What's Eating Gilbert Grape poster & wallpaper

Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, Kevin Tighe

Gilbert has to care for his brother Arnie and his obese mother, which gets in the way when love walks into his life.

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86% liked it

155,051 ratings

PG-13, 118 min.

Directed by: Lasse Hallström

Release Date: December 25, 1993

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DVD Release Date: November 17, 2001

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Stats: 15,524 reviews

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Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape, Darlene Cates as Bonnie Grape, Laura Harrington as Amy Grape, Mary Kate Schellhardt as Ellen Grape & Juliette Lewis as Becky in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape, Darlene Cates as Bonnie Grape, Laura Harrington as Amy Grape, Mary Kate Schellhardt as Ellen Grape & Juliette Lewis as Becky in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape & Juliette Lewis as Becky in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape & Juliette Lewis as Becky in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Darlene Cates, Laura Harrington, Mary Kate Schellhardt et Juliette Lewis in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape & Juliette Lewis as Becky in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) Johnny Depp in What's Eating Gilbert Grape Juliette Lewis in What's Eating Gilbert Grape Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape Leonardo DiCaprio !JOHNNY! Johnny Depp What's Eating Gilbert Grape
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Flixster Reviews (15,524)

  • SirPant
    September 22, 2009
    SirPant
    I was a big fan of this film when it came out but on resent viewing, I was quite surprised by how much I disliked it. So there it is, I don?t like this film much!
  • mrpopcorn
    April 10, 2009
    mrpopcorn
    "Arnie knows a secret. His big brother Gilbert is the greatest person on the planet."

    Gilbert has care for his brother Arnie and his obese mother, which gets in the way when love walks into his life.

    REVIEW</
    ...( read more)center>
    The story of a family, in a back water town, where we get to see each of them struggling with life. Johnny Depp, him again, gives yet another excellent performance as Gilbert, frustrated with his lot, wishing he could get away from his family, responsibilities and most of all Endora. He works to support his family, is having a less than fulfilling affair with an older married woman and is always looking out for his brother Arnie, played by Leonardo Di Caprio, but more of him later. Depp manages to capture every emotion perfectly, in an non-showy role he pulls you in and makes you believe.

    Ultimately this is a simple story, man struggles then finds love, but it's so much more, the relationships of the family Grape are very well observed, from the mother hugely overweight, causing the structure of the house to crumble to the growing pains of the sisters. Where this story strikes gold is with Arnie, I remember when I first saw this film I had no idea who Di Caprio was, I actually thought they had used a disabled actor to play the part, when watching that year's Oscars and seeing him nominated for the role I was amazed. I have watched many films, and his performance is one of the best I have ever seen. Remarkable in it's accuracy and so moving, when we find him sitting in cold bath water having been told not to move hours earlier, well it breaks your heart, and Gilbert's rage demonstrating his frustration not really at Arnie but at life, just brilliant.

    So this is a film that you should see, if only for Di Caprio, but it has much more than that.
  • her69eyes
    January 18, 2009
    her69eyes
    After first seeing "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" earlier this week, I was stunned to go online and see that some people found it depressing. A favorite critic of mine, James Berardinelli, referred to it as a grim tragedy bound to bring the audience down (obviously i'm paraphrasin...( read more)g here). He was not the only one who had a similar take. Although the life of Gilbert and his family may be bleak, and that suffocating seclusion Gilbert feels may frustrate him, the warmth of the film is unmistakable.

    Gilbert is young and discontent, bored by day-to-day monotony and a constant recognition of the same faces at the local ice cream parlor. When Becky arrives in town, the adventure-seeking side of him is unveiled - the want to fly from his nest and go out and see the world. But by the end of the film, i'm not sure that Gilbert necessarily would have wanted to leave. "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" is in many ways about duty to one's family, and the realization that it may not be as much of a burden as you think.

