Psychology Based Movie Review : What 's Eating Gilbert Grape

Becky becomes involved with the Grape family and helps Gilbert to realize that he is entitled to his own life, wants and needs. Gilbert Grape will be the focus of this paper and what can be done to implement changes in his life. These changes will benefit Gilbert and the entire Grape family, by focusing on a strengths prospective.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape portrays a family that is dealing with the trials, tribulations, and also great times of having a member with a disability. The Grape family consists of Gilbert, Ellen, Amy, Mama, and of course, Arnie. The Grape family lives in an isolated town of Endora in a house that seems to be in shambles since their father died. In the beginning, Gilbert’s voiceover states that “living in Endora is like dancing to no music,” which one can definitely relate to after viewing this touching film. 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, Lamson’s Grocery,

In the novel, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, by Peter Hedges, Gilbert Grape, the protagonist, is twenty-four years old, living in the small town of Endora Iowa with his family. Throughout the book Gilbert is involved in two relationships that are different in many aspects. The first relationship is with Mrs. Carver, a married woman with two children. Gilbert’s relationship with Mrs. Carver has been ongoing for seven years. The relationship is based solely on sexual activity and is a toxic relationship for Gilbert. Gilbert’s second relationship is with Becky, an intriguing fifteen year old girl who is staying in Endora with her grandmother. Gilbert and Becky pursue an interesting relationship with one another but seem to have different objectives.

In the movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the idea of adversity is clearly shown. The Grapes aren’t your typical family, after the mother spirals down the staircase of depression, the five children are forced to grow up and mature as they now have the responsibility of looking after their mother. Endora is the town in which the story is set and the children are trapped inside as their mother hasn’t left the house in seven years. Gilbert Grape is faced with a number of adversities, he has to live with an obese mother that demands him to always do better and take responsibility for his family, he has to protect and care for his little brother Arnie who is mentally slow and Gilbert is trapped in Endora due to all

One of the most obvious suggestions that Arnie has autism is his social impairment. The DMS-5, “an official system for classifying individuals with mental disorders (Lilienfeld, 2014),” states how the mental illness, autism, “[can impair] the ability to change communication to match context or the needs of the

When a family is put in tough situations, it is natural to want to escape from it all. As a man surrounded by things that seem beyond his control, the main character of the film, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, shows the psychological emotional detachment that can occur when the realization of such an escape is impossible. Gilbert Grape is a man often thinking carefully about his situation and making an effort to filter his feelings. His family life is depressing, and his emotional response to his living arrangement is an overall rejection of everything around him. Gilbert often shows contempt for his family by having cynical thoughts of them whenever he speaks inwardly about them in his mind. Gilbert appears to be on autopilot through life, only speaking enough to keep things peaceful with friends and the people of Endora. Gilbert has a general lack of interest in most relationships outside of his family, and often turns a blind eye towards the town of Endora as a whole. His severance extends even to himself, as he is not emotionally honest with himself. As the film progresses, Gilbert's emotional state begins to readjust as he comes back into contact with his feelings. The emotional detachment is extreme for Gilbert, and Johnny Depp does an excellent job at depicting the psychological effects of a broken home and the difficulty one faces in overcoming it.

This delay hinders Arnie in being capable to understand things at an age appropriate developmental level. Every since the Grape’s father death, the siblings have been responsible for caring for Arnie and the mother. The parental role is being shared among the siblings in their care for Arnie.

