Buon compleanno Mr. Grape

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.

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.

This film starts out slow, but after we get to know the characters and their (dis)abilities, we begin to place ourselves in their shoes and the action picks up. Perhaps Leonardo DiCaprio's best performance ever, this movie is a true drama.

The focus of the movie is of course Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp). However, there are really several focal points in the movie, all of which add to a powerful storyline. As the title of the film suggests, just about everything seems to be a hardship for Gilbert, yet, somehow he manages to come to terms with reality and in the end obtains a newfound respect for life.

With good performances by supporting actors and actresses (Juliette Lewis, Darlene Cates, Leo D., and all the other "Grapes") and a nice comic relief from the city coroner (Bobby McBurney) and the local handyman (John C. Reilly), this movie should be seen by anyone who wishes to put themselves in a place where country roads and beautiful greenery give way to the perils and pitfalls of smalltown life.

Overall great acting, a good story, and something with which we can all relate. "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" is an excellent movie!

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.

Truly, this is one beautiful movie. It doesn't go for cheap tears but in the end you must feel something, otherwise you simply don't have a heart. It's about a town, Endora, where nothing ever happens. In that town live the Grapes, a fatherless family that consists of a mother of elephant-like proportions, two sisters and two brothers (one of them being retarded).

All the acting ranks from very good to excellent. Johnny Depp is so lovable as Gilbert Grape, the twenty-year-old son who tries to do good for everyone but doesn't know quite what he wants for himself yet. Leonardo DiCaprio is simply amazing as the retarded Arnie. He rightfully got an Oscar-nomination for his roll. At the time I saw this movie, I didn't know him yet, so at some moments I actually thought that he really could be a retarded actor (that's a big complement, isn't it?).

The plot isn't too spectacular, but keeps you interested 'cause actually a lot of things do happen to certain character's in this sleepy town. A lot of things the characters say and do seem superficial, but actually aren't meaningless as they lead to other events in the story. And the arrival of Becky (Juliette Lewis) and her mother make things interesting for Gilbert. The ending is unexpected, very solid and sad. And then there's the little epilogue...

This simply is a great movie: Good story, good acting, good directing. And that's all it takes. Watch it and allow yourselves to be moved by the Grapes.