A young man in a small Midwestern town struggles to care for his mentally-disabled younger brother and morbidly obese mother while attempting to pursue his own happiness.A young man in a small Midwestern town struggles to care for his mentally-disabled younger brother and morbidly obese mother while attempting to pursue his own happiness.A young man in a small Midwestern town struggles to care for his mentally-disabled younger brother and morbidly obese mother while attempting to pursue his own happiness.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 8 wins & 7 nominations total
- Minister
- (as Rev. Robert B. Hedges)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJohnny Depp felt bad about having to ridicule Darlene Cates' character, "Momma," and would often apologize to her after shooting. Depp once said to Cates, "Man, I want you to know how much I hated having to say those things about you, or about your character."
- GoofsGilbert never says that his father died 17 years ago. He said that his father was "hung out to dry 17 years ago", meaning he probably lost a business or a lot of money, and a few years later committed suicide, so he really is Ellen's father. Arnie is also pretty aware of his father's method of dying. If he had died 17 years before, Arnie would just have been a baby, therefore not knowing exactly what happened.
- Quotes
Becky: Tell me what you want, as fast as it comes to you.
Gilbert: Uhh...
Becky: Okay?
Gilbert: 'Kay.
Becky: Okay. What do you want?
[He's thinking about it]
Becky: Faster!
Gilbert: Okay. I want a new thing. House. I want a new house. And a family.
[He sighs heavily]
Gilbert: I want Momma to take aerobics classes. I want Ellen to grow up. I want a new brain for Arnie. I want...
Becky: What do you want for you? Just for you?
Gilbert: I want to be a good person.
- Crazy creditsThe cast is listed with all capital letters in the ending credits. Leonardo DiCaprio's name is listed in capital letters with smaller font size for character "I" in "Di".
Focusing on the angst of an unwanted small-town life, the film follows the daily life of Johnny Depp's Gilbert Grape. He is sarcastic yet introverted, protective yet shy.
His mentally-challenged brother, Leonardo Dicaprio's Arnie, steals the heart and full attention of the audience. His depiction of a teenager trapped in the inescapable bind of mental retardation is moving and real, deserving of the 1993 Oscar Award Nomination.
Darlene Cates, who plays Momma, delivers a truly remarkable performance. Her display of motherly devotion, emotional turmoil and daily physical struggle are deserving of grand recognition.
Gilbert's life is turned around by the unexpected introduction of Juliette Lewis's Becky. Becky's free-spirited and optimistic take on life greatly influence's Gilbert's own life.
WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE is deeply tragic yet deeply real tale of a complicated family stuck in a simple town. The performances of Johnny Depp, Leonardo Dicaprio, Darlene Cates and Juliette Lewis are unmatched and truly wonderful. It is a film woven together with comedy, drama, love and everyday emotion, perfected with beautiful cinematography and superb directing.
- Memegan2005
- Dec 30, 2004
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- ¿A quién ama Gilbert Grape?
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $11,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $10,032,765
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $74,421
- Dec 19, 1993
- Gross worldwide
- $10,032,765
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1