What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  8 / 10

  'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?' is a classic 90s feel-good drama bolstered by an impeccable supporting performance. Leonardo DiCaprio. Even at such a young age, he garnered acclaim for his performances to which this challenging role may just be one of his best. A young man named Gilbert Grape is tasked with looking after his morbidly obese mother and mentally impaired brother, whilst developing a romance with the new girl in town. Both a family drama and a character study, where the primary focus is on the titular individual. The frustration of these unfortunate situations accumulate as he attempts to retain his inner rage to prevent his family from being destroyed. The stress and attentiveness of caring for two family members that constantly need looking after can be quite overbearing. Depp gives one of his better performances in what is a rather nuanced iteration of the character. His cool calm demeanour masquerades the anxiety within. It has to be said though, that DiCaprio easily stole the spotlight. Absolutely incredible performance. The innocence behind the tics and shenanigans that his mental illness causes was conveyed with the utmost of delicacy. It was difficult to watch certain scenes, he was that masterful. Cates was also noteworthy for her commanding role. Hedges, who originally wrote the novel, crafts a screenplay that retains the heart and tenderness of its source material. It's a classic 90s narrative structure where the story illustrates a clear beginning and conclusion without resorting to ambiguity, where you also feel that the characters have truly been developed as the plot progresses. Hallström's directing techniques were rather basic, which unfortunately prevented the cinematography from revealing itself. Some variations in direction would've elevated the drama, particularly the romance and affair, however the end result is nice. That's honestly the best way to describe this film. It's nice. Remove the performances and it would just be "good", but fortunately we have Depp and DiCaprio giving it their best.

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