What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)
A review of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993), directed by Lasse Hallström.
I’d heard so much about this movie for the longest time, just because it launched Leonardo DiCaprio’s career. I have a tendency when it comes to watching films, one where I don’t really watch any movies before the year 2000 unless it’s like a foreign film that’s considered a classic. At nineteen years old, this movie launched Leonardo DiCaprio into the spotlight with his baby face and insane talent for acting.
But what interests me, however, is how this film depicts small town life. It is set in rural Iowa, with a family that is essentially falling apart. The mother, Bonnie, is morbidly obese and can no longer care for her children, while our main character, Gilbert, is left to take care of everyone, especially his mentally disabled brother Arnie.
For now, that’s all we need to start, let’s dive into this review.
Content
It was exactly here where I started typing and realizing, oh my god, Gilbert is played by Johnny Depp. I don’t know how I didn’t notice before, but here we are.
Anyways, this is a fairly solid movie. The strongest relationship between the characters is tethered between Arnie and how he reacts to the world. Leonardo DiCaprio did a hell of a job playing someone who is mentally impaired, as seen by his voice, jerky movements, and how he portrays certain scenes, such as the birthday cake one.
However, in 2021, I don’t know if this movie was made now, if this performance would’ve held up. In an era where we champion diversity and representation, I don’t think he would’ve been the ideal person to cast if it was made in a more contemporary time—although, it is important to note that we cannot force modern interpretations onto a piece of art. We have to acknowledge the era for what it is.
Our main character, Gilbert, works at a grocery store that’s being threatened by a larger, more national chain opening up right near by. This is the life of small town America, where his mother cannot work or function, and his sisters manage all of the housework. His mother is another important key to this story.
Wracked by grief after her husband’s suicide, she no longer goes upstairs in the house, and her morbid obesity has left her unable to move around freely.
We then have a side plot in which Becky is introduced. Her grandmother and she are stuck in town after their trailer can no longer be moved, and a romance with Gilbert is cultivated in the process.
But we don’t get a lot of romance in this film because that isn’t what it’s about. It’s about the characters and their interactions with each other and the world around them, not the flirty romance and subtle touches. Which is what I like about this film, it has great focus on what it’s trying to achieve.
Overall Thoughts
It’s a great film with insanely good acting. There isn’t much else I can note to that aspect, but, if you’re interested in Americana, especially in the Midwest, this also is an important depiction to watch. Small town America is completely different than New York City or West Coast suburbia.
And it’s important that we humanize these people, too, because often we resort to stereotypes about other people within our own country, but they have their own struggles. And that’s why I think this is a critical movie to watch to build some empathy from those who may be geographically and socioeconomically different from us.