    "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" was a novel written by Peter Hedges that he adapted into his own screenplay. It's directed by renowned Scandinavian director Lasse Hallström, who would later go on to direct an Academy Award contender for Best Picture in 2001, "Chocolat" (a project also involving Johnny Depp). The film takes place in Endora, Iowa, a town with a population of just over 1,000. A large grocery store has just opened up in town, resembling a Wal-Mart, and most of the townspeople have embraced it. Most people, except Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) and his boss, who work at a long-standing small supermarket in town. They try to remain positive despite facing a loss in business, primarily due to the competition's gigantic lobster tank which has the Endora natives talking. To keep up with this theme of large corporations taking over the small town, a sidestory in the film involves Gilbert's friend, Tucker, (John C. Reilly) who is fascinated by the efficiency of a new burger chain coming to Endora.

    Gilbert is held back by responsibilities to his family - there's his 500 pound mother (Darlene Cates) who never leaves the couch, his mentally handicapped younger brother, Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio, in an Oscar nominated performance), and two sisters whom he also cares for. When he's not trying to balance his home and work life, he's having an affair with Mrs. Carver (Mary Steenburgen), the wife of an insurance agent in town.

    One day, Endora is shaken up by the arrival of a young woman, Becky (Juliette Lewis), and her grandmother (Penelope Branning). They're only meant to pass by, as they are frequent travelers, however a car problem prevents the mother and daughter from traveling further. When Gilbert is asked to assist in fixing the car, he tries to sabotage it in order to spend more time with his new love interest, Becky.

    There's such a charm and warmth to "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" that, despite being a fairly dark film, disguises itself as a whimsical fairy tale. While some scenes certainly are wrenching, such as those involving the memorable performance by Darlene Cates, the majority of the film is very light-hearted and endearing. There's deaths here and there, and Gilbert is completely trapped under pressure and responsibility to his family, but by the end of the film we come to think that he wouldn't have it any other way. Becky, an infrequent yet welcome distraction, is Gilbert's opposite. There's a fascination and jealousy there, but I don't know that Gilbert would ever be the kind of person to leave a brother like Arnie behind.

    "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" is wonderfully written, and has some good performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Mary Steenburgen, and Darlene Cates. Depp is also a good lead, and this is one of his more understated performances. In the third act, the film trips over it's feet now and then with fairly familiar melodrama, but it redeems itself in it's last moments. This was a refreshing surprise, and certainly one of the more enjoyable films i've seen in quite some time.
  • flixsterman
    January 11, 2009
    flixsterman
    Underrated, under appreciated little jewel of a film with outstanding performances all around, especially DiCaprio.
  • laVenrose
    December 15, 2008
    laVenrose
    Arnie knows a secret. His big brother Gilbert is the greatest person on the planet.


    Rated: (PG-13)

    Directed by: Lasse Hallström

    Genres: Drama

    Starring: Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette
    ...( read more) Lewis


    THE MOVIE OUTLINE

    "Gilbert Grape lives in Endora, a place where nothing much happens. The only times the police got something to do is when Gilbert's autistic brother Arnie tries to climb up on the watertower nearby. Taking care of Arnie is mostly Gilbert's task which can be pretty demanding, at least while you are working at the local grocery store. Then one day Becky and her grandmother passes through Endora getting trouble with the car. Gilbert falls in love with Becky, but gets problems when he tries to find time for his own private life."





    MY APPRAISAL


    Well the thing with What's Eating Gilbert Grape is I don't know for certain why I love it. This kind of family story had been told to us many times and they all failry similar. The storyline is exteremely plain and simple, yet very forgettable. Just imagine how very undistinguished the movie would be if the casts were ones who couldn't do strong and captivating performances like Depp and DiCaprio did.

    Johnny Depp was terrific. His performance was sincere. Though I didn't exactly recall anything that happen between him and Juliette Lewis since the story focused on what happened between Gilbert and Arnie. Besides, he and Juliette Lewis have zero chemistry. And just how sweet Gilbert treats his brother, Depp showed how Gilbert sincerely love Arnie and he'd do anything in the world to protect him.

    Me myself as a die hard fan of Johnny Depp couldn't believe I say this, but all eyes on the teenage DiCaprio. He was a stand out, he stole the show like he actually was standing in the spotlight. His performance as Arnie was very convincing, I was totally stunned. He portrayed Arnie Grape as a fragile kid but very cute and lovable. It's not hard for the viewers to fall in love if his character and adore the connection he and Johnny had here. To me, he outshined almost everyone in the movie and I wanna see more and more of him eversince.

