nightlq
What's Eating Gilbert Grape is one of my favorite movies. It has everything going for it. The acting is phenomenal, all the actors were great the best of which being Leonardo DiCaprio, it is one of the best acting performances I've ever seen and is pretty underrated seeing as he didn't even win the Oscar.
It is a very realistic movie about a family that is all types of messed up. The mom is obese and the younger brother is special Ed. The little sister is a brat but not to the point were it makes you too angry. The movie takes its time and the only real plot is that it's Arnie's (the special Ed brother played by Leonardo DiCaprio.) 18th birthday coming up and because the doctor said we wouldn't live past 10 it's a big deal. While all this happens we see these characters develop. We see how much of a loving and great brother Gilbert (Johnny Depp) is. We also see that despite how fat and seemingly lazy Bonnie Grape (Darlene Cates) is a mother that would do almost anything for Arnie. By the time she dies at the end is genuinely sad. Gilbert is an extremely reliable character that though has messed up wants his brother to be happy.
Fallen Eye
First things first ladies and gentlemen; Leonardo DiCaprio! Leonardo DiCaprio! Leo-Nardo Di-Cap-Rio!!! Wow! Just, wow! Throughout the entire 117 minutes, consistently, Leonardo DiCaprio kept Arnie's flame burning. What an amazing performance. An absolutely stunning showing. I don't ever want to forget this performance, and that's what it is. It's not an "unforgettable" performance, no, it's deeper than that; it's a performance you just don't want to forget. An absolutely breathtaking performance that finally got its Oscar 22 years later.What's Eating Gilbert Grape has 2 characters who are over-the-top lovable, surrounded by other characters who were at varying levels of intense likability, on top of a story so absorbing and enthralling. I wasn't ready for this film to end.I had so much fun watching this movie. It had me at 5 minutes, to a point where even then, I felt as if it was already too close to the end, even though there was another 112 minutes to go. It's a film that took its time, and allowed you to fall in love with some characters without forcing it to happen.I'd love to give this film more than 8/10, however I had some minor issues. 1. I really wanted to know what happens with Tucker and his Burger Barn craze. That really interested me. 2. The title of the film wasn't given enough time to breathe. Sure Gilbert had a lot on his mind, but what was eating him surely, was his mother, and that reveal wasn't given the full attention it deserved, especially because it's a legitimate concern. 3. The editing could've been better.Alright, the "tearing down" is over, now back to how amazing this film was. The characters; Arnie, Bonnie, Amy, Tucker, Betty, Ellen, etc. The story, the performances; Leonardo DiCaprio, Darlene Cates, Laura Harrington, etc. Some stunning work was done in this film, to a point where you even wonder if there is some deliberate irony in Bonnie loving Arnie so much, and not wanting him to disappear, meanwhile Arnie's favourite game is; "Where is Arnie", then to later have Bonnie, disappear on him, and them all. 8.4/10.
Peter Jacks
What's Eating Gilbert Grape is for sure an underrated picture,Johnny Depp does a competent enough job but because of his choice of playing Grape as a numb individual could have made the movie a real snooze, but Depp's performance is actually a plus in the movie thanks to the show stealer performance from young Leonardo Dicaprio as Arnie a mentally challenged kid in the most believable, and in my opinion, best performance of his entire career. I've seen this movie after all the other Dicaprio's movies and if it wasn't for this I would not be able to believe that Dicaprio himself wasn't a mentally challenged kid because he brings so much to the table in this movie in such a simple way. I'm glad that he got an Oscar nod over this, because without that nod I probably wouldn't even know that this movie existed. The remaining characters are competent as well. Not the best movie ever made, not a masterpiece in my opinion, but a solid story that excels because of Leo's performance.
Andi Berisha
I saw the movie today but if I had watched this before I knew Leonardo DiCaprio is a normal person, I would really think he is a mentally disabled guy! What an amazing, unbelievable and stunning performance by Leo, what a great actor! He should have won an Oscar for this! Maybe his best performance in his wonderful career so far xp Johnny Depp was good but he could have done more. I liked the relationship he had with Leo, they almost looked like brothers for real. It would be very nice if they will be in a new movie again, two great actors! This movie told me that everyone can make a beautiful film without huge budget and famous actors...
