What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Tags: tragedy, whimsical, psychedelic, boring, depressing

Plot synopsis:
In the small town of Endora, Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) is busy caring for his mentally challenged brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio) as they wait for the many tourists' trailers to pass through town during their yearly camp ritual at a nearby recreational area. His mother, Bonnie (Darlene Cates) is morbidly obese after years of depression following her husband's suicide. With Bonnie unable to care for them by herself, Gilbert has taken responsibility for repairing their shanty of farmhouse and looking after Arnie, who has a habit of climbing up the town water tower (like Spider-Man) if he is left unsupervised for too long, while his older sister Amy (Laura Harrington) and younger sister Ellen (Mary Kate Schellhardt) slave away in the kitchen. The relationship between the brothers is one of care and protection. In order to cope with his frenetic life, Gilbert has taken on a secret love affair with a housewife, Betty (Mary Steenburgen), whilst her insensitive, unsuspecting husband Ken (Kevin Tighe), is fully intent on selling Gilbert insurance for his family. A new chain supermarket has opened, threatening the small Lamson's Grocery store where Gilbert works, as well as threatening all the other small-time businesses in Endora. The chain supermarket stocks all kinds of goods, rendering many of the local shops redundant. This is a key theme in the film - which constantly portrays the futility of goods made with love in light of ever sweeping corporate greed.While the family prepares for Arnie's upcoming 18th birthday party, a young woman named Becky (Juliette Lewis) and her grandmother are stuck in town when their truck towing their 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 sun set, Gilbert leaves Arnie alone in the bathtub by himself, believing he is now old enough to get out on his own. He returns home late and wakes up the following morning to find Arnie still in the bath, shivering in the now-cold water. Gilbert's guilt is compounded by his family's anger. As a result Arnie refuses to get near water, including the pond by Becky's trailer, and his fear causes him to become extremely dirty, adding to the many problems Gilbert faces. Betty's affair with Gilbert ends when she begins to make demands on him and tries to have sex with him while he's on the phone with her husband, Ken. Ken drowns after suffering a cardiac arrest and landing face down in his sons' wading pool. Many of the townspeople believe Betty killed her husband, despite the insistence of Gilbert's friend, Bobby McBurney (Crispin Glover), one of the town coroners, that believes it was a cardiac arrest. Besides Bobby, Gilbert is the only one who believed Betty didn't commit murder, and she eventually leaves town in search of a new life.Becky bonds with Gilbert and Arnie and helps Gilbert reflect on his feelings. They become deeply involved in conversation until Gilbert realizes that Arnie is missing. He has returned to the water tower he is forever trying to climb and this time has succeeded at getting to the top. Arnie is arrested, compelling Bonnie, who has not left the house in seven years, to rush to the police station to demand his release, causing her appearance to be ridiculed by the townspeople.Later at home, Arnie prematurely eats some of his birthday cake, which Gilbert told him not to touch. Gilbert orders Arnie to take a bath as punishment, and Arnie resists when Gilbert tries to force him. Losing his temper, Gilbert strikes Arnie-hard. Appalled at himself and angry at his life in general, Gilbert drives away, leaving Endora. Arnie leaves the house to find Becky, who takes care of him. Gilbert returns to town and sees Arnie with Becky, who is able to get him to enter the lake, and thus Arnie overcomes his fear of water. After Amy and Ellen come to Becky's and take Arnie home, Gilbert approaches Becky and the two talk about his own frustration and the reality of his father's death. The next day he returns home during Arnie's birthday party to apologize.
Following Arnie's eighteenth birthday and meeting Becky for the first time, Bonnie climbs the stairs to her bedroom for the first time in years. That evening she passes away in her bed. Arnie tries to wake her, thinking that she is just playing. He runs out of the house and begins to hurt himself. As his sisters try to stop him, they realize that Bonnie has died. Jerry, the local sheriff, and his deputies tell the Grape family that they would need more men to get Bonnie out of the house (an officer on the radio inappropriately says they'd need the National Guard). After the police leave, Gilbert and his sisters soon cry over losing her. The siblings realize that her removal would draw a gawking crowd and want to protect their mother from being a spectacle. They empty the house except for their mother's body, then Gilbert sets the house on fire.One year later, Gilbert and Arnie are looking out again to watch the trailers pass. Through voice over, Gilbert tells of Amy getting a job offer to manage a bakery in Des Moines, and Ellen being thrilled to switch schools. Arnie chases the vehicles, arms flailing, excited to see Becky again. Along with Becky and her grandma, Gilbert and Arnie hit the road.

