What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
In the film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, the main character Gilbert takes on the “Father Role” to support his family economically and financially. The fact Gilbert is the man of the house causes him to repress his anger. His sorrow begins to strengthen his rage in a very unhealthy manner. The melancholy that leads to Gilberts weakening has its roots in his family which is what begins to eat Gilbert alive. All his family members play important individual roles in finding out what’s eating Gilbert Grape.
What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a beautifully shot movie of tenderness, caring and self-awareness that is set amongst the fictional working class one street town Endora. Centred around the Grape family Ellen and Amy and their two brothers Arnie and Gilbert, who, along with their morbidly obese widowed mother Bonnie Grape are striving to survive and coexist with the absence of a father figure, low wage work and seventeen-year-old Arnie's severe mental condition. It is in this awkward and extremely one sided affair that the unfortunate Gilbert has to constantly, while working for the town's slowly dying Convenience Store, take care of his younger brother Arnie. Gilbert's life, his future, is thwarted he knows this, but it is in this Guardian Angel that his love and bond for Arnie cannot, and will not, be let go. That is until the free spirit of Becky arrives in town, and with her grandmother are stranded for the DeLosAngeles 2 week while waiting for parts for their vehicle. This realization unties new feelings, new thoughts and new hope for the put upon Gibert, something new is eating Gilbert Grape.
The film received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film was given a 89% "Certified Fresh" rating. (Critic, Fan. "What's Eating Gilbert Grape 1993." What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Rotten Tomatoes, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2013 pg. 1). New York Times film critic Janet Maslin praised DiCaprio's performance, writing "the film's real show-stopping turn comes from Mr. DiCaprio, who makes Arnie's many tics so startling and vivid that at first he is difficult to watch. The performance has a sharp, desperate intensity from beginning to end.
Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times described it as "... one of the most enchanting films of the year" and said that DiCaprio deserved to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for which he was nominated. Todd McCarthy of Variety found the film a "bemused view on life" and remarked that "Depp manages to command center screen with a greatly affable, appealing characterization." Washington Post Desson Howe thought the film was an earnest but highly predictable effort. Film Review praised Leonardo DiCaprio as the mentally handicapped brother, calling it "a performance of astonishing innocence and spontaneity", bringing "a touching credibility to a very difficult part". Film Review quoted the actor:
"I had to really research and get into the mind of somebody with a disability like that. So I spent a few days at a home for mentally retarded teens. We just talked and I watched their mannerisms. People have these expectations that mentally retarded children are really crazy, but it's not so. It's refreshing to see them because everything's so new to them." DeLosAngeles 3
In addition to DiCaprio's first Academy Award nomination in this film, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. He also won the Best Supporting Actor Award from the National Board of Review. The film was nominated for the prestigious Grand Prix of the Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics.
In the film, Amy, being the eldest sibling and daughter of the Grapes, plays the “Mother Role” having to take care of the household. “My older sister Amy is more like a mother”, explains Gilbert, making him portray the “Father Figure”; as he states, “My father built this house, and it’s my job to do the repairs.” Amy being the voice of reason tries her best to keep the family together, which causes Gilbert to repress his feelings the more Amy tells him “he has to do better”. In the scene when Gilbert leaves Arnie in the bathtub overnight, causes a fright to the family; which is when Amy begins to tell him, “You gotta do better” because without his help the family will fall apart quickly. This builds up Gilbert’s emotion because he knows just as Amy he has an important role in the family to fill in.
Ellen, the youngest of the siblings, concentrates on appearances, specifically hers. While the family is eating dinner, Ellen begins to chew with her mouth open which disgusts Gilbert. He tells Ellen to close her mouth when she is eating, to which Ellen responds sarcastically, “Oh. Okay Dad. Sure thing, Dad.” This aggravates Gilbert because for him it is an insult to be compared to such a man. Gilbert’s job is to support his family financially yet Ellen’s character seems to make Gilbert feel guilty and responsible for all the bad things occurring to Arnie throughout the film. When Ellen pushes Arnie off the water tower and causes him to bleed infuriates Gilbert; adding fuel to the fire, once there home Ellen plays her DeLosAngeles 4 trumpet and flips Gilbert off, causing him to intentionally try and run her over. Gilbert wishes Ellen could grow up because he wants her to finally take responsibility for the family and assist with Arnie and
Bonnie. Instead she makes him feel guilty for his actions, such as when Arnie gets arrested and she states, “Well at least he’s in a safe place, at least someone’s watching him.”
