What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Starring: Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen, Leonardo DiCaprio, John C. Reilly, Darlene Cates, Crispin Glover
Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
1993

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary:
Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) lives a difficult existance in a small town. He supports his 500 pound mother (Darlene Cates), his mentally retarded brother (Leonardo DiCaprio), and carries on an affair with a married woman(Mary Steenburgen). His life is changed when a pretty young woman (Juliette Lewis) moves into his town.

Review:

Tim: This film is one about oddballs that moves past their exterior oddities and gets beneath their skin. It is helped by some impressive performances by its cast.

Johnny Depp is fantastic as the titular Grape. He is so important because as the "normal" one, we see the cast of crazy characters through his eyes. He is excellent at getting us to identify with him.

Leonardo DiCaprio, however, out acts everyone. I remember as a kid, way before I knew much about movies and who DiCaprio was, I honestly wondered if he was really mentally challenged. How DiCaprio acts as he does is somethign I will never fully comprehend. You really need to see his performance.

The rest of the cast is surprisingly good as well. Juliette Lewis is better than I've ever seen her. Mary Steenburgen shocks us with her complex and emotional performance. Nonactor Darlene Cates is incredible. Even John C. Reilly and Crispin Glover offer strong but small roles.

This is a film about a man dealing with a difficult life- a father who committed suicide, a mother who weighs 500 pounds, a mentally impaired brother, a childish sister, a woman he's been having an affair with who doesn't seem to care if her husband finds out or not, and possibly the love of his life, who may be disappearing forever. This is enough to drive anyone crazy, and how these situations unfold is remarkable. Trust me, you want to find out what's eating Gilbert Grape.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Edward Scissorhands, Benny & Joon, Cry-Baby, Titanic