What's Eating Gilbert Grape Movie Review 1993

Offbeat is mildly descriptive. Depp stars as Gilbert Grape, the titular head of a very dysfunctional family living in a big house in a small Iowa town. His Momma (Cates) weighs more than 500 pounds and hasn't left the house in seven years, he has two squabbling teenage sisters, and 17-year-old brother Arnie (DiCaprio) is mentally retarded and requires constant supervision. What's a good-hearted grocery clerk to do? Well, when free-spirited Becky (Lewis) is momentarily marooned in town, Gilbert may have found a true soulmate. Performances, especially DiCaprio's, save this from the oddball/cute factor although flick would have benefitted from streamlining, particularly the scenes involving Depp and bad-haircut Lewis. Based on the novel by Hedges.

Distribution

Paramount Home Video, 5555 Melrose Ave., 5555 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038, Phone: (323)956-5000, URL: http://www.paramount.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 118 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Birthdays, Family Drama, Mental Retardation, Coming of Age, Physical Problems, Funerals, Brothers & Sisters

Screenplay

Peter Hedges

Cast

Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen, Darlene Cates, Laura Harrington, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Kevin Tighe, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover, Penelope Branning

Cinematography

Sven Nykvist

Director

Lasse Hallstrom

Music

Alan Parker, Bjorn Isfalt

Producer

Meir Teper, Bertil Ohlsson, David Matalon, Lasse Hallstrom, Alan C. Blomquist, Paramount Pictures

Awards

Natl. Bd. of Review 1993: Support. Actor (DiCaprio).