Geez, it's been 20 years, Candy.
Twenty years since What's Eating Gilbert Grape was released.
I don't just love it simply because Johnny Depp's in it, although that makes it more lovely because I adore the quirky, offbeat characters he plays. But Gilbert is at the beginning of his career (before he "went weird" as someone described it online yesterday) and is as straitlaced as 21 Jump Street. But this character affects me maybe more than any other ~ there's something so heartfelt about his portrayal, and his desire, and his feeling of being held back and frustrated, and his desire to be free, that gets me every time.
If Leonardo di Caprio had never made any other movie after this, his career would have been an accomplishment. And while I can't say that I've seen much of anything he's made, from what I have seen he has not been able to scale the acting heights that he did playing Arnie because he was, quite simply, brilliant.
Margaret from At the Movies thinks that a classic is a movie which gets better every time you see it. What's Eating Gilbert Grape is my best-loved classic of them all. Its sweetness, aching and longing works on me every single time.
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This is one of my favorite movies as well! And by far my favorite Leo DiCaprio movie. He was brilliant in it in a way I haven't seen him be since. I also am a fan of most of Lasse Hallstrom's other movies, especially The Shipping News. And Chocolat, of course.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I haven't seen The Shipping News yet. I started reading the book one day but then fell away ... might have to give it a try. I think Lasse also directed My Life as a Dog, which I recommend and which made me tear up. I think he has a lovely soul :)
DeleteI started reading the Shipping News too and didn't get very far. The movie is wonderful. One of the things I like about Lasse Hallstrom is how he takes a book and changes it in GOOD ways for his movies. I also like how he illuminates small stories; that's his genius, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a long time since I saw My Life as a Dog, but I do remember liking it.
Whats eating Gilbert Grape didnt a big hit. But That film has a lot of fans around the world. A great family movie. The heartfelt theme music .The film will never dispear.
ReplyDeleteWhats eating Gilbert Grape didnt a big hit. But That film has a lot of fans around the world. A great family movie. The heartfelt theme music .The film will never dispear.
ReplyDelete