As stated earlier, Arnie did not come into contact with a healthcare provider in the film. If an interaction were to occur, I think that the healthcare provider would have assessed Arnie’s inability to communicate with people. They would notice that Arnie has difficulty carrying on a meaningful conversation, has trouble maintaining eye contact, and struggles to develop and maintain relationships with those other than his immediate family members. The heath care provider would also observe that Arnie has repetitive hand movements where he flicks his nose, they would notice that Arnie is fixated on climbing the water tower, and that he experiences hypo-reactions to sensory reactions; staying in the bathtub all night despite freezing in the very cold water. Therapies provided to Arnie may be a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI)

The movie Blow is the story of George Jung, the man who established the American cocaine market in the 1970s. The film starts with George as a child, showing what his childhood was like and what his relationship with his parents was like. As it progresses George grows up and moves to California. While there he become caught up in the marijuana scene and eventually starts selling it for money. George expands his market and eventually becomes very wealthy. But, George becomes too complacent and gets caught by the police and sentenced to prison. While there he meets and makes friends with Diego Delgado and learns about the drug Cocaine. Together they find a way to traffic it into the United States and again George becomes extremely wealthy.

In the novel What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, by Peter Hedges, Gilbert Grape is a 24 year old kid who wishes to escape his life in the tired town of Endora, Iowa. Gilbert has been stuck with the responsibility of taking care of his mentally disabled little brother, Arnie, as well as provide for the rest of his family. His mother, who is unbelievably obese as well as a widow, hasn’t left the house in several years, let alone the couch which is about cave beneath her weight. Gilbert’s has an older brother who left the house and two younger sisters who don’t have a care in the world. He is the lover to a married woman who is a mother of two. When a new girl comes to town, Gilbert develops a crush, and then continues to go back and forth about his

· Arnie: Arnie is a fragile person to Semi and Miranda but he can get

Arnie exhibits very poor and delayed language skills and speech patterns for a someone turning eighteen years old. He will often speak slowly and does not have an expansive vocabulary, in fact, his vocabulary is quite limited. Arnie also engages in echolalia, which is defined as the unsolicited repetition of vocalizations made by another person. He feels like he must repeat back what he just heard someone say. One of Arnie's better qualities is that he is very honest, which is common for a person with his level of autism. He is not afraid to say whatever is on his mind. Arnie will often yell and screech when he is overwhelmed with emotion or excitement. Arnie seems to demonstrate inappropriate reactions to certain topics, and will laugh at

Leonardo Dicaprio’s talent was noticed at a very young age. At the age of 10 he was already casting in a show called Growing Pains. He has won 47 awards. He also has his own quotes. Leonardo was named after the artist Leonardo da Vinci. Lastly, Leonardo was often offered to change his name to something more American; such as Lenny Williams.

Gilbert is depressed a result of his role in the family, he appears emotionally detached and limited social interactions. For example, his relationship with Mrs. Carver is convenient, but does not have any room for progression and he does not appear emotionally invested at all. Gilbert’s the financial provider for the family, and it limits his ability to from social connections because his job and family come first. Gilbert takes Arnie to work with him, and also on social activities when he does attempt to branch out. The job at the store that Gilbert possesses is limited in growth potential due to Endora having another store that is bigger and more convenient. Gilbert is limited in his options, his future seems bleak and he does not have control over the outcome. He accepts his fate as the provider and fixer of the family. For example, in the movie a statement is made that Gilbert will fix it, because he is Gilbert. This accentuates the point that Gilbert’s main role is to fix the problems of the family.

Gilbert Grape is a 24-year-old Caucasian male living in Eldora, Iowa with his mother, Bonnie, his two sisters, Ellen and Amy, and his younger brother, Arnie. After their father committed suicide in their basement, Gilbert, his older sister Amy, and younger sister Ellen, have worked to take care of Bonnie, who is obese, and Arnie, who has a developmental disability. Gilbert, Amy, and Ellen also work on repairs, clean and do chores, and make food for the family. To provide money for the family Gilbert holds a job at the local grocery store called Lamson’s Grocery, while Ellen works at an ice cream shop called Dairy Dreme. Because of Arnie’s disability Gilbert is having to constantly take care of him and his needs and keep him out of trouble, since Bonnie is unable to because of her condition. Gilbert’s relationship with Amy and Arnie is stable, while Gilbert will sometimes argue with his sisters.