What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

Movie • 1993 • Drama  

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Synopsis

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.

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Both
Yes
No
Your Triggers
Does the dog die?
1 supporters
Yes
0
No
21
0
No dogs in film
Anonymous
1 comment | Add comment
Needs More Answers
Were animals harmed in the making?
226 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
2
Is an animal abandoned?
164 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
2
Is an animal sad?
154 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
1
Is a woman brutalized for spectacle?
141 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
2
Yes
0
No
2
Are there end credit scenes?
73 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
2
Is there defecation?
61 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
1
Is there throat mutilation?
61 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
1
Are there sudden loud noises?
55 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
2
Is there BDSM?
38 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
2
Abandonment
Is a child abandoned by a parent?
46 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
2
Abuse
Is a child abused?
152 supporters
Yes
15
No
3
1
The older brother (Gilbert) beats up the younger brother (Arnie)
Waxlady
1 comment | Add comment
1
In one scene Gilbert becomes frustrated trying to get Arnie to have a bath and roughly drags and slaps him.
Ouchies2
1 comment | Add comment
Are there abusive parents?
70 supporters
Add comment
Yes
1
No
3
Yes
2
No
2
Is someone gaslighted?
44 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
11
Yes
0
No
4
Is someone stalked?
29 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
12
Addiction
Does someone abuse alcohol?
26 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
10
Yes
0
No
10
Is there addiction?
1 supporters
Yes
9
No
6
2
To address the other comment, obesity itself is not addiction or even necessarily a result of addictive behavior. It CAN be a result of addictive behavior but to assume the character is obese due to food addiction is a completely fatphobic assumption considering the underlying causes are not addressed or even mentioned in the film.
TheCassandraComplex
4 comments | Add comment
Animal
Are animals abused?
316 supporters
Yes
13
No
3
3
A bug is beheaded by Arnie
Waxlady
1 comment | Add comment
Does a cat die?
283 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
17
Does an animal die?
(besides a dog, cat or horse)
273 supporters
Yes
22
No
1
3
A cricket
KathyT154
4 comments | Add comment
Does a pet die?
266 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
Yes
10
No
3
1
Nothing graphic it was a cricket, but Arnie seemed very upset over it.
Nylah_jp
2 comments | Add comment
Does a horse die?
164 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
16
Are rabbits harmed?
124 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Are there spiders?
74 supporters
Add comment
Yes
1
No
12
Are there bugs?
53 supporters
Yes
17
No
2
0
There is a grasshopper shown briefly at the start of the movie
Nylah_jp
1 comment | Add comment
Are there snakes?
27 supporters
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Yes
0
No
13
Are there sharks?
12 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Are there alligators/crocodiles??
8 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Does a dragon die?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
14
Yes
0
No
15
Assault
Is there pedophilia?
166 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Is rape mentioned?
121 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Yes
0
No
3
Is someone drugged?
42 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
Yes
7
No
1
2
Arnie is restrained by his siblings when he sees something upsetting and begins to harm himself
Sid
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
2
No
2
1
a character drowns but it is not shown
crunchy_viking
1 comment | Add comment
0
Not by a bully, Artie's brother loses it and hits him.
SquiddyKat
1 comment | Add comment
0
Betty Carver fellates Gilbert when he is on the phone and doesn’t want her to
Sid
1 comment | Add comment
Bodily Harm
Is there eye mutilation?
148 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
14
Is there excessive gore?
143 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
Is someone tortured?
129 supporters
Yes
3
No
14
0
*spoilers* Gilbert beats up Arnie
missevil399
1 comment | Add comment
Is there genital trauma/mutilation?
120 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
9
Is there body horror?
107 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Yes
1
No
14
1
Arnie gets a cut on his wrist after Ellen drags him across the ground
Nylah_jp
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
5
No
9
2
Arnie squashes a bug's head (the actual act isn't shown though)
Waxlady
1 comment | Add comment
Are any teeth damaged?
79 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
14
Yes
2
No
17
2
They set fire to a house with a dead woman inside. But she is already dead.
SERENITY
1 comment | Add comment
Is there a hanging?
69 supporters
Yes
10
No
4
2
Never shown but they talk about how the character did it.
missevil399
5 comments | Add comment
Yes
4
No
2
1
a bug is decapitated
crunchy_viking
1 comment | Add comment
Is there cannibalism?
58 supporters
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Yes
