Whats Eating Gilbert Grape
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Whats Eating Gilbert Grape ?
In the movie, Whats Eating Gilbert Grape, Endora, Iowa is home to the Grape family: mother Bonnie hasnt left her home in seven years, since the suicide of her husband; she has become morbidly obese and spends most of her time on the living room couch in front of the television; sister Ellen ; sister Amy; and mentally retarted Arnie Grape who, as the film opens, is preparing to celebrate his 18th birthday. Arnie is developmentally disabled.
Gilbert Grape is a young man that has been impeded by more burdens than any man ought to have in an entire lifetime. He stocks shelves and delivers groceries for a local store, Lamsons Grocery, whose business has been deserted by the new supermarket in town. The movie begins with the “yearly ritual” of Gilbert and Arnie watching the caravans that pass along the road. Gilberts adversity seems to have started when his father hung himself seventeen years ago in their basement, which in turn drove his mother to obesity and a life confined to only their home. His mother has become a “burden” on him and he feels ashamed and humiliated by her. Gilbert even regards to his mother as “a beached whale,” and at one point lifts a young boy to the window to experience the sight of her. One afternoon a silver camper had engine trouble, forcing them to stay in town for a few weeks until it is fixed. During that time Gilbert has fallen in love with the girl in the trailer, played by Juliette Lewis. Gilbert becomes very irresponsible when it comes to his slow brother. He once left Arnie(Johnny Depp) in the bath tub all night because he wanted to go visit the girl. Arnie was then terrified of the water and refused to go back on ever again. Another time was when Gilbert was in a deep conversation with the girl (Ellen), and did not notice Arnie disappear. He ended -up climbing to the top of the water tower and not coming down until the firefighters carried him down. Their mother was very upset with Gilbert and asked, “Where has your head been?” Gilbert head has been up in the clouds, with his love.
In the small town of Endora, Iowa, Johnny Depp, who stars as Gilbert Grape, the main character of this movie, is busy caring for his mentally handicapped brother, Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Arnie is not your average boy; he is mentally challenged and was not expected to live to see his tenth birthday, let alone, his eighteenth, which he surpasses in the movie. Arnie is associated with many heights in the movie as he is regularly seen dangling from the roof, climbing trees, and of course, his ritual of scaling the water tower. Although Arnie loves the heights, he can not seem to conquer the depths as he will not venture to the basement of the house. “I dont want to go down there, Gilbert; Dads down there,” thus voicing the repressed fear that no one in the family will, or can put into words. Arnies water tower escapades are a source of great aggravation to the police, yet are greeted by the locals with an understanding of occasion and courteous applause when his feet are firmly planted back on the ground. Arnie obtains a fear of water when Gilbert abandons him in the bathtub for the night, and does not over come his apprehension until he flees to Becky after a fight he had with Gilbert.
His morbidly obese mother, Bonnie (Darlene Cates) has not left the house in seven years since her husband committed suicide by hanging himself in the basement of their house, and spends almost all of her time on the couch watching television. With Bonnie unable to care for her children on her own, Gilbert has taken responsibility for repairing the old house and looking after Arnie, who has a habit of climbing up the town water tower, while his sisters Amy and Ellen do the rest. A new “Food Land” supermarket has opened, threatening the small Lamsons Grocery where Gilbert works. With all the weight on his shoulders Gilbert tries to handle his situation the best he can. The movie begins with the “yearly ritual” of Gilbert and Arnie watching the caravans that pass along the road. Gilberts adversity seems to have started when his father hung himself seventeen years ago in their basement, which in turn drove his mother to obesity and a life confined to only their home. His mother has become a “burden” on him and he feels ashamed and humiliated by her.
As the film begins, the family is preparing for Arnies 18th birthday. Just then, a young woman named Becky (Juliette Lewis) and her grandmother are stuck in town when the truck pulling their mobile home breaks down. When Gilbert first sees Becky, he begins to rethink his life. When Gilbert meets a young woman named Becky (Juliette Lewis), who is passing through town with her grandmother (Penelope Branning), he finds himself attracted to her and the two start a brief relationship.
Becky is something of a free spirit and seems to inspire in Gilbert a sense that his life could be very different. Gilbert unusual, chaotic home life threatens to get in the way of their budding romance. A week into the movie, on the night following Arnies 18th birthday party, the mother climbs the stairs of her house to her bedroom for the first time since her husbands suicide and dies for reasons not mentioned