MovieChat Forums > What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1994) Discussion > The ending was terrible. *spoilers of co...

The ending was terrible. spoilers of course

posted 10 years ago by fiatlux-1
24 replies | jump to latest

I get that they did not want Momma's death to be a joke, but was burning down the house really necessary?!

And given that they had little money, where the hell did they live right away?
Where did they even keep all the furniture they worked to save?

I really enjoyed the film up until then, and I do still watch it frequently.

But the ending was awful, it made no sense. It seemed like they were in too much of a hurry to end the film.

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] cjlove2523 10 years ago

I always assumed that that house their dad built was crap anyways. And not just from momma's weight but even the structural unit outside needed a lot of work done too.. hence all of Tucker's scenes and conversations about the house. Tucker basically told Gilbert that the house was a mess and he didn't understand how it was still even standing.

Take that with the fact that their dad hung himself in the basement, momma just died there and the poor structure of the house itself-- they just burned it down. I suspect they had some sort of home insurance and then stayed with friends until they all spread out...? That we'll never know.

[–] Jinx-to-Ennien 10 years ago

Home insurance probably would not pay if they burned the house down.

[–] cheryllchance 8 years ago

Well i'm sure Gilbert found a job for him and Arnie ,as for the other two i would say the older sister got a job and took care of the younger one.i would hope the town would have helped the sisters.

[–] lesdroits 8 years ago

I also thought the ending implausible and just crammed together -- so they hung out in a field for the next year until Becky returned? And as someone pointed out -- all that furniture? So after it's charred, just all say goodbye and walk away or waht -- should have filled gaping hole in.

[–] My_Name_Is_Lydia 10 years ago

I thought it made total sense. It was time for everyone to move on and that house had become only a burden - painful memories and it wasn't up to code. It was implied that the town looked the other way while Momma was alive. I'd assume it would have been condemned and they'd have to move anyway.

It was the only solution.

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[–] fiatlux-1 10 years ago

Yes, but where did they live, is the question.

They had very limited money. They worked hard to save furniture. Where did they put it?

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] My_Name_Is_Lydia 10 years ago

I'm sure there were lots of town people who were willing to help.

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[–] fiatlux-1 10 years ago

I just can't picture that.
The townspeople seemed oddly hostile toward the Grape family when they saw them at the police station.
I guess this is just left to out imaginations, but I thought given the effort the film put into the storyline that they'd end it much better.
The filmmakers seemed to be in a real rush to end it.

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] My_Name_Is_Lydia 10 years ago

The general population did but there were people who clearly cared about them. The Burger Barn guy and the guy who helped reinforce the basement.

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[–] Velvet_Roses 9 years ago

The burger barn guy and the guy who helped with the basement were the same person ;)

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[–] PicoFemtoAtto 8 years ago

You have a film that talks about the human spirit, selflessness and the necessity to move on and the only thing you can think of is where will they sleep that night or what happened to the furniture?

I have to say that the burning house was my favorite scene. It was a symbol for burning down the old, and opening up for the new. Burning things is also a common way of letting go of things from the past in psychotherapy. Burning pics, letters or objects is very powerful way to let go of emotions, memories, influences or traumas that still haunt us.

I also have to say that as with everything in life, we shouldnt have to take things so literally and fixate on irrelevancies. You might say that not having a house to sleep in isnt one. In the movie, i think it was.

"We can go anywhere, if we want".

That sort of freedom > a house

[–] stoned_fatmatt 8 years ago

Brilliantly put. I don't understand people who watch or read fictional stories and want every gap filled in and expect to not have to have any suspension of disbelief.

Leaving some answers to the imagination allows for the story to have interactivity with the audience and get them involved. If you want every gap filled in and nothing left to imagination then why not watch a documentary?

[–] jeggy90 9 years ago

Amy got a job in a bakery in de moines... Ellen couldn't wait to live schools... So assumably any and elkwn move to de Moines together, and live off Amy's wage. Gilbert and Arnie can go wherever they want to...so I assume they stay with becky and her grandmother. And as for the furniture I assume they sell it/Amy keeps it.

[–] LadyDi4476 9 years ago

Maybe they sold the furniture and lived off of that money until Amy found a job. It made perfect sense for them to burn the house. It represented a tomb for their mother. Plus like everyone else said, the house was literally falling apart. It was only a matter of time before they would leave anyway. It was a way to break free from that life and start new.

-Di

[–] watergarden 10 years ago

I guess this is just left to out imaginations, but I thought given the effort the film put into the storyline that they'd end it much better.
The filmmakers seemed to be in a real rush to end it.

The climax of the story was the death of the mother and subsequence burning down of the house so the removal of her body did not become a town joke. Any events after that night might have been much too boring or tedious for the audience to endure: getting assistance from the neighbors, finding an apartment, moving or selling the furniture, etc. The events would have added absolutely nothing to the storyline.

The lack of info didn't bother me, but maybe the writers could have incorporated a few more sentences into Gilbert's closing narrative to fill in the gaps. Gilbert could have mentioned a few closure details along with what happened to his sisters and still ended with being able to go anywhere

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] IMDB-Officer 10 years ago

Yeh, why not just lock the door and leave her in there, sorta like a tomb??

[–] MrsMonroe74 8 years ago

I Forgot they brought the furniture out. should have left it & just took clothes with them. they had an older brother, maybe they stayed with him? in the book they have an older sis. what about closure for them? very selfish to burn Momma up & not notify them.

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[–] rabyisabelle1 8 years ago

I think burning down the house was their way of properly saying goodbye to it all, and get a completely fresh start. Even though they did love their mom they didn't want people to see her come out of the house so even more could laugh at her. It's such a sad ending :(

[–] lisasetser0409 8 years ago

Insurance?

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[–] prplayer 8 years ago

lol

The ending was terrible. *spoilers of course*

The ending was terrible. spoilers of course