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This was one of those movies I’d had recommended to me forever and had
always meant to rent, so I finally did. I was well rewarded for my effort.
This movie’s quirky characters in a down-to-earth familiar setting are
reminiscent of a Flannery O’Connor story. It’s set in the matter-of-fact
world of a small town on the American plains, where appearance is simultaneously
important and played down. And where escape is important for those (like Gilbert
Grape) who don’t want to work at the new burger franchise or become the
best undertaker (like Gilbert’s friends).
However much he wants it, escape is hard for Gilbert (played soulfully by Johnny
Depp). He and his two sisters have familial responsibilities. They have to take
care of: (1) their obese mother (who has become large enough to cause concerns
about the solidity of the flooring and hasn’t left the house in years);
and (2) their mentally impaired eighteen-year-old brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio).
Gilbert also has girl problems—he has to choose between an older married
woman from town and the new girl his age who’s just stopping for a week
on her way through town.
If you have doubts about Leonardo DiCaprio’s acting skills after the teeny-bopper
stardom he assembled during Titanic, watch this film—he does an excellent
job in the supremely challenging role of Gilbert’s brother. It’s not
just him, though—the whole cast brings life and believability to their
characters.
This is one of those films that will stick in your mind for a long time—it
becomes a reference point for so many things. Its quiet understated tempo could
easily trick you into disbelieving the power of the film. Until you can’t
stop thinking about it days—and weeks—later.
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