I wish we were gifted with more dramas like this today. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is able to take an idea so simplistic and familiar yet, somehow, make it feel like a highly educating monument. Nowadays, tons of dramas try to be way too serious/far-reaching or profoundly groundbreaking. This shows me that filmmakers have lost awareness of the fact that even the smallest of plot-lines can make some of the most compelling and indelible of films. I think this is one of the central reasons why I felt so attracted to this movie. It was a reminder of family-importance and self-intention, and how that can play personally into your life. It’s about how all of the pressures you are weighted with from family duties and burdens can make you become aware of the merit that you are gifted with, but also the expansion it gives you when you put forth discovering new aspects of the world. Sometimes—based off a truth—once you find the flaws within your loved ones, then, and only then, can you finally learn to appreciate them. This movie just hit all the right beats for me, hit all the right beats right in my darn gut, and I felt the sentiment and unconditional zeal wavered throughout this cherishable and benevolent film that is What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. (Verdict: A)
Of course, I also have to mention how awe-inspiring Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance is in this movie, esecially considering the age he was at when filming. He definitely deserved that Oscar nomination he received. And also, Johnny Depp—who I don’t think gets enough credit for his realistic and down-to-Earth performance in this—carries this film fortuitously.
Also, it’s super irregular seeing Johnny Depp not drenched in makeup in a movie. I can actually see the man’s dang face! What a legend this dude used to be! I sincerely hope he gets back on track and makes a gargantuous comeback. 😕
…and holy s*** that’s George McFly!!!
Burning the Celluloid 
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