What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)

	Directed by: Lasse Hallström	COUNTRY USA GENRE Drama/Comedy NORWEGIAN TITLE Hva er det med Gilbert Grape? RUNNING TIME 118 minutes
	Produced by: Meir Teper Bertil Ohlsson David Matalon
	Written by (based on his own novel): Peter Hedges

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Gilbert Grape	Johnny Depp	½
Arnie Grape	Leonardo DiCaprio
Becky	Juliette Lewis
Bonnie Grape	Darlene Cates	½
Amy Grape	Laura Harrington	½
Ellen Grape	Mary Kate Schellhardt	½
Kenneth "Ken" Carver	Kevin Tighe	½
Betty Carver	Mary Steenburgen	½
Tucker Van Dyke	John C. Reilly
Bobby McBurney	Crispin Glover

Review

Here is a slice of small-town Americana from the late 20th century, imbued with Lasse Hallström's particular variety of earnestness and warmth. The film stars Johnny Depp as a 20-something son and brother who does his best to hold his tumultuous family together, including a morbidly obese mother, a rebellious teenage sister, and last but not least, his mentally disabled brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is about to turn 18. The 1990s was a strong decade for the traditional, pretenseless drama, and What's Eating Gilbert Grape? has that wonderful ability of neither being self-deprecating nor self-absorbed. With its modest scope and eye for the ostensible trivialities of life, it presents its characters' trials and tribulations with unassuming authenticity. When the film is predictable, it's only because life itself tends to be rather predictable, and because Peter Hedges' story is less about plotting than about people. What elevates Gilbert Grape to near perfection are the remarkable performances – not least the incredibly strong, intimate turns by Depp in the lead and Darlene Cates as the mother. Still, it's Leonardo DiCaprio, in only his second major role, after This Boy's Life earlier the same year, who steals the show with his utter immersion and complete lack of affectation as Arnie. It might just be the most accomplished portrayal of mental disability in film history.