"I smell spare ribs. Somebody's been eatin' spare ribs. How come I ain't got none?"

Rating: Null/10 (10 October 2011)

"The Grapes of Wrath" probably could of been advertised as a documentary, had it not been for its narrative-style story-telling. The historical context of the movie's setting, characters, and conflict makes it seem like a genuine account of a farming family surviving after the Great Depression. At first, you're not sure if this will be a good movie, mostly because of the behaviors of Charley Grapewin and Zeffie Tilbury's characters, who come off as some sort of senile comic relief pair. Later on, however, you realize that the movie is shaped around the struggle this family encounters as they go West. Henry Fonda makes for an incredible lead role, mostly because of the fact that he's a criminal and the last thing you'd expect for him to act like a generic "momma's boy." It's his rebelliousness that also makes this character likable, seeing how we could of acted the same way if we were in his shoes. The dialogue is memorable, the shadows and sound effects really draw in the atmosphere of West, and the final speech(es) of the film tie everything together spectacularly. After watching this film, there's a cleansing feeling you get from seeing this film, as if all the worries of the world momentarily drained out in the past two hours.