What's Eating Gilbert Grape

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What's Eating Gilbert Grape

PG-13

1993

1h 58m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

51 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

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

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Critics Consensus

It's sentimental and somewhat predictable, but those are small complaints, given the tender atmosphere and moving performances at the heart of What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

08/16/2022

A blissful slice of Americana...

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

09/03/2021

4/5

A blissful slice of Americana...

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

03/22/2021

B-

Despite Depp's tender melancholy, the performers who stay with you are those who dare to crack the surface of their characters' alienation.

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Jack Hawkins

HeyUGuys

04/06/2021

4/5

Grape makes a lasting impression with its quirky performances and bittersweet themes of hope, humility and perseverance.

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Ken Eisner

Georgia Straight

03/22/2021

This emphasis on character and texture is full of pleasurable rewards-especially when the astonishing DiCaprio is on-screen-and there's enough growth and compassion to keep it from being a Diane Arbus freak show come to life.

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Sergio Benítez

Espinof

08/28/2019

Although DiCaprio is the one who ends up getting more attention from the public due to the enormous performance, the movie gives life to a restrained Johnny Depp. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Kevin P

@RT55971421 1d

A great emotionally bittersweet coming of age drama about really memorable characters trying to escape the decay of American rust belt small town life. The characters are all very relatable. Johnny Depp is great as the burned-out young adult Gilbert Grape and Leonardo DiCaprio is very transformative as his mentally disabled brother Arnie Grape. Their Morbidly obese couch-ridden mother is treated with emotional complexity of her grief of their husband and fear of leaving her home being the root cause of her obesity and it's treated as both a health impairment and a stigma that Gilbert must overcome. The portrayal of Arnie's developmental disability in this film is debatable, but still somewhat authentic for the time. There's a great contrast as Gilbert Grape feels stuck in his hometown, while Becky is always drifting through towns. Their romance is very cute and feels natural. It's a great film about stagnation and lost identity with top notch performances and character development.

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Simon T T

@Simontink Jun 17

Classic 90s American film. DiCaprio and Depp at their very best.

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Gabrielle B

@Gabrielle444 Jun 16

Really good performances and story telling. Moving and thoughtful. Very enjoyable.

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mars G.

@curiositykilledthecat Jun 10

amazing movie, one of my favorites. leonardo dicaprio does a amazing job at emcapulating Arnies mental disability. 4.5/5

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 May 14

If you had to explain what it's about to someone, it might be a challenge. It's not about much, but I enjoyed it. Just like everyone else said, the performances were good.

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Adelay C.

@27adeco May 6

The anchoring force in this charm of a movie is, without a doubt, Leo’s performance. He keeps me coming back to watch it time and time again.

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Lasse Hallström

Director

Johnny Depp

Gilbert Grape

Juliette Lewis

Becky

Mary Steenburgen

Betty Carver

Leonardo DiCaprio

Arnie Grape

Darlene Cates

Bonnie Grape

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What's Eating Gilbert Grape: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

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

Director: Lasse Hallström
Producer: David Matalon, Bertil Ohlsson, Meir Teper
Screenwriter: Peter Hedges, Peter Hedges
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, J&M Entertainment
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.8M
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: Surround

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