What's Eating Gilbert Grape
US (1993): Comedy/Drama
Based on the novel by Peter Hedges (who adapted his own book) and directed by Lasse Hallström, this is the funny, moody tale of a young man named Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) who lives at home in a small town with his 500-pound Momma (beautifully played by nonpro Darlene Cates), his mentally retarded younger brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio, utterly convincing), and his sisters. Not a lot happens -- Arnie keeps climbing a water tower and getting stuck; Gilbert is involved with a married woman (Mary Steenburgen), then meets a nice new girl in town who's closer to his age (Juliette Lewis). And that's exactly what makes this movie so much more than your run-of-the-mill Hollywood product: it's not about some mechanical, formulaic plot; it's about these characters, and it allows you to spend some time with them and get to know them. (Jim Emerson, Amazon.com)
1 nomination
· Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role 1993: Leonardo DiCaprio