gilbert opened up to Becky, explaining how he is feeling. Never keep a story inside of you. We all have a story to share.

Lasse Hallstrom’s direction wove a touching story that brings tears to the eyes. The tone, cinematography, and music are beautifully constructed. I am so surprised that this movie did not get more recognition at the Oscars in the year when it was released. It’s a film that all audiences can relate to.

I could watch Gilbert Grape over and over for its beautiful message, characters, and an incredibly simple story. If you have not watched What’s Eating Gilbert Grape I suggest that you find it on Netflix. It is an excellent movie.

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About the Creator

Marielle Sabbag

Writing has been my passion since I was 11 years old. I love creating stories from fiction, poetry, fanfiction. I enjoy writing movie reviews. I would love to become a creative writing teacher and leave the world inspiring minds.

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