Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Who’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a touching and quite astonishing film, which was a significant path to fame for many cast members. It is the story of Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp), who has an extremely dysfunctional family – a father who committed suicide, a mother who is very grossly obese, a horrible teenage sister (okay so that’s pretty normal!), a sister who is more like a mother, and last but certainly not least an autistic brother, Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio). He lives in the town of Endora, where “nothing ever happens… and nothing ever will… trying to describe it is like trying to dance with no music.” His life is already tough as he tries to look after Arnie and his mother, hold down a job at the local store (when nearly everyone shops at the bigger store out of town), and having an affair with a married woman. But his life is about to become even more complicated…

Every year, Gilbert takes Arnie to go and see the tourists flock in for their camping holidays in the area. This year one is forced to stay behind a little longer than planned, and Gilbert starts to fall for her – which doesn’t please his married lover. There are so many things going on in Gilbert’s life that he doesn’t know how to handle them, he’s tired of his life, his family, and living in the same town all his life… but can he turn his back on them?

Johnny Depp is excellent in his role as Gilbert, who is a character you can really relate to and sympathise with, though he is by no means without any faults. The other cast members also do terrific jobs – John O’Reilly as his friend who dreams of working for Burger Barn (a small dream yes, but reachable!), Crispin Glover as an Undertaker with a very odd sense of humour (but then, all Undertakes do have an odd sense of humour, I guess it’s inevitable). Then there’s Mary Steenburgen who is as dependable as ever as the married woman cheating on her husband (if you see what I mean) Juliette Lewis as Becky, the traveller who Gilbert falls for, is a strangely likeable character as well. The whole thing has an air of surreality mixed with realism that, like Depp’s previous film to this, Benny and Joon, lends it an indefinable charm. This is a little less light-hearted than that one, though it does have some nice comedic moments. (Probably the funniest one is where, after being kissed, Gilbert stammers, “I don’t know what to say”. Remembering what his brother has been drumming into him for years, Arnie tells him “say ‘thank you', Gilbert, ‘thank you’.)

With all the above though, what really stands out in this film is DiCaprio’s performance. It is nothing short of staggering (and despite the fact that I really like Tommy Lee Jones, and despite the fact that I thought he was terrific in The Fugitive, I feel DiCapprio was robbed of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.) It really is one of the most astonishing performances I’ve ever seen. For that alone the film is well worth watching, but everything else comes together well to make it a deeply touching and powerful film. Very highly recommended. It doesn’t pull any punches as to the difficulties of caring for an autistic adult (Arnie is about to turn 18 at the start of the movie), but in general it retains an air of hope even through the most trying of circumstances – not foolishly optimistic, but grimly determined hope. (Which is good because it could have ended up being completely depressing and if it had, I wouldn’t have liked it even half as much!)


Other Information

Year of release: 1993
Directed by Lasse Hallström (Casanova, Chocolat, Cider House Rules)
Runtime: 118 minutes
Rating: 12 (UK) PG-13 (USA) PG (Canada) – more for the subject matter than anything else.

As a consultation for missing out on the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best supporting Actor – to Tommy Lee Jones again - he did win the National Board of Review for Best supporting Actor and the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor.

Peter Hedges wrote the screenplay based on his own novel.

---- If cannibals had made this movie, they would have called it Who’s Eating Gilbert Grape!! ----


Related Links

Johnny Depp movies:

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
Benny and Joon
Secret Window


~--------------------------------------------------~
See also my Top Ten Dramas list.
~--------------------------------------------------~


Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older