Arnie, a mentally disabled boy, is supposed to be turning eighteen years old. The sad fact is that Arnie’s helplessness causes Gilbert to take on the role as his older brother as well as his father. This puts a lot of responsibilities for Gilbert because he knows Arnie will never be capable of growing up, which indeed drives him insane, “Any time now Arnie can go anytime…some days you want him to live…some days you don’t.” Gilbert’s daily duties consist of working at Lamson’s Grocery, supplying for his family and taking care of Arnie, day and night. When Arnie climbs up the water tower, it is Gilbert’s responsibility to get him down safely, “I know a boy whose name is Arnie he’s about to turn 18 and have a big party, I know a boy whose name is Arnie” is the tactic he uses to convince Arnie. Though, the more type of calamities that occur, the more chaos erupts in the family because of Gilbert’s regressions. One of the most important scenes in the film is when Gilbert wants to give Arnie a bath but he keeps trying to get away. Gilbert’s aggression erupts and he begins to beat up Arnie, letting out his repressed feelings onto his brother. He goes to Becky and tells her no one hurts Arnie, which allows him to understand what is causing all his regression towards his family and himself. DeLosAngeles 5
Bonnie, one of the most important characters in the film, helps us figure out what is eating Gilbert Grape. In the beginning of the movie, Gilbert says his mother Bonnie used to be one of the most beautiful women in Endora. Though, after his father hung himself in the basement she was never the same, no one was. Gilbert’s thoughts about his mom are that she is a “whale” and is extremely obese; he is disappointed in what she has become in over the seven years since she has not left the house. Gilbert is full of repressed feelings that deal with Bonnie because she abandoned her position as a mother, which is why he has learned to become ashamed. What Bonnie seems to tell Gilbert constantly is, “Where is your head, Gilbert?” This not only makes Gilbert see what his life has become but as well what his future might bring. In the scene the Grape’s are eating dinner, Arnie begins to yell “Dad’s Dead” over and over causing Bonnie to erupt with pain, and as well weakening the floor with her mighty weight. Gilbert begins to notice their family’s catastrophes are bigger than he imagined. As the end comes near and Arnie’s eighteenth birthday finally arrives, Gilbert hears his mother say, “I know what a burden I am and I know you are ashamed of me.” Gilbert now starts to realize that he is not ashamed of his mother and accepts her. That causes Bonnie to move away from the basement which represents the family’s hell, and moves upstairs to her bedroom, representing her heaven. When the Grape family finds their mother dead, Gilbert begins to comprehend Bonnie was part of the reason why he felt trapped. Gilbert’s father is the cause for their family’s status; he abandoned them emotionally and left his family with absolutely nothing. Gilbert’s life motivation is based on picking up his family’s broken pieces and trying to fix them, removing his family’s memories of the incident that occurred in the basement. DeLosAngeles 6
Gilbert finally realizes he and his siblings cannot go on with their lives unless he can destroy the memory of his father’s death. Gilbert says he will not allow his mother to be made a joke of; he grabs a box of matches, lights one up and burns the house down, cremating his mother Bonnie as well. The message on the box, “Keep away from children” indicates that Gilbert is no longer a child; he is able to burn down his father’s creation and move on. The only way he and his siblings could accomplish this was if his mother died, which gave Amy, Ellen, Arnie and Gilbert Grape their freedom and a chance to a new life.
In conclusion, Gilbert Grape is eaten by the absence of his father through suicide and the absence of his mother not physically, but mentally. They both left him with an important responsibility that never allowed him to treasure his childhood nor his adult life. Gilbert had to learn to adapt to a new reality which made him feel alone and accountable for Arnie and his entire family. Now the man of the house, his duties were taking care of his family and making sure they could get by, day by day. When Becky asks him what he wants for himself, he realizes he does not know how to respond to her because his entire life he has always thought of other’s rather than himself. Gilbert burning down the house, leaving all the past behind, allows him a new beginning where he can finally begin a new chapter in his life, a fresh journey at peace! anadelos123@gmail.com Sign out
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