Smoreni Zmaj Fantastic cast in excellent drama and the beginning of Leonardo's Oscar losing streak. He deserved it many times, but never as much as in this movie.8,5/10

alrusafi Despite the low budget allocated to this film, but it really amazed its audience. I did have a look at the movie's pictures on the net before watching it, the mere look at Leonardo DiCaprio's (only 20 years at the time of filming) body language and facial expressions makes you believe he is a real autistic person. WOW! When you watch the film you realize that Leo was really deserving an Oscar for his exceptional performance; one of the most brilliant performances in the history of film ever; only the experienced Dustin Hoffman did it in Rain Man 1988 five years earlier. The film provides an authentic moral value, role model, and good deal of positive messages to how can people get through their life issues.

Andi Berisha I saw the movie today but if I had watched this before I knew Leonardo DiCaprio is a normal person, I would really think he is a mentally disabled guy! What an amazing, unbelievable and stunning performance by Leo, what a great actor! He should have won an Oscar for this! Maybe his best performance in his wonderful career so far xp Johnny Depp was good but he could have done more. I liked the relationship he had with Leo, they almost looked like brothers for real. It would be very nice if they will be in a new movie again, two great actors! This movie told me that everyone can make a beautiful film without huge budget and famous actors...

Evan Wessman (CinematicInceptions) Initially, this movie would seem to be a pretty boring two hours. It doesn't have a terribly definitive external plot like people expect lots of movies to have. That's not to say that there's not a story there, but it's just not one that you could advertise well. Actually, one could make a case that it was spoofed by Napoleon Dynamite eleven years later since very little happens in either Midwestern town, but Endora is made laughable enough that there's nothing really to spoof.Gilbert seems a little bit like one of those characters who "didn't exist before the movie", but I think this is actually his Inactiveness. The quoted phrase above is typically used when critiquing how a character is written, but I think it actually holds true for Glibert as a person. We don't think he's existed prior to the events of the movie because he hasn't. He's just been content with his dead-end life and doesn't feel like making any change to it, not because he likes it, but because he's just never considered doing anything else. Throughout the story, we see him try to shed the burdens and responsibilities that his family has placed on him and begin to seek his own interests. His most prominent burden is his disabled brother Arnie. I get the feeling that if Arnie ever did die, Gilbert would then be able to handle practically any challenge that he faced for the rest of his life. Firstly, he would finally have the freedom to accept other responsibilities without having to worry about Arnie, and secondly he would have so much day-to-day experience with hardships and dealing with difficult people that other tasks would seem fairly easy to him. But all the same, Arnie's innocence makes him worth the workload and he provides emotional support for Gilbert like nobody else could. A less rewarding burden is Mrs. Grape, a lump of a woman who becomes the laughingstock of the town for her extreme obesity. The other two women in Gilbert's life are his adulterous lover Mrs. Carver and the out of town visitor Becky. Eventually, Becky's presence in his life makes Gilbert more aware of himself and helps him to bring his entire family to a better state of life (even in the form of Mrs. Grape's death). Mrs. Carver is probably the most hatable character (outside of maybe Ellen Grape) because of her poor parenting and how she takes advantage of Gilbert's problems. On the other hand, Becky is a breath of fresh air to everyone she meets, but you don't get the sense that she's a saint or anything. The acting was amazing all around. Obviously DiCaprio steals the show as Arnie, but the other actors deserve props as well. Johnny Depp didn't really have an opportunity here for a great performance, but he did well enough for the part he was in. The overall directing felt way ahead of its time. Without knowing the year, I would have guessed that this came out ten years later than it did. I especially liked the way the camera was positioned so that you were constantly aware of how much danger Arnie is in whenever he is in an elevated position. The script was pretty good with dialogue and the author did a good job adapting the screenplay; I could feel the care that was put into the action lines as they were performed on-screen. The score did a really good job capturing the mood of care-freeness when that was called for.As I said at the start, it might not seem that appealing, but I would encourage you to give it a try. It will most likely not be one of your favorite movies, but it will be a fairly enjoyable and enriching experience. I suppose if you like one of the actors featured, there's already some draw anyways. If that is the case, you will not be disappointed by DiCaprio, but know that it is a relatively low-key performance from Johnny Depp. Overall Rating: 8/10.