What's Eating Gilbert Grape
| What's Eating Gilbert Grape | |
|---|---|
| File:Whats eating gilbert grape poster.jpg Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lasse Hallström |
| Written by | Peter Hedges |
| Produced by | David Matalon Bertil Ohlsson Meir Teper |
| Starring | Johnny Depp Juliette Lewis Mary Steenburgen Leonardo DiCaprio John C. Reilly |
| Cinematography | Sven Nykvist |
| Edited by | Andrew Mondshein |
| Music by | Alan Parker Björn Isfält |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures (USA) J&M Entertainment (Global Sales) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | Template:Film US |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $11 million (est)[1] |
| Box office | $10,032,765 (USA) [2] |
What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a 1993 film directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio. Peter Hedges wrote the screenplay adapted from his 1991 novel of the same name. It was filmed in the Texas cities of Manor, Elgin, and Lockhart.
Plot
In a small town of Endora, Iowa, Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) is busy caring for his mentally challenged brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio) as they wait for the many tourists' trailers to pass through town during their yearly camp ritual at a nearby recreational area. His mother, Bonnie (Darlene Cates) is morbidly obese after years of depression following her husband's suicide. With Bonnie unable to care for them by herself, Gilbert has taken responsibility for repairing their shanty of a farmhouse while looking after Arnie, who has a habit of climbing up the town water tower if left unsupervised for too long, all while his older sister Amy (Laura Harrington) and younger sister Ellen (Mary Kate Schellhardt) slave away in the kitchen. The relationship between the brothers is one of care and protection. In order to cope with his frenetic life, Gilbert has taken on a secret love affair with a housewife, Betty (Mary Steenburgen), whilst her insensitive, unsuspecting husband Ken (Kevin Tighe), is fully intent on selling Gilbert insurance for his family. A new chain supermarket has opened, threatening the small Lamson's Grocery store where Gilbert works, as well as threatening all the other small-time businesses in Endora. The chain supermarket stocks all kinds of goods, rendering many of the local shops redundant. This is a key theme in the film - which constantly portrays the futility of goods made with love in light of ever sweeping corporate greed.
While the family prepares for Arnie's upcoming 18th birthday party, a young woman named Becky (Juliette Lewis) and her grandmother are stuck in town when their truck towing their trailer breaks down. Gilbert's unusual life circumstances threaten to get in the way of their budding romance. In order to spend time with Becky watching the sun set, Gilbert leaves Arnie alone in the bathtub by himself, believing he is now old enough to get out on his own. He returns home late and wakes up the following morning to find Arnie still in the bath, shivering in the now-cold water. Gilbert's guilt is compounded by his family's anger. As a result Arnie refuses to get near water, including the pond by Becky's trailer, and his fear causes him to become extremely dirty, adding to the many problems Gilbert faces. Betty's affair with Gilbert ends when she begins to make demands on him and tries to have sex with him while he's on the phone with her husband, Ken. Ken drowns after suffering a cardiac arrest and landing face down in his sons' wading pool. Many of the townspeople believe Betty killed her husband, despite the insistence of Gilbert's friend, Bobby McBurney (Crispin Glover), one of the town coroners, that believes it was a cardiac arrest. Besides Bobby, Gilbert is the only one who believed Betty didn't commit murder, and she eventually leaves town in search of a new life.
Becky bonds with Gilbert and Arnie and helps Gilbert reflect on his feelings. They become deeply involved in conversation until Gilbert realizes that Arnie is missing. He has returned to the water tower he is forever trying to climb and this time has succeeded at getting to the top. Arnie is arrested, compelling Bonnie, who has not left the house in seven years, to rush to the police station to demand his release, causing her appearance to be ridiculed by the townspeople.
Later at home, Arnie prematurely eats some of his birthday cake, which Gilbert told him not to touch. Gilbert orders Arnie to take a bath as punishment, and Arnie resists when Gilbert tries to force him. Losing his temper, Gilbert strikes Arnie-hard. Appalled at himself and angry at his life in general, Gilbert drives away, leaving Endora. Arnie leaves the house to find Becky, who takes care of him. Gilbert returns to town and sees Arnie with Becky, who is able to get him to enter the lake, thus overcoming Arnie's fear of water. After Amy and Ellen come to Becky's and take Arnie home, Gilbert approaches Becky and the two talk about his own frustration and the reality of his father's death. The next day he returns home during Arnie's birthday party to apologize.
