Movies of the Mind - What's Eating Gilbert Grape - Defective home life Designed to Destroy - 10/07/2

Movies of the Mind - What's Eating Gilbert Grape - Defective home life Designed to Destroy - 10/07/2

Jul, 10 2026


Over 30 years ago a ground-breaking film was released that explored subjects such as dysfunctional families, obesity and mentally disabled siblings and the person holding it all together was finding his world crushing against him.

A youthful Johnny Depp took the lead role in the 1993 American coming of age drama directed by Lasse Hallstrom, asking the question, ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’. It also starred Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen, Leonardo DiCaprio and John C. Reilly.

The film was well received, with Depp's and DiCaprio's performances garnering critical acclaim. At age 19, DiCaprio received his first nominations for the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Let’s remind ourselves why it was so good with the following movie trailer –

 

Gilberts’ life was far from perfect and it appeared he was often at the helm of steering a sinking ship but his situation is not rare. Many adults live in a dysfunctional family and this is brought on in a number of ways –

  1. A cycle - Your parents may have had dysfunctional parents and they learned from them.
  2. Mental Illness – This can trigger a dysfunctional family. Anger, depression and bipolar disorder can escalate dysfunctional families, especially prevalent in poorer families.
  3. Other illnesses – If a parent becomes disabled, the family’s income and structure is vastly affected.
  4. Addiction – Excessive alcohol consumption can exacerbate dysfunctional families.
  5. Stressful events – Life events can cause a family to be dysfunctional. Losing a job, moving home are serious factors that can disrupt the peace in the family.

The following video provides practical advice on – ‘How to cope with a dysfunctional family’-

 

 

 These steps are designed to highlight that dysfunctional families are not rare and many teenagers experience it throughout their formative years. Parents striving to provide, a poorly son and tensions running high are factors that increase dysfunctional families.

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio who played Arnold ‘Arnie’ Grape explained at the time the process it took for him to become the role of the character –

‘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 ill 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.’

The following website link directs you to – ‘The context of NHS safeguarding’ - https://safeguarding-guide.nhs.uk/context-of-NHS-safeguarding/s2-06/

It can help you if or your family are currently in a dysfunctional household. Practical guidance that affect both you and your family.

Film Review praised Leonardo DiCaprio as the mentally disabled brother, calling it "a performance of astonishing innocence and spontaneity", bringing "a touching credibility to a very difficult part".

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".

20 years ago the film was released as a "special collector's edition" DVD from Paramount on June 20, 2006. The edition includes an audio commentary by director Lasse Hallström and writer Peter Hedges, as well as the featurettes, "The Characters of Gilbert Grape", "The Voice of Gilbert Grape" and "Why We Love Gilbert Grape".

Avid film fans have taken a piece of Gilbert Grape and that piece remains as untouched as the day it was released in 1993. Even now some three decades later it remains an absolute classic. Touching on serious and sensitive issues, treading carefully not to upset the viewer but hitting hard with subjects close to everybody’s heart.