Rating: 
Summary: A Quiet Gem
Review: This is a quiet, intriguing, and odd little film. It has it's little charm. Johnny Depp, who is very good, plays Gilbert Grape wrestling to take care of his family, which includes his morbidly obese mother, and his mentally retarded brother played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who will knock your pants off in a flat out brilliant performance. He deserved the Oscar for this. This is an interesting film. It's sad, in a way, and that's why it's odd. You want to be sad but the characters themselves don't show enough emotion. It's like they don't care enough. That's one of the oddities that fill this movie. Darlene Cates, who plays the mother, is wonderful. She, and Leonardo, are real. They bring it off so believeably. Do yourself a favor and give this hidden gem a try.
Rating:
Summary: Not Much Action, But Great Character Study And Weird Story
Review: Johnny Depp is superb in this quiet, strange, and engaging film. He plays a confused, naive, but good-hearted young man who is doing his best at being "Man of the House" in a family where the father has already suicided, the younger brother (a tour de force performance by a young Leonardo de Caprio) is mentally [handicapped] and obsessed with climbing the town water tower, and the mother weighs 500 pounds and is gradually growing roots in the living room sofa. There are also relatively normal younger sisters who don't want to be stigmatized by their weird family. Despite the weirdness, the burdens, and the conflicts, these people love each other and want to help each other survive.The story, set in a quintessential small town that could be anywhere in rural America, moves quietly along as the characters try to hold on, find grains of normalcy, and look for a better tomorrow. There is not a lot of action in this strange movie, which defies being placed in a genre, and I will not give any of it away. While the story is quiet, it is loaded with underlying meaning and truth, and the actors shine through their dialogue and relationships. You have to be in the right mood for this one, but I think it'll become a cult classic and will always appeal to older adolescents, with its themes of being different AND seeking acceptance. This is not a film for younger children, and be ready to discuss it afterward if you watch it with your older kids (twelve? and up).
Rating:
Summary: Another great movie that happens to have...JOHNNY DEPP!
Review: This movie is about Gilbert, a teenager with so many responsibilites in taking care of his family that he can never find the time to think about himself. With a dramatically overweight mother and a mentally retarded little brother along with two other sisters in a house that is falling apart, Gilbert`s life is moving far too fast for him to keep up with. At every given moment that he finds peace, it seems, it is at a sacrifice and becomes the cause of something else gone wrong. No one around him seems to care about what he wants, save perhaps the woman he delivers groceries to that he`s involved in an affair with. Then there comes Becky, a peaceful-minded optimist who seems to be exactly the kind of person Gilbert needs. Guess what happens with the two of them. The whole movie is exactly what the title says it is; it goes through this difficult point in Gilbert`s life and shows you exactly why he`s so stressed out. Johnny Depp does a great job with his role as always... You`ll want to own this video just so you can seek out friends that haven`t seen it yet and lend it to them...I think everyone should definitely see it.
Rating: 
Summary: Why is Gilbert Grape not available on DVD?
Review: This is an amazing film. Hallstrome's films end where they physically begin, yet the journey we are invited to take provides these characters with an inner need and not an outside obligation to fulfill their acquired roles. Gilbert wants to get away and when he is free to doesn't. These characters act dissimilarly to the people surrounding them, they break the norm not merely for the sake of standing out but for the ultimate purpose of acting truly to themselves regardless of conventions. Gilbert does it by burning his mother, he refuses to let her be a joke. Rather than perform a traditional burial, Gilbert spares his mother a final humiliation.
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING FILMAKING !!
Review: This movie showcases Johnny Depp, Leonardo diCaprio, and Juliette Lewis in roles that push their previous and future acting roles. While I am a HUGE fan of Johnny Depp's acting, this film shows him at his best (but then so does BLOW and Donnie Brasco) The film content itself may seem rather bland, but if you love dialogue and the dynamic between family and friends you will enjoy this movie! This is also the type of movie Independent Film fans would enjoy because it is not a "popcorn" movie, but is rather meaty and has substance. Let's not leave out the fact that there is a character in this film that is also in MAGNOLIA and BOOGIE NIGHTS who's acting is outstanding in this film as well..arugh!!!I forget his name but if you love movies like I do you know EXACTLY WHO I AM TALKING ABOUT!! I wish this movie was available on DVD...I love it that much!
