What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

Gilbert Grape barely says what he wants for most of this movie, and that quiet can make the first act feel like it’s waiting for something. Johnny Depp plays him as a guy so busy holding his family together that he’s forgotten he has a self. Becky, the stranded traveler, is calm, wise and written mostly to wake him up, though Juliette Lewis does what she can. Then there’s Arnie. Leonardo DiCaprio plays him with such energy, joy and truth that you never catch the acting, only a young man who loves the water tower and his big brother. Darlene Cates gives Bonnie real dignity, and her trip into town to bring Arnie home is the movie’s strongest scene: a mother who hasn’t gone out in years, choosing her son over her fear. It made $10 million worldwide on a reported $11M. An 8.5 because the family feels real, and Arnie and Bonnie are unforgettable. $3,471 says you finish this and call the person in your family who always holds everything together, just to say thanks.

What works: DiCaprio’s Arnie and Darlene Cates’s Bonnie are full of love and dignity, and the family’s loyalty to each other feels completely real.

What doesn’t: Gilbert is so passive that the early stretch drifts, and Becky feels more like a plot device than a person.

Who it’s for: Anyone who has ever been the dependable one in their family, and fans of quiet, small-town dramas.