"What's Eating Gilbert Grape" directed by Swede Lasse Hallström (director of "The Cider House Rules" and "Hachi: A Dog's Tale") focuses on Gilbert Grape, a young adult taking care of his brother with a developmental disability and his morbidly obese mother, in the days leading up to his brother's 18th Birthday. His brother Arnie Grape, splendidly played by a young Leonardo DiCaprio, has against all odds lived past the ten years medically allotted his life due to his condition. Arnie's upcoming birthday works as a backdrop for the movie.
The film's plot seemed a little too thin to me with the majority of the film being episodic occurrences in the Grape family's everyday lives. Although this lets us closer in on the characters, I got the feeling that the film lacked the direction it needed in order to advance the plot. The dialog felt awry on occasion discernible for instance in exchanges between Gilbert and his friends Tucker Van Dyke (John C. Reilly) and town coroner Bobby McBurney (Crispin Glover). In fact, I thought John C. Reilly gave a poor performance throughout.
Director Lasse Hallström has a tendency of making feel-good films without a lot of depth to them. I do not necessarily dislike films of this format, but they do have to redeem themselves in other departments to make up for this. The strongest selling point of the movie is therefore by far the performances by the actors. Casting director Gail Levin did well in bringing on Johnny Depp and Darlene Cates (the mother) as Gilbert and Bonnie Grape respectively, both whom delivers earnest and appealing performances. It goes without saying however that Leonardo DiCaprio is the one to watch out for in this picture. His acting is so convincing as to make it very difficult to believe he is acting a part in the first place. From the mannerisms he evokes to the way he talks and does his posturing, all bear witness to an immensely talented actor. DiCaprio, who was 18 at the time of filming, spent several days at a home for mentally challenged teens where he would talk to the kids as well as observe their mannerisms. This must have been a deciding factor in how he was able to act the part with such strong conviction.
The efforts of Editor Andrew Mondsheim left me scratching my head for a bit. Some scenes ended with almost no dialog at all, and I would have wanted him to show more patience during stretches of the film. Mondsheim was Oscar-nominated in 2000 for editing M. Night Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense", so he seems skilled enough to have done a better job with the film. The music in the film was too repetitive and dull for my taste. In addition, I thought the film was overlong. The fictional town of Endora with its gloomy atmosphere sets up the film nicely though, and the cinematography was befitting the themes of the film.
I would call this a good film, a simple one, but a good one still. It is worth the while if only to watch Leonardo DiCaprio's solid performance as autistic Arnie Grape. That the Academy could favour Tommy Lee Jones's role in "The Fugitive" over DiCaprio is absurd to me, but DiCaprio is no stranger to such disappointments as time has shown.
The film's plot seemed a little too thin to me with the majority of the film being episodic occurrences in the Grape family's everyday lives. Although this lets us closer in on the characters, I got the feeling that the film lacked the direction it needed in order to advance the plot. The dialog felt awry on occasion discernible for instance in exchanges between Gilbert and his friends Tucker Van Dyke (John C. Reilly) and town coroner Bobby McBurney (Crispin Glover). In fact, I thought John C. Reilly gave a poor performance throughout.
Director Lasse Hallström has a tendency of making feel-good films without a lot of depth to them. I do not necessarily dislike films of this format, but they do have to redeem themselves in other departments to make up for this. The strongest selling point of the movie is therefore by far the performances by the actors. Casting director Gail Levin did well in bringing on Johnny Depp and Darlene Cates (the mother) as Gilbert and Bonnie Grape respectively, both whom delivers earnest and appealing performances. It goes without saying however that Leonardo DiCaprio is the one to watch out for in this picture. His acting is so convincing as to make it very difficult to believe he is acting a part in the first place. From the mannerisms he evokes to the way he talks and does his posturing, all bear witness to an immensely talented actor. DiCaprio, who was 18 at the time of filming, spent several days at a home for mentally challenged teens where he would talk to the kids as well as observe their mannerisms. This must have been a deciding factor in how he was able to act the part with such strong conviction.
The efforts of Editor Andrew Mondsheim left me scratching my head for a bit. Some scenes ended with almost no dialog at all, and I would have wanted him to show more patience during stretches of the film. Mondsheim was Oscar-nominated in 2000 for editing M. Night Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense", so he seems skilled enough to have done a better job with the film. The music in the film was too repetitive and dull for my taste. In addition, I thought the film was overlong. The fictional town of Endora with its gloomy atmosphere sets up the film nicely though, and the cinematography was befitting the themes of the film.
I would call this a good film, a simple one, but a good one still. It is worth the while if only to watch Leonardo DiCaprio's solid performance as autistic Arnie Grape. That the Academy could favour Tommy Lee Jones's role in "The Fugitive" over DiCaprio is absurd to me, but DiCaprio is no stranger to such disappointments as time has shown.