What's Eating Gilbert Grape

1993

Action / Drama / Romance

136
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 90% · 52 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 89% · 250K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.7/10 10 253166 253.2K

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Plot summary

Gilbert Grape is a small-town young man with a lot of responsibility. Chief among his concerns are his mother, who is so overweight that she can't leave the house, and his mentally impaired younger brother, Arnie, who has a knack for finding trouble. Settled into a job at a grocery store and an ongoing affair with local woman Betty Carver, Gilbert finally has his life shaken up by the free-spirited Becky.


Uploaded by: OTTO
March 20, 2012 at 10:18 AM

Top cast

Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape
Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape
Juliette Lewis as Becky
Mary Steenburgen as Betty Carver
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
752.39 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
PG-13
23.976 fps
1 hr 58 min
Seeds 4
1.85 GB
1920*1080
English 2.0
PG-13
23.976 fps
1 hr 58 min
Seeds 50

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by classicsoncall 8 / 10

"We've always had a reasonable deal on pickles."

Until today, my impression of the movie's title was that it was asking a question. It never occurred to me that the story was in fact trying to answer one. For Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp), life is an imponderable existence, trapped as he is in a fatherless family with a mentally challenged younger brother (Leonardo DiCaprio), an obese mother (Darlene Cates) whose dimensions threaten the very foundation of their home, and a pair of sisters (Laura Harrington, Mary Kate Schellhardt) who find it difficult to maintain some semblance of normality in a community that considers the family a spectator attraction. But if you think about it, they might not have been the oddest characters living in Endora. The town also features a harmless joke mortician (Crispin Glover), a sad and lonely woman trapped in a loveless marriage (Mary Steenburgen), and a family friend (John C. Reilly) who insists that the soon to arrive Burger Barn is nothing short of cutting edge in the fast food industry. Into this mix arrives a free spirit angel (Juliette Lewis) who tries to help Gilbert realize his self proclaimed goal of being a good person. The film has it's absurd moments along with the bittersweet, and it was for that reason I found the marching band's choice of song to greet the Burger Barn as truly ironic - 'This Magic Moment'. By the time the picture is over, one realizes that even if our hero Gilbert has 'got nowhere to go', he's always been exactly where he needed to be.

Reviewed by Vomitron_G 9 / 10

The family that binds us

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.

Reviewed by Lechuguilla 9 / 10

Trapped

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). These are humble, unpretentious common folks who do the best they can. But life in a small town in Iowa is hard, and it can be frustrating and confining. At times, you can feel ... trapped.

The film's theme is explicit. Gilbert is trapped in a vexing family. Arnie is trapped in a body with a flawed brain. Momma is trapped in an obese body. A local woman named Betty (Mary Steenburgen) is trapped in an unsatisfying marriage. A young woman named Becky (Juliette Lewis) is trapped with her grandmother in the town by an RV that has broken down while passing through. Even a grasshopper gets trapped in Arnie's mischievous hands.

Seeing good people trapped in difficult situations is poignant. The film really tugs at your heartstrings. In one sequence, momma must face gawkers as she leaves the courthouse. Her response is inspiring and majestic. Darlene Cates does a wonderful job in this role.

Gilbert and his family live in a modest house. Its interior reminds me of the grim, depressing house in the movie "Silkwood" (1983). The dinner table must be moved each meal to wherever momma is sitting. And typical family conversation centers on preparation for Arnie's birthday party, and debate over ways to cook bacon.

A friend helps Gilbert reinforce the wood floor under Gilbert's house, so that the floor won't collapse under the weight of momma. Gilbert is kind, and has a big heart. And he is very protective of Arnie who has a habit of climbing up the town's water tower.

The townsfolk are satisfied with fulfilling small dreams, like getting a job at the new burger barn, or getting an ice cream snack at the local "Dairy Dreme". Small American towns ... life is familial and loving, but it can also be confining. And this film reminds me a lot of "The Last Picture Show" (1971).

The acting in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" is very good, as is the color cinematography, and production design. I did find the Arnie character to be a bit grating at times. The film's plot is slightly repetitive. And I don't care for the film's title. 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. The film is worth a serious look, for its thematic depth, for its acting, and for its attention to detail in sets and production design.

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