What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Rating:
Summary: One Tasty Grape!
Review: This movie, with an all star cast, is one that will keep your attention , not because of any great special effects, but rather because the story is such that let's you learn about the characters and their feelings. You get to experience the same experiences and difficulties of the Grape family by this thoroughly absorbing film. Placed in a small town setting, the film doesn't center around anyone famous or exceptional, but it explores the regular everyday American family with it's troubles and joys. Like life it has its comedic moments and its moments of strife.

Rating:
Summary: Worth memorizing
Review: I reserve the five-star treatment to items that are well worth repeated viewing/listening/reading. This is one such film.

The story of Gilbert Grape is a coming-of-age story like none other. His father committed suicide when Gilbert was a preteen, and since then he's been the man of the family. And oh, what a family. This is as dysfunctional a lot as anyone you know.

But the great thing about the film is that they don't look down on this gang of misfits in any way. They are handled with dignity and realism, and Gilbert's stuck-in-a-rut life is as understandable as a stop sign. While the "and then enters the beautiful girl" plot line could easily become a too-easy Hollywood cliche, it doesn't come close.

Naturally I could say much about the plot here, but won't spoil it for those who haven't seen this masterpiece. Leonardo DiCaprio, in his debut as a featured movie performer, steals the show as mentally incapacitated Arnie, blowing away anyone's thought that he's just another pretty face. Johnny Depp is dead-on as the perpetually frustrated Gilbert, who's finally about to stop holding it together. And Mary Steenburgen, who's always wonderful, is again, as the small-town wife who's also hiding a dysfunctional family.

It's an emotional ride, this film, so be ready to shed some tears. No "chick flick" by any stretch, this is a film that manages to hit the bull's eye in every frame....and the bull's eye, you'll find, is painted squarely on your heart.

Rating:
Summary: A commentary on the state of being
Review: Its name does little to entice viewership, but "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" is a study in the desperation of a young man coming of age looking to escape his small-town mentality and responsibility for two sisters and a mentally challenged brother, all abandoned years earlier by an apparently equally desperate father. Johnny Depp turns in a credible performance as Big Brother-Caretaker who simmers slightly beneath the surface to escape to a better life somewhere other than this backward southern town. In supporting roles, Mary Steenburgen is in the rare role of older woman who sparks Gilbert's sexual awakening, but the multi-talented Juliette Lewis truly has Gilbert's heart after igniting his feeling of love. Both they and the lead are virtually upstaged, however, by Leonardo diCaprio's Oscar-nominated tour de force as Gilbert's brain-damaged kid brother, and diCaprio is not less than overwhelmingly convincing in his portrayal. A subplot focuses on Gilbert's grossly obese mother, seldom seen in public, and the storyline serves to further explain Gilbert's simmering desire to go for a better life somewhere else. Depp, Lewis and Steenburgen command the viewer's attention. But catch this film if for no other reason than diCaprio's performance. He is absolutely devastating!

Rating:
Summary: Portriat of Small Town USA
Review: Set in a small town in Iowa, the characters of a unique family work through life. I think the small town aspect of this film is crucial to it's overall feeling. It has a rural disfuction about it. an air of uncivility. The irony is, these people are more civilized than most city folk in their purity alone.
Depp gives a great performance, while DiCaprio plays one of his best roles yet. If you grew up in a small town this film will undoubtedly touch a nerve.
See this film, or better yet read the book. The book is amazing aswell and offers some situations that weren't in the film.

Rating:
Summary: The best movie I've seen with Di Caprio in it.
Review: Apart from the "Titanic", this movie is probably the best with Leonardo, playing a mentally disordered kid. His acting was superb and made a good illustration of the character "Arnie".

The plot is pretty straight forward; Gilbert Grape, the main character, played by Johnny Depp, goes through a stranded life, having to look after his family: his mother Bonnie (a 500 pounder), his two sisters, Amy and Ellen, and last but not least, Arnie, the star actor of the whole film.

You all watched the movie, so I won't bother talking about it, but I'd have to praise Leo. His acting is funny, dramatic and completely surprising. The best character I've seen him play

I don't know about the ending though. Rather sudden...

Rating:
Summary: nice.....
Review: When i watched this video, i watched it in class in segments because we had to make a log every 15 minutes. but that didnt stop me from understanding the whole story which in my opinion is very original. yeah, story's good, but the real part that amazed me was the cast. Depp's portrayal of a brother to a mentally impaired 17 year old was very good. and leonardo di caprio as the boy himsel was astounding. all along i say this is a movie worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: Life is a journey
Review: Gilbert Grape is another devoted family member. But his family is in dispair. His pretty mum is now a hideous ogre. She has not set her foot out the house for years and the family accepts it. Instead of her being the mother, she is the old exhausted grandmother being helped by her family members. Then their is an imbecile brother. He mentally ill and needs constant attention. He is a burden, but heis Gildbert's brother. He was expected to die at the age of 10, will he live to be 20 and will Gilbert let the love of his life go? Will his mother start taking care of herself or will she die from high cholestral?
This movie will keep you guessing to the end. We see a young adult who just drifts along in life, accepting. Will he take action?