Review: 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.
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.
The performances of Johnny Depp, Leonardo Dicaprio, Darlene Cates and Juliette Lewis are unmatched and truly wonderful.
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.
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.
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.
Small American towns nurture kindness and big hearts, as personified by Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp), a twenty year old guy who heads a loving but difficult family of two younger sisters, a mentally retarded younger brother named Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio), and their obese momma (Darlene Cates).
But these are minor issues."What's Eating Gilbert Grape" is a heartfelt story about life in a small American town, with all its kindness, big hearts, and familial love, despite the hardships.
] I knew what the plot was: a guy who lives with his 15 year old sister, his 18 year old mentally disabled brother who could die at any time and his morbidly obese mother always has to do everything for his family and something happens that changes his life.
Johnny Depp as Gilbert is at his finest, sensitive and lovingly protective of his mentally challenged younger brother, Arnie, less understanding of the plight of his grossly overweight mother played brilliantly by Darlene Cates.
Anyway, the show described his performance in What's Eating Gilbert Grape as one of his most charming, which turned out to be a tremendous understatement.The film takes place in the motionless town of Endora, Iowa, and concerns the world of Gilbert Grape, whose life is in a constant state of turmoil.
We get a brief explanation of how she came to be so heavy, but not really much more than, "I wasn't always like this." Gilbert is about 21 and seems to be the only one mature (and mentally and physically able) enough to hold the family together, and the majority of the movie focuses on his struggles to do that in normal life.
He is in charge of his mentally retarded brother Arnie (DiCaprio), has to periodically subdue his intolerably obnoxious sister, who looks like she belongs in a different family and a different society (and she believes that, too), while at the same time getting to work on time, hanging out at coffee shops with his similarly offbeat friends talking about the undertaking business.
In between all of this, a local desperate housewife periodically orders groceries for delivery from the general store where he works, and she tends to be a little less desperate after he leaves.It seems that all of this normality, charming in both its daily routine and its total difference from the daily monotony that the majority of us are used to, is presented to us so that we can get to know Gilbert, his daily life, and his family, as they are before the cataclysmic arrival of Becky (Juliette Lewis).
The Grapes are a family that would very likely knock you off your feet if you were to run into almost any of them in person, but the movie is so good at treating them as humans that they are not a spectacle at all, even when Arnie is repeatedly climbing the local water tower, much to the chagrin of the local police force, who have been promised repeatedly that this is the last time.
'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' Synopsis: Gilbert has to care for his brother Arnie and his obese mother, which gets in the way when love walks into his life.As a film, 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' is emotional & heartfelt.
Peter Hedges's Screenplay is emotionally engaging & heartfelt.DiCaprio's Oscar-Nominated Performance is the Truly THE Greatest strength of 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape'.
Darlene Cates is fantastic.On the whole, 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' is an emotionally engaging film, but over-here, its DiCaprio's Astounding Performance that Shines the Brightest!.
However, the movie is a very good one, for it is driven by its diverse range of characters.Gilbert Grape, played by Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, Pirates Of The Caribbean), does not think much of his home town.
Between caring for his intellectually disabled brother (Leonardo DiCaprio- Titanic, Catch Me If You Can) and his dangerously obese mother (Darlene Cates), Gilbert is trapped in a very intimate relationship with Betty Carver (Mary Steenburgen), a lonesome housewife to whom Gilbert makes frequent deliveries.
In a both funny and convincing role that deservedly earned him an Oscar nomination, and displayed the greatness that he would later achieve, DiCaprio portrays Gilbert's intellectually disabled brother, Arnie, who is currently ecstatic about his coming 18th birthday party and occupies himself by climbing the town water tower and forgetting how to get down.'What's Eating Gilbert Grape" is a great film with a warm heart.
This film is about Gilbert Grape, whose life is troubled by his love, his mentally handicapped brother and his obese mother.I was particularly impressed by Leonardo DiCaprio's acting as a mentally handicapped person.
Arnie Grape (in an Oscar-nominated performance by Leonardo DiCaprio) is about to turn eighteen in a few days, and suffers from severe mental retardation.
