Swedish director Lasse Hallstroms follow-up to the underrated Once Around earned far more attention than its predecessor thanks to the judicious casting of perennial thinking womans heartthrob Johnny Depp and a certain up-and-coming thespian by the name of Leonardo DiCaprio. A prisoner of his dysfunctional familys broken dreams in tiny Endora, IA, Gilbert (Depp) serves as breadwinner and caretaker for his mother and siblings following his fathers suicide and his older brothers defection. Momma (Darlene Cates) is a morbidly obese shut-in who hasnt left the house in seven years; her children include retarded Arnie (DiCaprio), whos about to turn 18 despite a host of negative medical forecasts, and terminally embarrassed Ellen (Mary Kate Schellhardt), whos emerging from an awkward adolescence. When hes not taking care of the difficult but tender Arnie, Gilbert spends his time fixing up the familys tattered farmhouse, working at a failing mom-and-pop grocery store and hanging with local misfits Bobby (Crispin Glover), an overly ambitious junior undertaker, and Tucker (John C. Reilly), a handyman who hankers after a job at the new burger franchise. Into this complicated but essentially unchanging social universe steps Becky (Juliette Lewis), a thoughtful young woman whos been escorting her nomadic grandmother from state to state in a mobile-home caravan. As Becky teaches Gilbert to finally consider his own happiness for a change, she disrupts both his family obligations and his long-running affair with a lonely housewife (Mary Steenburgen). Adapted by Peter Hedges from his own novel of the same name, Whats Eating Gilbert Grape was the first and only film role for non-actress Cates, whom the filmmakers discovered on an episode of the Sally Jesse Raphael Show titled Too Heavy to Leave Their House. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide