What's Eating Gilbert Grape - 8 stars out of 10

What's Eating Gilbert Grape - 8 stars out of 10

I have been hearing about "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" for years but this was far from what I expected.  This is a very honest film about the trials of a dysfunctional family who cannot escape their tiny Iowa town.  Johnny Depp plays the titular role and serves as the hub around which the subplots connect.  The story is interesting in that Gilbert could escape his circumstances and take care of any one of his burdens, but it is the combination of these issues that keeps him tied down.  The setting is pretty bland (as it needs to be) so the empathy for Depp is what creates an emotional attachment to the story.  The main hardship is his mentally retarded brother, Arnie.  Gilbert is the only one that can actually control Arnie and the burden of being his main caretaker makes it difficult for Gilbert to have his own life.  Arnie is played by Leonardo DiCaprio in an absolutely inspired performance.  We rave about DiCaprio's acting today but this makes it easy to see that his masterful acting is nothing new.  His Oscar-nominated performance (which really should have been a win) is reason enough to see this film.  His tics and speech are precise and chilling, almost difficult to watch at times because they are so realistic.  The second issue is his mother, morbidly obese and requiring constant care from her children.  Like DiCaprio, she is difficult to watch at times, especially when kids dare each other to look into her window to get a look at her and subsequently mock her.  Next is Gilbert's loyalty to his job at a family-run grocery store that is being put out of business by a chain store.  This is one of the only sources of comedy, along with John C. Reilly's obsession with the soon-to-arrive "Burger Barn."  As if this wasn't enough, he falls in love with a girl who is temporarily stranded in the town and will leave soon.  This is one of the only instances in film history where the actor (Depp) looks amazing with long hair and his love interest (Juliette Lewis) looks amazing with a butch cut.  You could shave Depp's head and make a wig for Lewis, but it wouldn't look nearly as good.  The final issue is the older woman who is trying to have an affair with Gilbert.  I always enjoy Mary Steenburgen and she looks great in this film, but it was a little disturbing to see her in this role.  The film is a lot of drama and doesn't have a lot of feel-good content, not even at the end.  But the story, a snapshot of hardship, ends with perseverance and leaves a sense of hope for the future.

Saturday Night Fever - 4 stars out of 10

Saturday Night Fever - 4 stars out of 10

“Saturday Night Fever” is an important film.  Not because the story is particularly interesting or the characters are particularly deep, but because it chronicles the dance style and subculture of the 1970’s.  It is a time machine that transports us to this vivid period in American history and allows us to experience a true piece of Americana.  Unfortunately, the excessive strong language and rape-content ruined the film for me.  Admittedly, I did not live through this era so maybe the questionable content of this film is necessary to painting an accurate picture but from my modern perspective, it just seems like the writers were just trying to add some grit to make this dance film more macho.  Everything that is dance is great.  Everything that isn’t… isn’t.  I love the BeeGee’s music and especially the disco arrangements of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Night on Bare Mountain and the dance sequences are stunning.  At a few points, you have to question whether it is legal for anybody onscreen to be a better dancer than John Travolta because he is just that impressive.  In spite of its high points, the plot becomes tiresome when people bark like dogs in restaurants and there are awkward arguments around the dinner table.  It is as if I understand the statement that the writers were trying to make but there is too great of a schism between dance mania and pointless existence.  The final few scenes sealed this film's fate for me as the movie undergoes a complete depart from the dance/love story and focus on drugs, rape, and a cheesy ending that portrays this serious subject matter in a way that merely turns into melodrama.

Ghost Dad - 2 stars out of 10

Ghost Dad - 2 stars out of 10

"Ghost Dad" has been hated by many and loved by few, but I didn't think that it was all that bad.  It wasn't good, but it wasn't all that bad.  Bill Cosby's name doesn't exactly line up with the term "dark comedy" but, aside from the taxi ride that awkwardly combines a sinister Satanist with jokey dialogue, Cosby's comedy managed to work in this unusual setting.  My largest complaint is that the film doesn't have a target audience.  It is difficult to justify this being a family film with some of its frightening elements and brief strong language but it definitely would not be the first choice for a young couple's date night.  The other thing that bothered me was the casting of the eldest daughter, Diane.  When she first appears onscreen, it is difficult to distinguish whether she is his wife or his high school-age daughter.  Upon further investigation, Kimberly Russell was 25 years old when she played this role so this makes sense.  I'm torn on the choice because she puts forth the most enjoyable performance in the film, but she was not a believable 17-year-old.  The entire Sir Edith subplot also bothered me, never explaining how Cosby ended up in London or how he was sent back, or why this guy has the power to control that, or how he eventually finds them, or how this is relevant to the story aside from explaining what happens when he began to flicker... As I write this review, my rating for the film is progressively dropping.  While we're at it, why does Diane suddenly decide that she wants to be a ghost?  And why didn't they develop the plot with his love interest at all?  And how does the Satanist survive the car crash?  My goodness, this movie IS terrible!  Some of the special effects and the humor in the life insurance physical sequence save this film from receiving my lowest rating, but I didn't realize how awful this was until I finally started to dissect it.  Even the taglines of the movie posters should have been a giveaway: "America's Favorite Dad in a SPIRITED Comedy!" and "Bill Cosby as you've never seen him before... invisible."  My childhood memories of this film have been dashed - it really is all that bad!