Dedicated to his mentally backward brother and reclusive, overweight mother, grocery worker Gilbert Grape (a nicely understated Johnny Depp) rethinks his life after meeting an attractive young woman passing through town.
Sooo underrated movie, great great great performance by Leonardo DiCaprio and a good chemistry between him and Johnny Depp!!!.
I saw the movie today but if I had watched this before I knew Leonardo DiCaprio is a normal person, I would really think he is a mentally disabled guy!
What's Eating Gilbert Grape is for sure an underrated picture,Johnny Depp does a competent enough job but because of his choice of playing Grape as a numb individual could have made the movie a real snooze, but Depp's performance is actually a plus in the movie thanks to the show stealer performance from young Leonardo Dicaprio as Arnie a mentally challenged kid in the most believable, and in my opinion, best performance of his entire career.
His brother Arnie Grape, splendidly played by a young Leonardo DiCaprio, has against all odds lived past the ten years medically allotted his life due to his condition.
Casting director Gail Levin did well in bringing on Johnny Depp and Darlene Cates (the mother) as Gilbert and Bonnie Grape respectively, both whom delivers earnest and appealing performances.
He must try and take care of his eccentric family including his retarded brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio), his obese mother (Darlene Cates) as well as try and keeps his affair with a married woman (Mary Streenburgen) quiet.
This here is where the film is so special because the Gilbert character really does feel like a real person who just wants to escape but can't find a way to do it.
By then, I was familiar with Johnny Depp, as I had seen him in several other movies, and I knew he played the starring role in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape".
This time, I definitely wasn't blown away, but still thought it was good.Gilbert Grape is a young man who lives with his dysfunctional family in Endora, Iowa, a small town where nothing much ever happens.
As usual, Johnny Depp also puts on a decent performance, and there are some other cast highlights, including Darlene Cates as Bonnie Grape (considering the fact that she had never been in a film before, and hasn't made many appearances since then), and John C.
"What's Eating Gilbert Grape" is a rather simple movie, and I'm sure many viewers would find it boring, but for the kind of film it is, they could have done slightly better, but they still did a pretty good job..
I can't find a word to describe how great this movie is.Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) is taking care of a mentally-retarded brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio), his obese mother Bonnie, and two sisters in a small town of America.
Two sisters round out this cast of 'misfit' family members.The casting and acting are superbly done, the array of acting skills by the two principals in the film Johnny Depp playing Gilbert Grape and Leonardo DiCaprio playing his younger brother Arnie Grape are so amazingly executed that I was a bit transfixed at the performance.It is a heartrending tearjerker, allow yourself some time to sit through the whole two hours to enjoy and absorb it all in.I suppose sometimes it is the way we can identify with characters in a story that make us connect with the tale in a deeper way.
I work with a special needs child; very similar to Arnie though she cannot communicate as well and some people do not accept her; which is such a shame as she is a beautiful girl.Leonardo DiCaprio performance of Arnie was wonderful; it was such a joy to see Arnie's love for the simple things in life and the most dramatic for me was when Arnie found his mother dead.
I just loved the way he hugged his mother after he came back to be at Arnie's birthday party; to me that was the highlight of the film...he truly was her "knight in shimmering armour" and she did appreciate him and loved him for his total love for Arnie; for children like Arnie and the girl I work with really do need total love; for then they can grow and blossom into the wonderful people that they are, and this movie really shows that from a family who have not so much worldly hardships, but mental and physical hardships with love and appreciation they can succeed.
Leonardo DiCaprio though i don't like any of his other films i must say is remarkable as the role of Arnie Grape and should have one the Oscar for this role.
Despite my respect for Johnny Depp, I think his performance in this movie isn't really up to his usual standard but the film's strong point is an outstanding performance by Leonardo DiCaprio.His portayal of Arnie, Gilbert's autistic brother is stunning and I can't work out why he didn't receive an Academy Award for it.
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...
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.
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..
An American drama movie based on the novel of the same name by Peter HedgesSynopsis: Gilbert Grape lives at home with two of his three sisters, Amy and Ellen, and one of his two brothers, Arnie.
I had heard of this movie but had no idea what it was actually about, it was marked at $5.99 so I thought it was probably a decent choice, Johnny Depp/Leo DiCaprio, a quick look at the credits on the back showed Lasse Hallstrom as the director and John C.
