What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Johnny Depp whose penchant for quirky and unusual characters is a hallmark of his career plays a fairly normal kid in the title role of What's Eating Gilbert Grape. What's eating him is that he's stuck in the role of family breadwinner, guardian to his younger siblings, and in a most nowhere job. The future isn't looking up.

It all kind of devolved on him naturally when years ago his father just up and left the family one day without warning, or at least without warning to a child. His mother Darlene Cates grew morbidly obese, ballooning up to 500 pounds, his sisters are having the usual adolescent problems. But his mentally retarded brother Leonardo DiCaprio who is the real problem. He needs constant watching every minute, something Cates just can't do, she can't even get up to the second story of the Grape family home. It all falls on Depp.

Not that there aren't certain compensations for him, Mary Steenburgen asks for him to make special deliveries to her house when husband Kevin Tighe is at the office. But life is generally drab in Iowa for him until Juliette Lewis's trailer breaks down in the Grape neighborhood. When Depp gets involved with her she points him in the direction of a much wider world, something we all need to realize at some point in our lives.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape is distinguished mostly for the Academy Award nomination it received for Leonardo DiCaprio for playing the mentally retarded Arnie Grape. DiCaprio is unbelievably convincing as a retarded kid, to think almost a decade later he'd be playing Howard Hughes on the big screen. But part of his performance is no doubt due to Johnny Depp as well. Most of DiCaprio's scenes are with Depp and they bring the best out in each other. Very much like Rain Man with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.

Both DiCaprio and Depp have gone on to give the movie-going public a wide variety of roles to see them in. But they are something special in What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

I saw this movie a couple of years ago and have seen it many times since. I have worked with special needs children for nearly 20 years, and Leonardo DiCaprio gives an excellent performance as a mentally challenged teenager. His mannerisms and vocal inflection as Arnie were dead on. I had never been a DiCaprio fan until I watched this movie, now I see him in a completely different light. He SO deserved an Oscar for this performance. It puts that whole Dustin Hoffman/Rainman performance to shame.

Beyond this outstanding performance is an incredible movie. What is eating Gilbert Grape indeed? Oh, just a loony housewife that wants him at every turn, a mother who requires as much care as a child and a mentally challenged brother who requires almost as much care as a toddler. What is not eating him alive is a better question. The anger culminates in a harsh scene with Arnie. That scene is so real it tears my heart out.

Fabulous film, fantastic performances. One of my favorites.

As many have said, the first time I saw this slice of "unusual" life film, I was certain that the actor playing Arnie was mentally handicapped. This was the performance to end all. I have been around mentally challenged people who were the carbon copy of the character that Leonardo portrayed. I do no think that anyone else could have pulled this off without looking ridiculous. Our protagonist, Mr. Johnny Depp did his usual amazing work, but it is the performance by Leo that makes this film a must see. I just saw it again tonight, and was blown away again. Acting schools must have copies of this in their files!! Will always be a Leo fan for this one film alone.

This film is marvelous.

Focusing on the angst of an unwanted small-town life, the film follows the daily life of Johnny Depp's Gilbert Grape. He is sarcastic yet introverted, protective yet shy.

His mentally-challenged brother, Leonardo Dicaprio's Arnie, steals the heart and full attention of the audience. His depiction of a teenager trapped in the inescapable bind of mental retardation is moving and real, deserving of the 1993 Oscar Award Nomination.

Darlene Cates, who plays Momma, delivers a truly remarkable performance. Her display of motherly devotion, emotional turmoil and daily physical struggle are deserving of grand recognition.

Gilbert's life is turned around by the unexpected introduction of Juliette Lewis's Becky. Becky's free-spirited and optimistic take on life greatly influence's Gilbert's own life.

WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE is deeply tragic yet deeply real tale of a complicated family stuck in a simple town. The performances of Johnny Depp, Leonardo Dicaprio, Darlene Cates and Juliette Lewis are unmatched and truly wonderful. It is a film woven together with comedy, drama, love and everyday emotion, perfected with beautiful cinematography and superb directing.

Continuing my plan to watch every Johnny Depp movie in order, I come to What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

"Match in the gas tank... Boom. Boom."

This movie belongs to three actors. Personally I think Di Caprio deserves the Oscar that year. Taking nothing away from Tommy Lee Jones (an actor I like) in The Fugitive, but I think he was the least deserving that year. amongst some great nominees. Depp (with a gingerish hair do) is the movies emotional core and continues to be great. His face and eyes are so expressive. And finally Darlene Cates as Gilbert's obese mother.

Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen, Kevin Tighe and John C Rielly are all good but the movie belongs to those 3.

It's a slow burner and I can see why it's not for everyone, but I enjoy think it's great. No over use of CGI or special effects at all. No gun fights or chases. Just wonderful performances telling a story.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape recieved good reviews and Di Caprio was nominated for an Oscar, but the movie only grossed $10 million at the domestic box office, not landing a place on the top 100 highest grossing movie of the year.