The story of a family, in a back water town, where we get to see each of them struggling with life. Johnny Depp, him again, gives yet another excellent performance as Gilbert, frustrated with his lot, wishing he could get away from his family, responsibilities and most of all Endora. He works to support his family, is having a less than fulfilling affair with an older married woman and is always looking out for his brother Arnie, played by Leonardo Di Caprio, but more of him later. Depp manages to capture every emotion perfectly, in an non-showy role he pulls you in and makes you believe.
Ultimately this is a simple story, man struggles then finds love, but it's so much more, the relationships of the family Grape are very well observed, from the mother hugely overweight, causing the structure of the house to crumble to the growing pains of the sisters. Where this story strikes gold is with Arnie, I remember when I first saw this film I had no idea who Di Caprio was, I actually thought they had used a disabled actor to play the part, when watching that year's Oscars and seeing him nominated for the role I was amazed. I have watched many films, and his performance is one of the best I have ever seen. Remarkable in it's accuracy and so moving, when we find him sitting in cold bath water having been told not to move hours earlier, well it breaks your heart, and Gilbert's rage demonstrating his frustration not really at Arnie but at life, just brilliant.
So this is a film that you should see, if only for Di Caprio, but it has much more than that.
Ultimately this is a simple story, man struggles then finds love, but it's so much more, the relationships of the family Grape are very well observed, from the mother hugely overweight, causing the structure of the house to crumble to the growing pains of the sisters. Where this story strikes gold is with Arnie, I remember when I first saw this film I had no idea who Di Caprio was, I actually thought they had used a disabled actor to play the part, when watching that year's Oscars and seeing him nominated for the role I was amazed. I have watched many films, and his performance is one of the best I have ever seen. Remarkable in it's accuracy and so moving, when we find him sitting in cold bath water having been told not to move hours earlier, well it breaks your heart, and Gilbert's rage demonstrating his frustration not really at Arnie but at life, just brilliant.
So this is a film that you should see, if only for Di Caprio, but it has much more than that.