¿A quién ama Gilbert Grape?

Johnny Depp whose penchant for quirky and unusual characters is a hallmark of his career plays a fairly normal kid in the title role of What's Eating Gilbert Grape. What's eating him is that he's stuck in the role of family breadwinner, guardian to his younger siblings, and in a most nowhere job. The future isn't looking up.

It all kind of devolved on him naturally when years ago his father just up and left the family one day without warning, or at least without warning to a child. His mother Darlene Cates grew morbidly obese, ballooning up to 500 pounds, his sisters are having the usual adolescent problems. But his mentally retarded brother Leonardo DiCaprio who is the real problem. He needs constant watching every minute, something Cates just can't do, she can't even get up to the second story of the Grape family home. It all falls on Depp.

Not that there aren't certain compensations for him, Mary Steenburgen asks for him to make special deliveries to her house when husband Kevin Tighe is at the office. But life is generally drab in Iowa for him until Juliette Lewis's trailer breaks down in the Grape neighborhood. When Depp gets involved with her she points him in the direction of a much wider world, something we all need to realize at some point in our lives.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape is distinguished mostly for the Academy Award nomination it received for Leonardo DiCaprio for playing the mentally retarded Arnie Grape. DiCaprio is unbelievably convincing as a retarded kid, to think almost a decade later he'd be playing Howard Hughes on the big screen. But part of his performance is no doubt due to Johnny Depp as well. Most of DiCaprio's scenes are with Depp and they bring the best out in each other. Very much like Rain Man with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.

Both DiCaprio and Depp have gone on to give the movie-going public a wide variety of roles to see them in. But they are something special in What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

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.

One of the delights of having raised a family and having more time to yourself s that you get to go back and watch all the movies you missed. I am just now getting to explore the actors whose careers have been postponed, in our lives, by Ninja Turtles and Disney. I fell in lust with Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean and he made me a real fan in Finding Neverland. But in Gilbert Grape, he won my heart completely. This man can act with his eyes. The biggest surprise was Leo DiCaprio as Arnie. Amazing, and he was only 19 when the film was released. He gave an amazing portrayal of a boy who goes in and out of his own world. Juliette Lewis was a quiet storm in this film; she gave Gilbert an anchor of solid acceptance when the pain of his life almost got the best of him.

The casting worked perfectly to create family dynamics that were so very real that they did not even seem brandable as dysfunctional. I appreciated that the mother was never portrayed as less intelligent simply because she was overweight. I loved that the kids did everything they could to protect their mother and their disturbed brother from outside influences and hurt feelings. They stuck together until the end which actually became the beginning. A hopeful and joyous film.

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.

I saw this movie a couple of years ago and have seen it many times since. I have worked with special needs children for nearly 20 years, and Leonardo DiCaprio gives an excellent performance as a mentally challenged teenager. His mannerisms and vocal inflection as Arnie were dead on. I had never been a DiCaprio fan until I watched this movie, now I see him in a completely different light. He SO deserved an Oscar for this performance. It puts that whole Dustin Hoffman/Rainman performance to shame.

Beyond this outstanding performance is an incredible movie. What is eating Gilbert Grape indeed? Oh, just a loony housewife that wants him at every turn, a mother who requires as much care as a child and a mentally challenged brother who requires almost as much care as a toddler. What is not eating him alive is a better question. The anger culminates in a harsh scene with Arnie. That scene is so real it tears my heart out.

Fabulous film, fantastic performances. One of my favorites.