0
No
14
Is someone crushed to death?
57 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Is there shaving/cutting?
56 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
13
Is someone buried alive?
54 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
12
Is there amputation?
53 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
12
Yes
0
No
11
-1
Arnie pretends to hang himself and makes choking noises
Sid
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
2
No
4
1
Arnie mimes hanging himself in an impression of his father who committed suicide by that method
Sid
1 comment | Add comment
Does someone break a bone?
44 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
15
Is there Achilles Tendon injury?
44 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Yes
1
No
15
0
Arbor’s panic attacks and echolalia can look a little seizure-like
Sid
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
14
0
No but someone is in danger of this.
TheCassandraComplex
1 comment | Add comment
Does someone become unconscious?
12 supporters
Add comment
Yes
1
No
4
Does someone fall down stairs?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
Children
Is a minor sexualized?
138 supporters
Yes
2
No
4
0
In the book version Gilbert is 26 and Betty is 15 but they appear to be roughly the same age in the film
Sid
1 comment | Add comment
Does a kid die?
113 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
13
Is an infant abducted?
39 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Death
Does a non-human character die?
58 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Does a major character die?
40 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Does someone die?
26 supporters
Add comment
Yes
4
No
0
Does someone sacrifice themselves?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Disability
Is the r-slur used?
41 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
1
Leonardo DiCaprio portrays an intellectually disabled teen
FleetwoodMacNCheez
1 comment | Add comment
Drugs/Alcohol
Does someone overdose?
26 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
Family
Does a parent die?
42 supporters
Yes
28
No
0
1
Also Betty’s husband dies and everyone thinks she murdered him
Sid
3 comments | Add comment
Yes
1
No
8
0
Probably in the fire at the end
Sid
1 comment | Add comment
Does a family member die?
33 supporters
Add comment
Yes
4
No
0
Does someone cheat?
30 supporters
Yes
17
No
0
1
Betty cheats on her husband with Gilbert
Nylah_jp
1 comment | Add comment
Is someone kidnapped?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
11
Fear
Are there jump scares?
97 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
14
Is trypophobic content shown?
40 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Are there razors?
S.A.F.E. ALTERNATIVES® (1-800-DONTCUT)
28 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Is someone possessed?
23 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
14
Are there clowns?
17 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
12
Are there ghosts?
9 supporters
Yes
0
No
13
0
There are no ghosts but there is a brief scene when Arnie is making ghost noises (which is him imitating his dead father) when he is asked to go help in the basement.
Nylah_jp
1 comment | Add comment
Are there natural bodies of water?
4 supporters
Add comment
Yes
2
No
1
Yes
14
No
2
0
Artie baths twice.
SquiddyKat
3 comments | Add comment
Are there mannequins?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Gross
Does someone vomit?
175 supporters
Yes
2
No
20
-2
safe! only things that caught me off guard were during dinner, a character says he’ll throw up if another keeps talking with her mouth open, but it never happens. arnie also gags and burps loudly during the same scene.
crunchy_viking
1 comment | Add comment
Is there audio gore?
72 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
10
Is someone eaten?
51 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Does someone wet/soil themselves?
34 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
6
Does someone spit?
21 supporters
Yes
13
No
0
0
Arnie spits out corn at the start of the film
Nylah_jp
1 comment | Add comment
Is there farting?
20 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Large-scale Violence
Are there 9/11 depictions?
8 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Law Enforcement
Is there copaganda?
52 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
7
LGBTQ+
Are there transphobic slurs?
74 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Is there deadnaming or birthnaming?
48 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Is an LGBT+ person outed?
38 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Is there bisexual cheating?
33 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Medical
Are needles/syringes used?
55 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
15
Is there a mental institution scene?
41 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
12
Is electro-therapy used?
35 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
14
Does someone have cancer?
27 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
15
Is there a hospital scene?
22 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
12
Mental Health
2
The father hanged himself in the cellar, it‘s mentioned but never shown.
KathyT154
3 comments | Add comment
Yes
20
No
0
1
In one scene Gilbert slaps, fights and roughly drags Arnie to try and get him to have a bath.

