Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom's follow-up to the underrated Once Around earned far more attention than its predecessor thanks to the judicious casting of perennial thinking woman's heartthrob Johnny Depp and a certain up-and-coming thespian by the name of Leonardo DiCaprio. A prisoner of his dysfunctional family's broken .. Read more
| Starring | Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen, Leonardo DiCaprio |
|---|---|
| Director | Lasse Hallstrom |
| Genres | Drama |
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Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom's follow-up to the underrated Once Around earned far more attention than its predecessor thanks to the judicious casting of perennial thinking woman's heartthrob Johnny Depp and a certain up-and-coming thespian by the name of Leonardo DiCaprio. A prisoner of his dysfunctional family's broken dreams in tiny Endora, IA, Gilbert (Depp) serves as breadwinner and caretaker for his mother and siblings following his father's suicide and his older brother's defection. Momma (Darlene Cates) is a morbidly obese shut-in who hasn't left the house in seven years; her children include retarded Arnie (DiCaprio), who's about to turn 18 despite a host of negative medical forecasts, and terminally embarrassed Ellen (Mary Kate Schellhardt), who's emerging from an awkward adolescence. When he's not taking care of the difficult but tender Arnie, Gilbert spends his time fixing up the family's tattered farmhouse, working at a failing mom-and-pop grocery store and hanging with local misfits Bobby (Crispin Glover), an overly ambitious junior undertaker, and Tucker (John C. Reilly), a handyman who hankers after a job at the new burger franchise. Into this complicated but essentially unchanging social universe steps Becky (Juliette Lewis), a thoughtful young woman who's been escorting her nomadic grandmother from state to state in a mobile-home caravan. As Becky teaches Gilbert to finally consider his own happiness for a change, she disrupts both his family obligations and his long-running affair with a lonely housewife (Mary Steenburgen). Adapted by Peter Hedges from his own novel of the same name, What's Eating Gilbert Grape was the first and only film role for non-actress Cates, whom the filmmakers discovered on an episode of the Sally Jesse Raphael Show titled Too Heavy to Leave Their House. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
| Starring | Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen, Leonardo DiCaprio, John C. Reilly |
|---|---|
| Director | Lasse Hallstrom |
| Studio | ELEVATION |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 52 mins |
| Certificate |  |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | Production year: 1993 To Rent: DVD: 29 Mar 2004 |
HallstrĂm's finally struck a chord with the Americans, though it's much the same cocktail of whimsy and worry, the... read more on Time Out
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ASTOUNDING
Absolutely brillint movie. Fantastic performances from Johnny and Leonardo. If you aren't already in love with Johnny Depp, you will be after watching ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
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Leonard can act!
Worth watching just for DiCaprio's performance. Amazing. Shows the other girlie-boys how to do it. Rates with Danial Day and Dustin.
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great great movie
two words LOVE IT! such a good film acting is great and it has a great story line wish i had kept it a little longer so a could watch it again and again
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What ate me?
I love Johnny Depp but I couldn't get into this film. I have always loved his slightly obscure choice of role but this simply didn't ignite me. I'm ... read more »
Leonardo DiCaprio understands the struggle some Hollywood legends face when their career start to wane - insisting it's easy for stars to become detached from reality. The actor has been a mainstay of the movie industry since his critically acclaimed turn in What's Eating Gilbert Grape aged just 19. He became one of Hollywood's hottest leading men after starring in James Cameron's hugely successful Titanic, and has proved a hit at the box office ever since. But DiCaprio doesn't take his... Read more
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