 what's eating gilbert grape is a 1993 american drama film directed by lasse hallstrÃ¶m and starring johnny depp, juliette lewis, darlene cates, and leonardo dicaprio. peter hedges wrote the screenplay, adapted from his 1991 novel of the same name. it was filmed in the texas cities of manor, elgin, and lockhart. ==plot== in the small town of endora, iowa, gilbert grape (johnny depp) is busy caring for arnie (leonardo dicaprio), his brother with a developmental disability, as they wait for the many tourists' trailers to pass through town during their "yearly ritual" of camping at a nearby recreational area. his morbidly obese mother, bonnie (darlene cates) gave up on life after her husband hung himself seventeen years earlier. she spends almost all of her time on the couch watching television. with bonnie unable to care for her children on her own, gilbert has taken responsibility for repairing the old house and looking after arnie, who has a habit of climbing the town water tower, while his sisters amy and ellen do the rest. the relationship between the brothers is of both care and protection, as gilbert continually enforces the 'nobody touches arnie' policy. a new "foodland" supermarket has opened, threatening the small lamson's grocery where gilbert works. in addition, gilbert is having an affair with a married woman, betty carver (mary steenburgen). the family is looking forward to arnie's 18th birthday. a young woman named becky (juliette lewis) and her grandmother are stuck in town when their car pulling an airstream trailer breaks down. gilbert's unusual life circumstances threaten to get in the way of their budding romance. in order to spend time with becky watching the sunset, gilbert leaves arnie alone in the bath. he ret
1990s_drama_films 1993_films American_coming-of-age_films American_drama_films English-language_films Film_scores_by_BjAPrn_IsfA$?lt Films_about_dysfunctional_families Films_about_mental_disabilities Films_based_on_romance_novels Films_directed_by_Lasse_HallstrAPm Films_set_in_Iowa Films_shot_in_Texas Paramount_Pictures_films