    A simple story, but very enchanting and flowing.
  • countrygirl4liferasc
    November 6, 2009
    countrygirl4liferasc
    this was good but johnny depp needed a new hair do
  • stilettokillerz
    November 3, 2009
    stilettokillerz
    Epic! Heartwarming and brilliant performances! Depp oh depp.
  • cotaxidriver
    November 3, 2009
    cotaxidriver
    I felt like I watched "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest".
  • ElCochran90
    October 27, 2009
    ElCochran90
    Wow! This suddenly felt epic. It may have gained its popularity because of a cast that was meant to become ultimately famous, and despite its intentional dose of drama and the overall feeling of the film resembling the one given by movies of the 80's, Hallström strikes audiences ...( read more)with tons of morals regarding racism, family love, physical and mental disabilities, all in one single 2-hour film with jaw-dropping performances. Intense and moving for the correct reasons! A rare gem to find.

    77/100
  • vzlaeli
    October 23, 2009
    vzlaeli
    Probablemente el aspecto remarcable de What's Eating Gilbert Grape es el hecho que es una pelicula de la vida de una familia disfuncional y la dinamica entre cada uno. La premisa es sencilla pero el director la hizo memorable, hay escenas tristes, otras donde hay risas y otras do...( read more)nde sientes tanta simpatia por los personajes que pensarias que los conoces hace años.
    Gran parte del exito de Gilbert Grape es la actuacion de Leonardo Dicaprio, que interpreta a Arnie con tanta naturalidad que nisiquiera parece una actuacion.
    Excepcional seria la palabra que mejor describe esta película.

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Comments

  • savanas
    December 6, 2008
    savanas
    Gilbert Grape is sucha b0ring m0vie..
    I can't believe h0w youg Leonardo Decaprio lookz in this m0vie.
    I feel s0rry f0r the m0ther.
  • munkybeans86
    July 28, 2008
    munkybeans86
    This was an awesome movie, very well done
  • thespiritofaneyeball
    June 6, 2008
    thespiritofaneyeball
    U now i think it*s a funny movie it has some funny moments but i think its boring too at the same time..
    its a little sad. Great actors.even tough i dont like leonardo dicaprio i must admit he very cute as Arnie Grape in fact i used to like him before beacause of the movie the beach. the book is great! idk about the movie tough. people say to me its not good..He fersure made mey laugh here awwwwhhh:D & i love Johnny Depp! mmmmmmm so nice looking..:P:P:P
  • Megggyy
    February 16, 2008
    Megggyy
    hey people I need some help! Can anyone send me a message if they've seen this flick? I need to know if I will like it, i enjoy foreign films usually and this isnt one =( but every once and a while i can go outta my comfort zone. should i watch it?
  • KARENCHRISTINA
    August 6, 2007
    KARENCHRISTINA
    Ilove this Movie!!!
  • salopek2331
    June 15, 2007
    salopek2331
    I love this movie. One of my favourites ^__^
  • FarOutBoyScout
    June 15, 2007
    FarOutBoyScout
    brillient permormence from both jonny deep and leanardo di caprio a work of art
  • sexylove390
    June 14, 2007
    sexylove390
    I haven't seen this movie yet but I definitely want to cause it has Leo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp in it.
  • cindychad39
    May 30, 2007
    cindychad39
    This movie is and was thebest. Leonardo should have receive a award for this movie!
  • nanehi
    May 23, 2007
    nanehi
    My son has this disability that Leonardo performs. It really grabs my heart and twists. I love this movie.
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  • In which hit movie did Johnny Depp & Leonardo DiCaprio star in?  Answer »
  • In what movie did Leonardo DiCaprio star as a mentally challenge teenager?  Answer »
  • What movie starring a young Johnny Depp and even younger Leonardo DiCaprio has the tagline,"Life is a terrible thing to sleep through"?  Answer »
  • Which movie did Leonardo DiCaprio star in with Johnny Depp, and earn an Oscar nomination for?  Answer »
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