Review of What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) by Danielle F — 31 Jul 2011

Lasse Hallstrom's first in a duo of brilliantly touching and masterfully made Johnny Depp films.

This harrowing, yet often comedic, tale of a rural family touches base on an emotional level, but still maintains its "outsider" nature through humor and often very individual plot moments. Without pressuring the audience to find a similarity with the characters and their lifestyle the unfolding of events creates a bond of emotional energy; a film that inspires each viewer to be empathetic. Whether laughing or crying, each moment is unique and fresh.

While joining into the Gilbert Family's lives, the major point of the film is to understand one relationship: Gilbert and Arnie's. Finding a up and coming young Dicaprio and the phenomenal Depp, while he was still a diamond in the rough, to play the leading roles was this film's secret to success. Their emotional and physical chemistry, alongside their boundless talent brought a vibrant passion to the words and feelings. The characters were all stretched to their written limits and burst onto the screen with life. And only Juliette Lewis, as Becky, Depp's love interest, could manage to hold back the flowing vivacity. With her snarky and often unappealing nature there was no rooting for her romantic victory. Much of Lewis' failure can be ridden off as "the writing's fault", but truthfully, it was just a poor casting choice; where there should have been chemistry, there was none. Where passion was in the role, she held none.

Using the score, location and casting to the fullest, each moment became uniquely real; almost a documentary of Gilbert Grape. John C. Reilly's humor played off very naturally, as did Mary Kate Schellhardt's nagging and DiCaprio's flawless portrayal of being handicapped. The almost nonexistent charm of the town became an asset, where as many films hinder themselves with overwhelming or exhausting locations.

Overall, this touching story can be seen time and time again without loosing its significant and magnificent qualities. Where many movies fail, "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" has managed to rise above and beyond through simple choices. A must see film for everyone.