Eating Gilbert Grape

What's Eating Gilbert Grape? is a rich, memorable and stunningly acted story of desire colliding with responsibility. It catches many an eye with its dramatic, yet solemn storyline and creative technical features. The films major themes are well presented throughout the plot, largely due to the marvellous talents of the majority of the cast. Many people are drawn to this film because of their ability to relate personally to the major themes and issues raised. It is obvious that the target audience for this film is the average teenager in a family situation. At some point in family life, every teen is going to feel as if they are suffering. Whats Eating Gilbert Grape? allow its teenage viewers to compare their so-called hardships with that of a truly dysfunctional family. The use of creative technical features throughout the film adds greatly to its appeal. The mid-western sunsets and sprawling fields are beautifully photographed, making the atmosphere of the town intensely real. One of the most perfectly realised scenes focused on the grand opening of a burger franchise, Burger Barn, attended by the entire town and accompanied by the off-key high school band. Not a single note in the depiction of Endora rang false. Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) is a young man living in rural Endora who faced incredible responsibilities. As the man of the house since his father's suicide, Gilbert was forced to support the family by working at the local grocery store. He also had to watch over his mentally handicapped brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio) and help care for his extremely overweight mother (Darlene Cates). Gilbert seemed destined to spend the rest of his life in the small town until the arrival of Becky (Juliette Lewis) to Endora, a free spirit passing through with her grandmother when their truck broke down. As he spent time with Becky, Gilbert began to think about all the things...