In another scene he leaves him to have a bath alone while he goes out with a girl and he comes back the next day and Arnie is still in the bath shivering as he needed help. This was not portrayed as malicious but is an upsetting image.
Ouchies2
3 comments | Add comment
2
The mother started binge-eating after her husband died and is so overweight that she hasn’t left the house in seven years
Sid
5 comments | Add comment
Yes
2
No
2
5
Quick Disclaimer: I am a “passing” autistic woman with no comorbid intellectual disability so my perspective isn’t as relevant to this particular movie as those with an ID who are less able to mask. If such a person adds their thoughts here, I encourage you to upvote them over me.

Arnie has an unspecified genetic developemental disability that is likely autism with a comorbid intellectual disability. There’s no doubt that Leo’s performance was convincing and, I think, fairly sensitive and nuanced for the time. However, it’s always potentially triggering whenever a neurotypical actor plays someone neurodivergent. It can be hurtful and feel like mocking despite the all the best intentions of the actor or filmmakers, so I am marking “yes” to this question just to be safe.
TheCassandraComplex
1 comment | Add comment
Is there misophonia?
49 supporters
Yes
1
No
2
1
Arnie seems to be sensitive to some noises. Throughout the film, he screams a lot which might be distressing to some people
Sid
1 comment | Add comment
0
An extremely stressed person breaks down and hurts someone
Sid
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
6
Is reality unstable or unhinged?
36 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Is there body dysmorphia?
35 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
12
Is there a claustrophobic scene?
33 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
15
Is there D.I.D. misrepresentation?
32 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Yes
4
No
7
0
I wouldn't call it a 'anxiety attack' but Arnie is freaking out and hitting his head after his mother dies
Nylah_jp
3 comments | Add comment
Is there ABA therapy?
22 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Does someone have a mental illness?
16 supporters
Add comment
Yes
2
No
2
Yes
3
No
1
1
The boys are both very affected by their father’s suicide before the events of the film
Sid
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
10
No
8
1
Arnie purposely hits himself in the head when he’s upset
Anonymous
3 comments | Add comment
Yes
2
No
1
Noxious
Is there shakey cam?
66 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
14
Are there flashing lights or images?
65 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
12
Does a baby cry?
27 supporters
Yes
1
No
6
0
Arnie cries after the death of a grass hopper
SquiddyKat
2 comments | Add comment
0
Some language throughout and one character flips off another.
RedEyeJedi
1 comment | Add comment
Paranoia
Yes
0
No
6
0
There is narration if that counts
Sid
1 comment | Add comment
Pregnancy
Is a baby stillborn?
53 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
6
Does someone miscarry?
44 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
14
Does a pregnant person die?
37 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
12
Is there childbirth?
37 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
15
Are there abortions?
25 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
13
Are there babies or unborn children?
21 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
Prejudice
Are there homophobic slurs?
65 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
10
Are there fat jokes?
65 supporters
Yes
22
No
0
1
Gilbert occasionally makes fun of his mothers weight.
Nylah_jp
2 comments | Add comment
Are there "Man in a dress" jokes?
56 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
7
1
The family screams at Arnie, and there's ableist behavior from some of the townspeople.
missevil399
2 comments | Add comment
Does an LGBT person die?
43 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
13
Is there hate speech?
41 supporters
Yes
0
No
9
-1
Gilbert makes hurtful comments about his mother constantly
Nylah_jp
1 comment | Add comment
Is a minority is misrepresented?
41 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
2
Are there usages of the n-word?
41 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
9
Yes
0
No
9
Does the black guy die first?
28 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
12
Is there aphobia?
27 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Race
Is there blackface?
47 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Relationships
Yes
4
No
0
0
In the book version Gilbert is 26 and Becky is 15 but they seem to be roughly the same age in the film
Sid
1 comment | Add comment
Sex
Is there bestiality?
120 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Are there incestuous relationships?
National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.4673
99 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
14
Yes
21
No
2
1
Sexual scene when Gilbert delivers groceries
Waxlady
3 comments | Add comment
Are there nude scenes?
70 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
Is someone sexually objectified?
55 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Sexism
Yes
0
No
4
Sickness
Is there dementia/Alzheimer's?
42 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Does someone have a stroke?
21 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
1
Arnie has an undisclosed disability and wasn’t supposed to reach the age of ten. It’s repeatedly mentioned that “he could go at any time”
Sid
1 comment | Add comment
Social
Are there anti-abortion themes?
45 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Are there fat suits?
36 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Spoiler
Is Santa (et al) spoiled?
10 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
15
Yes
5
No
5
0
Yes.
SquiddyKat
3 comments | Add comment
Vehicular
Is someone hit by a car?
33 supporters
Add comment
Yes
1
No
11
Does a plane crash?
23 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
14
Does a car honk or tires screech?
16 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Does a car crash?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
13
Violence
Is there blood/gore?
82 supporters
Yes
12
No
3
0
Not graphic, Arnie is seen with blood on his face twice but not graphic at all just a few cuts.
Nylah_jp
2 comments | Add comment
Does someone drown?
48 supporters
Yes
11
No
4
1
Woman's husband drowned in a kiddie pool.
Waxlady
2 comments | Add comment
Is there gun violence?
42 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
11
Is there a nuclear explosion?
16 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
14