Rating:
Summary: A Universal Movie Classic
Review: This movie has the makings of a sleeping classic. It has a great musical score. It has a great director (My life as a dog). The first time I watched this movie my attention was captured by Arny as he laughed and squealed joyfully as he ran after a caravan of campers. This wonderful beginning really captured my attention. This movie does not fall off and has a great ending--unusual for today's standards. Also helping capture a place in time is Gilbert, the main character played by old-time heart throb Johnny Depp. Coincidentally, Arny the retarded brother is played by new heart-throb Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic). Perhaps the most moving performance in this movie is played by Darlene Cates. She plays the part of an incredibly obese woman who is the mother of a poor, dysfunctional family. One realizes and has to feel for poor Darlene as she both plays out a tragic part in a movie and in her own real life. This movie classic is universal with international appeal bacause no accents are apparent. Especially no silly, thick southern ones like in "To Kill a Mockingbird". No state is even mentioned in this movie although it was filmed in Texas. Endora is just small town, anywhere. The supporting cast are quite relaxed and gentle in their expert performances. The cheating older woman and Gilbert's older sister are quite beautiful. The younger sister is effectively bratty. A great movie!
Rating:
Summary: This was an exceptional, top-notch movie
Review: This movie is hands down, my favorite movie. The way that the characters are portrayed was excellent. Each of them is so complex that they seem simple. Each actor was very convincing in their role. Being a social work student, it was fascinating to examine the many problems this family has endured.
Rating: 
Summary: We don't know for sure what's eating him...
Review: This is another one of my slow-moving, quirky movies that I tend to enjoy. The family portrayed in this film seems quite realistic, although I can't relate to them. The family comes together as a loving unit because of all of their troubles. They love their obese mother, who is stuck in the house due to her condition, and appreciate all that they have because of their difficult lives. Usually, I don't like Leonardo Di Caprio, but he was fantastic in his role as the mentally handicapped younger brother. I guess you have to be a little patient to appreciate this simple, yet thought-provoking movie, but if you liked Benny and Joon, you'll like this... perhaps.
Rating: 
Summary: It was a great move....but...
Review: I thought this movie had a great story line. But it just wasn't one of those movies that you could really get into. Nothing exciting ever seemed to happen, it wasn't a movie that made me wanna reach out, or cry over. I just sat there stunned at the idea of how poor this movie was. My friends also saw it, they thought it was a good movie with good actors, i just found it depressingly boring expcially for starring Jonny Depp and Leo...
Rating:
Summary: Haunting rare glimpse into a bleak landscape of family love
Review: Released in 1993, this is the kind of movie that makes an audience squirm in their seats because of its stark realism and uncomfortable themes. Johnny Depp, well cast in the role of Gilbert, is the father-figure in a dysfunctional family which includes his brain damaged brother Leonardo DiCaprio and grossly obese mother who weighs 500 pounds and is the town joke. Gilbert is trapped in a dead-end job in the local grocery store and is involved in an unwelcome affair with a local housewife. His best friends include the young local undertaker as well as a friend who thinks that the greatest job in the would be working at a Burger Barn. When a young woman, played by Juliette Lewis, arrives in town, Gilbert's relationship with her grows but exists under the specter that she will be leaving in a few days. Leonardo DiCaprio's demanding role won him an academy award nomination for best supporting actor. He's endearing as well as demanding and frustrating and the scenes where he is coupled with Depp sparkle with intensity. Juliette Lewis combines freshness with a sharp seriousness that brings out the best in both of them. And Darlene Cates, the obese woman, makes the audience respond to her humanity on many levels. There's a constant discomfort about a film like this. The life it depicts is bleak and sad. And yet there's a sense of family and love between the people that transcend it all. It's a rare glimpse into a very human situation that we'd all rather avoid. And to the director's credit, it's done very well. This is the kind of film that haunts and stays with you a while. I walked around with a deep sense of melancholy for an entire afternoon and I still feel it now as I write this words. That's why I hesitate to recommend it to any but the most ardent film buffs who enjoy experiencing a rather unsettling slice of life.
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