What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

            This is a fascinating piece of film. It stars Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Carribean) as the tile role, a young man with his whole future in front of him, currently trying to hold together his sisters and retarded younger brother (Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator) and his mother who is too obese to leave the house. Gilbert’s attention is drawn away from his family by an adulterous grocery patron, and the growing success of a big chain supermarket. At the same time, Gilbert’s brother continues to endanger himself. Soon he is arrested for the families failure to control him.

            Things continue to spiral out of control, and Momma is soon convinced that she must leave the house. The tensions run high in this illustrative look at small town life and the lives of people. It’s a very well acted and very fun piece, chronicles Gilbert’s growing sense of angst amidst his turbulent responsibilities.

            It’s a 2, though not as memorable as I thought it would be while watching it. The characters are what really standout, not so much the plot or subtext, but the performances.