In one of the most telling scenes of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Gilbert (Johnny Depp), when asked about what he wants in life, answers, ‘”I want a new thing, a house, I want a new house for my family, I want Mama to take aerobics classes, I want Ellen to grow up, I want a new brain for Arnie.” When prompted with the counter question: “‘But what do you want for you?”, to which Gilbert responds “I want to be a good person.”
These lines do a brilliant job of summing up the premise of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Gilbert Grape, lives in a small town with his slightly dysfunctional, ever so demanding family. Their father committed suicide, and their mother (Darlene Cates) is consumed by grief,she spends her entire time watching television, refuses to move and hasn’t left the house in years, she is morbidly obese, to the point where the town children peep through the windows, to get a glance at her.
He has two sisters, Ellen and Amy, together,the three of them are responsible for taking care of themselves, their-mother, their house and most importantly their mentally challenged brother, Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio), and well, suffice to say, it isn’t easy. Gilbert is at the center of the whirlwind, as he is the oldest of all the siblings, he is also the family’s primary source of income, and because of his relationship with Arnie, not only as the loving older brother, but also, his primary caretaker. It is there dynamic which drives the film, and it’s difficult, complicated, messy, but a realistic and heartwarming portrayal of brotherly relationships.
Gilbert tries really hard to do what’s best for his family, it his defining trait as a character, but under the burden of his responsibilities, he feels stuck. The small lifeless town, his job at the local supermarket, which has lost most of its costumers to a nearby supermarket chain, and the sheer monotony of his everyday life which is riddled with continuous struggles, all of it is a source of constant dissatisfaction, but hey, that’s just how life is, for most of us.
In that sense, Gilbert is not a quintessential Hollywood hero, well I mean, he is stunningly good looking, but he doesn’t embark on grand journey’s of self discovery and he isn’t some flawless self sacrificing stereotype, rather, he is angry, wistful, vulnerable, jaded and flawed, he is extremely human. We are reminded of his wish to escape, but we also know he would never leave his family, its a beautiful contrast and Depp does an excellent job of portraying the inherent contradictions of Gilbert as a character.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is replete with interesting characters and strong performances, most notably that of Arnie. We aren’t ever told what he suffers from, however, symptoms put the character on the autism spectrum. It’s a well written, fairly accurate (from what I’ve read) and an extremely sensitive portrayal.
This was DiCaprio’s second film, and it was an early reflection of his skills as an actor. He manages to bring an innocence to Arnie’s character, but never letting him seem childlike, the physical and the emotional aspects of his performance are equally strong and that’s a difficult task to master, with a role like this.
Becky’s (Juliette Lewis) character adds the romantic angle to this story, but more importantly, Becky represents the freedom that Gilbert longs for. She is passerby, who comes to town during the International Harvester Travelall and since her trailer breaks down, she ends up staying for a few days during which she develops a relationship with Gilbert, and a friendship with Arnie.
Her presence seems to breathe life into this otherwise bland town, and while she doesn’t get much individual development, she does her function as a safe space for Gilbert and for him to view his circumstances in a different light. I wish she wasn’t used merely as a plot device but sadly that’s what ends happening, for the most part.
If there is one arc which just didn’t work for me, it was Gilbert’s affair with a married woman in town, Betty Carver (Mary Steenburgen). Apart from a single scene where she points out that the only reason she chose Gilbert for having an affair, because she knew he could never leave, nothing else in her arc leaves much impact. In fact, I kept trying to figure out the dynamics of there relationship, and I just couldn’t, I am guessing, that in converting the novel to the screenplay, the depth of Betty’s character was lost.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is ultimately about two things, loss and shame. The Grape’s lose their father, Mrs. Grape loses her husband and her beauty, Gilbert loses his childhood and his freedom, and America seems to losing its simplicity, moving towards a much more complicated and elaborate consumer culture, possibly a reflection of the early 90s American society.
The shame comes through in the way Arnie’s unpredictable behavior, their father’s suicide and their mother’s weight gain are all a source of shame for the rest of the family members. The takeaway here is that shame and guilt are part of the human experience, and the best way to navigate them is through mutual support and compassion, which is a rather touching sentiment, if you think about it.
From a plot perspective, this is a difficult movie to explain, because well, this is a movie which is much more focused on its characters, and there interactions, rather than telling a dramatic story. Some plot elements are nearly outlandish, but all of it is handled with an underlying honesty and sensitivity, which is what makes this movie worth your time.
Not a single moment in this 2 hr+ long film feels pretentious, the characters are relatable, the pacing swift, if at times a bit slow. And the music by Alan Parker, Björn Isfält, and cinematography by Sven Nykvist gives the characters a chance to breathe, which frankly is absolutely essential, given the inherent chaos of their lives.
While the film may not neatly fit into a genre, for the most part, it functions as a slice of life film. The writing by Peter Hedges and direction by Lasse Hallstrom is commendable, because while it is sympathetic towards its characters and their woes, its never pitiful. Treat the material just a little differently, and the story has the potential to turn into either an unintentional comedy or an utterly depressing tragedy but luckily it manages to stray clear of those extremes, finding a voice filled with understanding and hope.
My final thoughts, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is predictable at times, and not too heavy on plot, so its not meant for everyone. However, there is something enigmatically charming about the film, almost a meditative quality and its characters and performances are engaging enough to keep you involved, even if the premise doesn’t.
