Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
After grinding out TV movies and paying his dues over in his hometown of Stockholm, Sweden, director Lasse Hallström finally got his big break with My Life as a Dog, one of the few Swedish films to successfully cross over to English-speaking audiences. Then Paramount picked up What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, and suddenly everyone in the biz trying to land a versatile foreign director lost their minds for this guy — especially Harvey Weinstein.
Hallström might have had a few artistic flops over the years (such as The Hoax and Safe Haven), but overall the man has made some pretty phenomenal movies that all share his personal touch (and earned a number of Oscar nominations). Though the trailer for his latest, The Hundred-Foot Journey, about clashing restauranteurs from different backgrounds looks pretty lame, Hallström’s filmography is worth streaming through. Here are five of his films in order from great to awesome.
Thanks to Miramax’s relentless marketing and casting Johnny Depp alongside Juliette Binoche, Chocolat became a mega foreign blockbuster. Harvey Weinstein pulled out all the stops when campaigning Hallström’s sweet-tooth romance, ultimately making $125 million at the box office on a $25 million budget. This is when Weinstein was grooming Hallström to be his next international golden boy after Roberto Benigni (Life Is Beautiful) failed to reproduce another tear-jerker that could reach a huge international audience. Chocolat is great and all, but it’s clear that Hallström was pushed into creating a particular feel for the film in order to make it appeal to as many demographics as possible. See where you can stream Chocolat on GoWatchIt.
The Shipping News (2001)
After the success of Chocolat, the Weinsteins helped Hallström cast The Shipping News with actors that could potentially have as much international appeal as Depp and Binoche did in Chocolat. Note: this wasn’t the director’s first rodeo, but the Weinstein’s couldn’t keep their paws off. Julianne Moore, Kevin Spacey, Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett star in the adaptation of the novel by E. Annie Proulx. The biggest complaint surrounding the family drama was that it strayed too far away from the original story, but that’s most likely because of Harvey Scissorhands infamous demands at editing down films. With a cast like this, though, you know you’re still going to be watching quality. See where you can stream The Shipping News on GoWatchIt.
Everything about this movie is phenomenal: the acting, the story, and especially the cinematography — just look at that frame! Hallström and his longtime director of photography, Oliver Stapleton, have worked together on almost all of the director’s biggest projects, but The Cider House Rules is arguably Stapleton’s most beautiful work. Tobey Maguire plays Homer Wells, an orphan who trained to become a doctor under the watch of physician (and abortion provider), Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine). Wells decides he needs to set out and make a life for his own. He befriends a couple (Charlize Theron and Paul Rudd), who give his life new meaning, but Wells has trouble leaving the past behind. See where you can stream The Cider House Rules on GoWatchIt.
My Life as a Dog (1985)
Hallström began his career directing TV movies and documentary shorts, but when he began directing features, he fixated on novel adaptations. My Life as a Dog, based on the novel by Reidar Jönsson, tells the heart-breaking story of Ingemar, who simply can’t catch a break from his insanely dysfunctional family. After the death of his own dog, Ingemar becomes obsessed with the Russian dog, Laika, who was sent into space. The film was a hit over in Sweden and successfully made its way over to US, making distributors wonder what Lasse Hallström was all about. See where you can stream My Life as a Dog on GoWatchIt.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)
Though the film did poorly at the box office, it became a sleeper hit and served as Hallström’s major break into Hollywood. Hallström gave us Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp), the only sane member of his family who haven’t recovered from their father’s suicide seven years prior. His morbidly obese mother doesn’t leave the house, his sisters don’t have any purpose in life, and his brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio) is mentally challenged and needs constant looking after to keep him out of trouble. While it’s certainly emotional, the points of comic relief in the film are so well done and realistic that the Grapes could be your next door neighbors. See where you can stream What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? on GoWatchIt.
Photos: Everett Collection
