What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Gilbert Grape is a small-town young man with a lot of responsibility. Chief among his concerns are his mother, who is so overweight that she can't leave the house, and his mentally impaired younger brother, Arnie, who has a knack for finding trouble. Settled into a job at a grocery store and an ongoing affair with local woman Betty Carver, Gilbert finally has his life shaken up by the free-spirited Becky.

Critics largely embraced this quiet, character-driven drama, with the central debate being not whether the film worked but whose performance was responsible — DiCaprio's portrayal of Arnie so thoroughly captivated reviewers that many felt he overshadowed lead Depp entirely. The film's sentimentality and predictability were acknowledged by dissenting voices, though supporters argued the warmth of its atmosphere made those weaknesses beside the point.