Johnny Depp was excellent as Gilbert Grape, a young man trapped in a dead end life caring for his retarded brother and overweight mother.
It's a story of a small-town guy named Gilbert Grape, played by Johnny Depp.
Johnny Depp is as good as always and Mary Steenburgen and Darlene Cates also know to impress.Yet the movie is more than just an emotional drama, it also knows how to be funny and entertaining about certain things at the right times without making the movie less powerful in any way.There really is nothing wrong with the piece of cinema brilliance and everything is simply perfect and works very well.10/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
In the film "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", anyone who has been cursed with a common family, will find a deep kinship with Johnny Depp.
Playing Gilbert Grape, Depp does an admirable job of sustaining a sympathetic role for himself and his retarded brother, played equally superb by Leonardo DiCaprio.
There are also two sisters, Ellen and Amy, but they do not play major roles in the film.Apart from his day-job as a clerk in a grocery store, Gilbert's main responsibility is caring for Arnie (normally quite manageable, apart from his regular habit of climbing to the top of the town's water tower) and his housebound mother.
He has been conducting an affair with Betty, an unhappily married local housewife, but finds a more satisfying romance when he meets Becky, a girl who roams round the country in a trailer with her grandmother; they just happen to have broken down in Endora.There is some good acting in the film, particularly from Johnny Depp as Gilbert and Juliette Lewis as the gentle, sensitive Becky.
That includes the weird Johnny Depp doing something really strange for him - playing a normal person, the title character of "Gilbert Grape."As with many stories dealing with dysfunctional families, the movie is not always a lot of fun to watch, but it's one you remember.
Every character is massively complex and I started to have different feelings about each of them as time went on; with the obese Bonnie living in denial, the brother, Arnie with special needs who at times you can both love and absolutely hate, and even Gilbert who only wants to be a good person and help his dysfunctional family make it through life while at the same time tries desperately to make himself happy, none of the plot points ever become stale or predictable thanks to the numerous dynamics of character.
He is just a boy who will always be a boy.Johnny Depp is Gilbert Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio is Arnie, Mary Steenburgen is the married woman, Juliette Lewis is Becky and Darlene Cates is Mama.
Alongside Gilbert (Johnny Depp), who is about 20 years old, his obese mother (Darlene Cates), who has never left home since her husband's suicide seven years ago, and Arnie (Leonardo di Caprio), his 17 years old retarded brother, are the main family -members in this Indie-movie.
This is exactly the case for What's Eating Gilbert Grape, where the main protagonist, Gilbert, played by Johnny Depp, has to deal with the aftermath of his father's death and trying to care of his mentally disabled brother, Arnie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and his morbidly obese mother, played by Darlene Cates.
Heartfelt, poignant & amusing in equal doses, What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a wonderfully crafted, sensibly narrated & brilliantly acted coming-of-age drama that offers an intriguing glimpse into the everyday life of a dysfunctional family and is powered by stellar performances from Johnny Depp & Leonardo DiCaprio.Set in a small American town, the story of What's Eating Gilbert Grape follows its titular character who has put his own life on shelf after his father's death in order to take care of his morbidly obese mother & mentally disabled younger brother and has been struggling to make ends meet for his family but all of it is challenged when love enters Gilbert's life.Directed by Lasse Hallström, the film begins on a slow note and while the pace never really picks up at any given point, it does allow its characters to breathe freely & adds sizeable depth to their arcs.
However he is just a supporting character in this film as the title character is played by Johnny Depp, Arnie's older brother who is always taking care of him and the rest of the family.
Lasse Hallstrom has been accused of being overly melodramatic at times, but I think that the director avoided much of those moments here thanks in most part to a well written script.Leonardo DiCaprio gives the best performance of the film, but Johnny Depp also delivers in a very subtle way.
A little too long, but it is still a wonderful film.Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) lives with his family in Endora, Iowa.
Gilbert's family is in shambles; the father is dead, his mother is too obese to care for her children, and his brother, Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio).
Leonardo DiCaprio first caught our attention as mentally retarded Arnie Grape, cared for by his brother Gilbert (Johnny Depp) in Endora*, Iowa.
The protagonist is Gilbert Grape, a young man acted by Johnny Depp who lives in Endora with his family: his corpulent mother, his two sisters and his handicapped brother Arnie.