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What's Eating Gilbert Grape Film Review

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What's Eating Gilbert Grape Film Review
Meet the Grapes
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, directed by Lasse Hallström, starred Johnny Depp as the main character, Gilbert Grape. The screenplay and the novel it was based off of were both written by Peter Hedges. Arnie Grape, Gilbert’s brother, and Becky, the love interest, were played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Juliette Lewis respectively. I found the movie to have several good factors but overall was rather predictable and shallow in many parts. In my opinion this film was rather in between, not particularly good or completely bad. Gilbert Grape is the eldest remaining son in his rather dysfunctional family. He is the chief caretaker of his autistic brother Arnie while his sister Amy, played by Laura Harrington, takes care of their morbidly obese mother and fifteen year old sister. Arnie’s eighteenth birthday is approaching when a mysterious new girl named Becky enters town. Gilbert falls in love with her and her unique worldly views and his insistence on spending time with her causes several problems for him, his family, and other people in the town. Gilbert’s whole family finds new strength to deal with their problems, both old and new, and in the end are freed from their weights and can live happy lives. There were several positive aspects of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. While Arnie is important to the movie and Gilbert’s growth as a person, the movie is not about him. Even so, his unconventional reactions in moments of tension work to further illuminate the tension and emotions of the other
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From a distracting distance within the movie to contradictory and underdeveloped characters, I am sad to say I was a bit disappointed. I would not tell anyone to not watch this movie, I still found it to be worthwhile, but I would not suggest the movie. I rate this movie two and a half

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