Gilbert grape is a small-town guy with a big heart resigned to supporting his eccentric family: a 500-pound mother a mentally disabled brother and two troublesome sisters. But when gilbert meets a pretty life-loving outsider he rediscovers the hopes and dreams he had long forgotten. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 05/06/2008 Starring: Johnny Depp Mary Steenburgen Run time: 128 minutes Rating: Pg13

This is the movie that Leonardo DiCaprio received an Oscar nomination for, five years before Titanic. And, in fact, this is the movie that should have made him a star, he's so good in it. Based on the novel by Peter Hedges (who adapted his own book) and directed by Lasse Hallström (My Life as a Dog), this is the funny, moody tale of a young man named Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) who lives at home in a small town with his 500-pound Momma (beautifully played by nonpro Darlene Cates), his mentally retarded younger brother Arnie (DiCaprio, utterly convincing), and his sisters. Not a lot happens--Arnie keeps climbing a water tower and getting stuck; Gilbert is involved with a married woman (Mary Steenburgen), then meets a nice new girl in town who's closer to his age (Juliette Lewis). And that's exactly what makes this movie so much more than your run-of-the-mill Hollywood product: it's not about some mechanical, formulaic plot; it's about these characters, and it allows you to spend some time with them and get to know them. Depp may have started out as a TV teen idol on 21 Jump Street, but his feature film choices since then--in such wonderfully offbeat and diverse movies as Cry-Baby, Edward Scissorhands, Benny & Joon, Donnie Brasco--have made him one of the most interesting, unpredictable, and risk-taking young actors in American movies. --Jim Emerson

Leonardo Dicaprio's performance as an autistic teenager was absolutely superb. Johnny Depp's performance as a quiet, depressed and angst-ridden older brother was good as well, although he's more fun to look at than anything.:) The movie is very moving, and unlike anything I've seen. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to people of all ages.

I recently saw an episode of the Fox cartoon "American Dad!" that has a parody of WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE using squirrels. It's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Well, so I felt at the time. That's what brought to my attention this great movie that I enjoyed all those years ago back in the 90s and several times since. A memory I have from back then is while hanging out telling a friend "his mom is eating him" and my friend just looking at me and his eyes widening like he just heard something profound. Makes me laugh just thinking about it now. Grape's morbidly obese mom is a problem along with his retarded brother Arnie that he has to look after. And it's that small town life isn't it? He wants to go. Leonardo Dicaprio is incredible -I mean I'm talking 100% convincing. I remember people saying they thought the person playing Arnie was actually mentally retarded. Needless to say this was before TITANIC. I always thought Dicaprio deserved an Oscar and just now read he was nominated. Leonardo Dicaprio will never top this performance. Genius actor Johnny Depp, great as always. Just another notch on his belt. Juliette Lewis is good as romantic interest Becky. Everyone did a fine job. Gilbert's mom is played by nonactor real life obese person Darlene Cates. It's one of my favorite movies when I think about it. Highly recommended!

Here's a film that didn't do well in theaters, but is a fine example of good filmmaking. This offbeat story is filled with colorful characters and many great performances. Johnny Depp in a complex role delivers a subtle performance, Dicaprio is equally as good as his retarded younger brother and Juliette Lewis is wonderful as a free spirited traveler who enters their lives. The DVD has a very good transfer and a few interesting extras including commentary, making of etc.

This is a snappy title, but perhaps it should be called "What Isn't Eating Gilbert Grape?" Gilbert (Johnny Depp) feels trapped: his younger brother, a high maintenance problem is mentally challenged (in a brilliant acting job by Leonardo Di Caprio), his mother is reclusive and grossly overweight at 500 pounds, he's in a deadend job in a small grocery store trying to compete with a giant supermarket, he's fooling around with a married woman (beautifully played by Mary Steenburger), and he's stuck in the deadened small town of Endora which equals Endure. DiCaprio's character loves to climb water towers, trees, roofs, and it's challenging to keep an eye on him.
Gilbert's problems are too much for any one man to handle, but he finds love in a girl who is trapped in town when her truck-pulling trailer breaks down. Pick-up trucks are almost characters in this flick.
The 1993 movie is blessed by an unusually large number of individual three-dimensional character studies. Minor roles are fleshed out, and real people emerge. It's a film that doesn't try to sugarcoat or look for easy solutions. At the beginning Gilbert shows some mean streaks in his attitude toward his mother, but the developing story brings out tenderness and love. It has its comic moments, its sad bits, but manages to keep the audience involved. The family's father is gone, and Gilbert is standing in for him, up to his hips in mire. The only way out is the highway leading out of the small burg, but can that offer real salvation to Gilbert?
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Depp did a great job here trying to keep his family going day by day;adding DiCaprio was brilliant.Seeing these two together in their early days was entertaining.The story flows nicely to keep your attention.It definitely is a movie you watch more than once.J.R.Christine(Judy)-Michigan