Following Arnie's eighteenth birthday and meeting Becky for the first time, Bonnie climbs the stairs to her bedroom for the first time in years. That evening she passes away in her bed. Arnie tries to wake her, thinking that she is just playing. He runs out of the house and begins to hurt himself. As his sisters try to stop him, they realize that Bonnie has died. Jerry, the local sheriff, and his deputies tell the Grape family that they would need more men to get Bonnie's heavy corpse out of the house (an officer on the radio inappropriately says they'd need the National Guard). After the police leave, Gilbert and his sisters soon cry over losing her. The siblings realize that her removal would draw a gawking crowd and want to protect their mother from being a spectacle. They empty the house except for their mother's body, then Gilbert sets the house on fire.
One year later, Gilbert and Arnie are looking out again to watch the trailers pass. Through voice over, Gilbert tells of Amy getting a job offer to manage a bakery in Des Moines, and Ellen being thrilled to switch schools. Arnie chases the vehicles, arms flailing, excited to see Becky again. Along with Becky and her grandma, Gilbert and Arnie hit the road.
Cast
- Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape
- Juliette Lewis as Becky
- Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape
- Mary Steenburgen as Betty Carver
- Darlene Cates as Bonnie Grape
- Laura Harrington as Amy Grape
- Mary Kate Schellhardt as Ellen Grape
- Kevin Tighe as Ken Carver
- John C. Reilly as Tucker Van Dyke
- Crispin Glover as Bobby McBurney
- Penelope Branning as Becky's Grandma
Release
The film had a limited release on December 17, 1993 and wide release on March 4, 1994.[3] The wide release garnered $2,104,938 on first weekend. Total domestic gross for the film was $10,032,765.[4]
Critical reception and awards
The film received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film was given a 88% "Certified Fresh" rating.[5] New York Times film critic Janet Maslin praised DiCaprio's performance, writing "the film's real show-stopping turn comes from Mr. DiCaprio, who makes Arnie's many tics so startling and vivid that at first he is difficult to watch.... The performance has a sharp, desperate intensity from beginning to end."[6] Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times described it as "... one of the most enchanting films of the year" and said that DiCaprio deserved to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for which he was nominated.[7] Todd McCarthy of Variety found the film a "bemused view on life" and remarked that "Depp manages to command center screen with a greatly affable, appealing characterization."[8] Washington Post's Desson Howe thought the film was an earnest but highly predictable effort.[9] Film Review praised Leonardo DiCaprio as the mentally handicapped brother, calling it "a performance of astonishing innocence and spontaneity", bringing "a touching credibility to a very difficult part".[10] Film Review quoted the actor:
"I had to really research and get into the mind of somebody with a disability like that. So I spent a few days at a home for mentally retarded teens. We just talked and I watched their mannerisms. People have these expectations that mentally retarded children are really crazy, but it's not so. It's refreshing to see them because everything's so new to them."[10]
In addition to DiCaprio's first Academy Award nomination in this film, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. He also won the Best Supporting Actor Award from the National Board of Review.
Spoofs In Other Media
In the American Dad! episode "Irregarding Steve", the film is parodied heavily, with the characters being squirrels.
References
- ^ "What's Eating Gilbert Grape - Box Office Data". The Numbers. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
- ^ "What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2011-07-23.
- ^ "What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- ^ "What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- ^ "What's Eating Gilbert Grape Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (1993-12-17). "Movie Review: What's Eating Gilbert Grape". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Ebert, Roger (1994-03-04). "What's Eating Gilbert Grape". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (1993-12-06). "What's Eating Gilbert Grape Review". Variety. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Howe, Desson (1994-03-04). "What's Eating Gilbert Grape". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Cameron-Wilson, James; Speed, F. Maurice (1994), Film Review 1994-5, Great Britain: Virgin Books, p. 148, ISBN 0-86369-842-5