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I never would have believed that watching a poor, common family
in a small, backward town could be so interesting – or so
entertaining. Not a whole lot happens in this family, but it doesn’t
need to. These guys are captivating just in their day to day lives.
The father of the family is suggested to have committed suicide
some years ago, leaving behind the mother, Bonnie (Darlene Cates),
who weighs around 500 pounds. There are two daughters in the family
and there is Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is about to turn 18
but has the mind of a 5 year old. Keeping the family together
is Gilbert (Johnny Depp), who supports his family, in part, with
the money he earns from the local grocery store and takes care
of Arnie.
The question, “What’s eating Gilbert Grape?”
is a good one. On one level, it is simply that his life is going
nowhere. He is stuck in a little, unknown town, bound by his family.
Gilbert Grape masterfully suggests these feelings of
his, not just through the occasional mention of it, but also through
a pervading sense of melancholy that permeates the film.
But I think there’s something deep that is eating at Gilbert
that is most blatently expressed when Becky (Juliette Lewis),
a girl passing through the town, asks him what he wants. After
naming off things he wants for his family, she asks him what he
wants for himself. Gilbert replies, “I just want to be a
good person.” I think this fundamental desire is really
supported by the text. Gilbert is searching for a better self.
The fact that he’s tied to his family is one thing that’s
eating at Gilbert, but the fact that he feels this way at all
is eating at him even more. He wants to take off on his own, but
not nearly so much as he wants to be good to his own family.
The accidental ending is perhaps a little too easy of a resolution
for this kind of conflict: Gilbert is set free, which he wants,
while not having to sacrifice his conscience. On the other hand,
Gilbert is redeemed – his goodness pays off with sincere
happiness. And it’s not happiness that he’s won accidentally,
it’s happiness that he’s earned.
Gilbert Grape treats us to fantastic performances on
the part of all, most especially Leonardo DiCaprio who gets his
character down amazingly well. Most significantly, What’s
Eating Gilbert Grape allows us to see, feel and understand
lives we might not understand otherwise, and affirms the words
of Mark Twain who said, “A loving good heart is riches,
and riches enough.”
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