I’m usually not a big fan of older movies, especially slow ones too, but I must say that there are a select few that I enjoy watching. One of my favorite heartfelt movies is What’s Eating Gilbert Grape; it is a 1993 American drama film directed by Swedish film director Lars Sven “Lasse” Hallström. The film stars Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Juliette Lewis. Johnny Depp plays 24-year-old Gilbert Grape, a grocery store clerk, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Arnie Grape, soon to be 18, who is mentally disabled, and Juliette Lewis plays Becky who slowly falls in love with Gilbert. This captivating film is a story about the struggles of a dysfunctional family and understanding the importance of mental health.
In the small town of Endora, Iowa, Gilbert Grape is busy struggling to care for his mentally impaired brother, Arnie, and morbidly obese widowed mother, while also trying to pursue his own happiness. After the death of their father, their widowed mother, Bonnie, spent most of her days on the couch watching TV and eating while suffering from depression. She became morbidly obese which has left her unable to care for her children. Gilbert was then forced to take on the role of “man of the house” as he takes ownership over his two sisters and younger brother, Arnie, who constantly tries to climb up on the water tower in town.
It seems as if Gilbert knows how to protect Arnie, and carefully take care of him as he continually enforces a “nobody touches Arnie” policy. During one scene, their younger sister, Ellen tries to control Arnie and his outburst, but she seems frustrated and starts pulling him by his hair. Throughout the film, the family is looking forward and planning out Arnie’s 18th birthday. Doctors did not expect Arnie to live past his 10th birthday, so they try to make each of his birthdays a special one. With everything that Gilbert has to take care of, he looks for some way to escape, even if it’s only for a little bit. When Becky comes to town, she catches his eyes which distracts Gilbert from his worries. She shows him how to enjoy the little things in life, but he quickly realizes he needs to somehow balance his desire for Becky, taking care of Arnie, and his obese mother.
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I think the one thing that really made me love this movie was the acting of Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp and their character’s bond throughout the whole film. I was particularly impressed by Leonardo DiCaprio’s acting as a mentally impaired teenager. “Mr. DiCaprio did spend some time visiting a school for developmentally retarded and autistic teen-agers. He adopted the characteristics of voice, manner and behavior from several different boys, creating his own character,” (Knight-Ridder News Service). This shows the dedication Leonardo DiCaprio had for his character Arnie. He went into his role making sure it was perfect, which it really was. His portrayal of Arnie was so convincing and real that it showed how much pure effort he put into his lovable character. Their immense love for one another always overweigh any aggression or problems they face. The strength of brotherhood is clearly portrayed by Depp and DiCaprio.
Unlike other movies, there are no stunning visual effects or any mind-blowing stunt-work, but the movie itself is incredibly meaningful and emotional. As simple as the film might have been, Lasse Hallström did an incredible job portraying the meaning of love, struggle and hardship. Throughout the movie, the camera shots are simple and the color palette in the film is very simple as well. Hallström’s films are profoundly shaped by his focused attention on portraying “real” families and their complicated dynamics. Unlike other American dramas during the 90’s, there’s not much action and the film is very slow paced. Many classic 90’s films have way action and seem to get to the point. The purpose behind those films might not technically focus on the true meaning behind the film or focus on the relationship of each character.
Martin Scorsese’s 1976 film Taxi Driver is a popular psychological thriller drama film. In many ways Scorsese’s film compares and contrast’s to Hallström’s film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. To start, the emotion in both films are clearly portrayed. In Taxi Driver, Robert De Niro plays Travis Bickle, a mentally unstable Vietnam War vet, an ex-marine and to say the least he was psychotic. I believe his problems stemmed from something much deeper than war-trauma as he wasn’t fully connected with the world around him explains that since Travis is a psychopath. All he had was his journal and he was so disconnected and cut off from the world that everything he did scared people off. All he wanted to do was fit in and be like other people, but he was too mentally ill to realize that he could never be considered “normal.” He would constantly talk to himself in the mirror and pose with the guns he bought.
As viewers, we kind of sympathize for Travis as he truly means well deep down but doesn’t know how to express himself in the right way because he does not know how to properly develop relationships with others. Just like Travis, we also sympathize for Gilbert Grape in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Gilbert struggles to have a life of his own as he is constantly taking care of others. As viewers we sympathize for him because we realize how hard it could be to take care of a mentally disabled teenager and be forced to be the “man of the house.” There is also sympathy towards Bonnie, the mother. She became depressed after her husband’s suicide and became morbidly obese and unable to care for her children. Towards the end of the film we kind of feel bad because she didn’t cope very well with his death which lead her to have a life she didn’t necessarily want. The whole town judged her and made fun of her just because of her obesity.
There are many differences between the two films as well. Taxi Driver is more of a thriller and is way more action packed. It also doesn’t focus much on families. “Throughout, Taxi Driver maintains a constant sense of movement, sensation, and stasis all at once,” (Greven, 159). On the other hand, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is slow paced and deals with the concept of a dysfunctional family, and the struggles behind it. There is not action at all and the emotion behind the film is stronger as well.
Another popular film Lasse Hallström directed was A Dog’s Purpose, a 2017 American comedy-drama adventure film. The movie is about a devoted dog who looks to discover his rightful purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes and owners. A Dog’s Purpose is a very heartwarming film, just like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Both films are very emotional and leave you feeling happy. Both films have a similar theme of love and family. Hallström, in a way also portrays the meaning of a “real” family and their complicated dynamics in both films, even if one of them is narrated by a dog. We see the struggles of real people and families throughout the film which is very similar to What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. One major difference is that in A Dog’s Purpose the movie is narrated by the dog. It also includes comedy and more adventure, whereas What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a slower movie and it’s not narrated by anyone, but instead is just the story about the Grape family and the struggles through it.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is definitely a movie that should be seen in anyone’s lifetime. The emotion and meaning behind the film are something you don’t normally get from other movies.