Rating:
Summary: The Grape Of Repressed Wrath
Review: Set in the fictional town of Endora, Illinois (quite a pregnant name for a city), "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" focuses on the down but not yet out Grape family: a mother (Darlene Cates) who weighs over 500 pounds, two sisters (Laura Harrington and Mary Kate Schellhardt) with enough bottled up anger to drown a desert town, a mentally retarded brother named Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio) who's about to turn 18 despite assurances that he'd never live a third that long, and Gilbert (Johnny Depp), the glue that holds them all together. The burdens of the family, be they running errands in his truck or bathing his brother, all fall on Gilbert's shoulders. The purpose of this particular story is to find out what happens when that burden is too heavy a weight to bear.

Everyone in the film is constantly expecting a lot from Gilbert. Whether it's the plea from his momma that he's "gotta do better", the complaints from his sisters that he never does anything (when in fact, he does everything), or the selfishness of the married woman (Mary Steenburgen) with whom he's having an unfulfilling affair, Gilbert can't seem to ever be good enough. Contrast this with the just-happy-to-be-here existence of Arnie, who blithely tells anyone that will listen, "I can go at anytime." It's a wonder that Gilbert ever has the strength to go on.

But go on he does, using just as much effort to keep the family together as he does repressing his own anger. The film's title is ironic, in that Gilbert shows little anguish; it just appears that something is "eating" at him. It's a rather benign description of his state of mind, but on the surface it works quite well. For the most part, he vents his anger in passively destructive ways. One early scene features a couple of kids standing by the side of the road, staring at the Grape house. When Gilbert sees them, he motions one over. All the kid wants to do is get a gander at the 500 pound woman inside, and Gilbert resignedly obliges, even going so far as lifting the kid up so he can see through the window. It's a very mean moment from a young man who is angelic by most accounts. But when he lets loose of his control, when his primal nature comes out, the anger and violence and wrath and fear is very apparent.

The actors are uniformly good, with a few who should be pointed out for special recognition.

Darlene Cates, who legend has it was discovered after an appearance on "The Sally Jessy Raphael" show, plays Momma. It was important for the story that Momma not be played by an actor in a fat suit; the audience needs to be as repulsed by her as the townspeople are. But it is equally important that the audience comes to understand her plight, and feel for the woman. Cates is authentic looking, and, more importantly, authentic acting. The pathos of Momma is apparent in every defeated sigh. And when she's called on for anger, as she is in one pivotal scene where she makes the terrifying choice to leave the house, it's painfully real.

Leonardo DiCaprio, in the years since this film came out, has polarized moviegoers in to two camps. There are those who swoon at the mere mention of his name, "Titanic"-philes and Tiger Beaters all. And there are those turn up their noses at the pretty boy actor, who will always be more style than substance. Neither of these groups will enjoy what Leo does in "Gilbert Grape". They may have to scrub clean all benefits of hindsight, or at the very least time travel back to 1993, to fully enjoy his performance. And oh what a performance it is. Common wisdom states that roles with physical or mental challenges, despite being the most often praised, are actually the easiest to play. Actors develop a series of ticks, and voila! A character! Leo, to his credit, is more than just a collection of ticks as Arnie. Sure, he's got messy hair, dirty fingernails, a nose in constant need of wiping, and a primal scream laugh. But he so disappears into his character, that any preconceptions you might have about the actor get lost, and a character fully emerges. It's a seamless and highly endearing performance.

As poignant as Cates is, and as flashy and sublime as DiCaprio is, it is Depp who holds the movie together. He has to play Gilbert close to the chest for the most part, relying more on his facial expressions rather than on the sparse dialogue to communicate what the character is all about. It's not an outwardly remarkable performance, but it is supremely effective. He gets drawn out of his shell, bit by bit, when Becky shows up. Becky, Juliette Lewis in star-child mode, is a perfect contrast to Gilbert. She's open and honest and willing to let others in. Lewis is charming here, a trait she doesn't get to show often enough. She and Depp have fine chemistry together, as they try to feel their way through young love.

But for most of the movie Depp plays a kind of straight man to DiCaprio's goofball antics. They have a wonderful chemistry together, for not only do they mine some restrained comedy from these scenes, but they also ably portray a strong brotherly bond. Gilbert will care for Arnie till the day he dies; Arnie loves and trusts Gilbert, even if he has not the mental capacity to understand why.

Lasse Hallstrom has a wise knack for silences, not just in the performances, where silence is golden, but also in the film's musical score. For the most part, except for some light piano work in the most important moments, everything is quiet and still. Which perfectly mimics the solitude of the small town, in which this heartbreaking, but ultimately life-affirming story, takes place.

Rating:
Summary: Wow...
Review: This film is simplistic but overwhelming in it's heartfelt portrayal of a family pulling together dispite their problems. Gilbert Grape, portayed by Johnny Depp gives a stellar performance. Loenardo DiCaprio is fantastic as Gilbert's mentally retarded brother, Arnie.
From a simple story comes a powerful tale of family, love, and perserverance that everyone should watch!
From tragedy springs hope, in it's moving conclusion. A must-see!

Rating:
Summary: Don't miss this movie!
Review: This movie is certainly worth your 2 hours. Johnny Depp gives an outstanding performance. He plays Gilbert, a young man with unconditional love for his family. Leonardo DiCaprio is amazing playing Gilbert's mentally challenged younger brother. You must see this movie.