What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Five...

nine, ten, eleven...

twelve, thirteen, nineteen, seventeen...

- Arnie... - fifteen, seventeen. - Arnie, eat some chicken.

I don't... I don't want any chicken, Gilbert.

You want some corn?

- I want... I want some corn. - Have some corn.

Yeah, here.

- Good? - Mm-mmm.

Not good corn.

- Gilbert? - Hmm?

Are they gonna come soon?

'Cause I gotta go back home, you know?

- Pretty soon. - I want them to come.

- You wanna go home? - No.

I wanna see 'em.

Okay.

They're gonna come soon, huh?

How many more miles till they come, Gilbert?

- Three million, buddy. - Three? - Yep.

Okay.

Gilbert! That's them, huh? Gilbert, look, it's them!

Look! Look over there!

Over there!

Look at them, Gilbert! They're coming!

Honk your horn! Honk your horn!

- Arnie, get back here! - Honk your horn!

- My brother Arnie's about to turn 18. - Arnie!

- My family's planning a big party for him. - Arnie, come on!

Watching the campers is our yearly ritual.

They're doing the right thing just passing through.

God, Arnie. You're gettin' so big. Pretty soon...

- I ain't gonna be able to carry you no more. - No.

- You know, you're getting littler, Gilbert. - Yeah.

You're getting littler. You're shrinking.

You're shrinking, Gilbert. You're shrinking.

Shrinking, shrinking, shrinking!

Endora.

Endora's where we are.

Describing Endora is like dancing to no music.

It's a town where nothing much ever happens...

and nothing much ever will.

Lamson's Grocery is where I work.

And miles out of town on the interstate, there's Foodland...

where everyone else shops.

This is where I live with my family. My dad built the house...

and it's my job to keep up the repairs.

Doctors said we'd be lucky if Arnie lived to be ten.

Well, ten came and went. Now the doctors are saying...

"Any time now. Arnie can go at any time."

Some days you want him to live...

some days you don't.

- What is it, buddy? - I killed him.

- I killed him, Gilbert. - I know. - I killed him.

I know, buddy. I know.

My older sister Amy's more like a mother.

She used to manage the elementary school cafeteria over in Motley...

until it burned down last year.

My other sister, Ellen, just turned 15.

She got her braces off, and for days now she's been walking around going, "Ooh. Ahh."

Like she can't believe the feel of teeth.

I got another brother, Larry, but he got away.

And then there's Mama, who in her day...

was the prettiest girl in these parts.

Ever since our dad was hung out to dry 17 years ago...

Mama's had her hands full.

You see, with Mama there's no nice way to break it to you.

She hasn't left the house in over seven years.

- I'm Gilbert. - Amy, I need your help. - What is it?

- Gilbert Grape. - The garbage.

- This is the stuff of the circus. - Sunshine? Where's my sunshine?

I don't know, Mama.

- Just the essentials. - Okay.

Gilbert, get him down from there.

- Arnie? - Hurry. - Let's go.

- Amy, have you seen Arnie? - No.

- I thought he was with you. - No. No.

- I wonder where he is. - Gee, I don't know.

Ellen, have you seen your brother?

- He's in the tree. - Ellen!

He is not in the tree. Gilbert already looked in the tree.

Isn't that right, Gilbert?

Yeah, that's right.

Whoa! Arnie. Don't do that.

Don't do that. You scared me. Come here.

- Wait, wait. I was up there, Gilbert! - Yeah, you were up in the tree.

I was right up there.

Can I help you with anything?

- No. - Thank you, and goodbye.

- Gilbert? - Sir?

- Is something goin' on at Foodland? - Well, I wouldn't know, sir.

I don't shop there. I'd rather die.

I'll tell you, Foodland's up to something if you ask me.

It's those lobsters, isn't it?

Scads of lobsters all in a tank.

Am I right?

You know, you shouldn't worry about it.

It's just a phase. People will come back here, believe me.

- You think? - Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

The way you say that makes me think I'm talking to your father.

- Can I have these two, Gilbert? - No, just one. - Come on.

- Can I have these two? - Sure, go ahead.

Say "Thank you."

- Say hello to Mama for me. - All righty. See you tomorrow.

Gilbert? That was Mrs Carver needing a delivery.

Could you?

- Hello, Gilbert. - Hello.

- Boys, go on outside. - But we don't want to.

- Yeah, we don't want to. - Go play.

Okay.

Hey! Hey!

Arnie, get back in the truck. Keep countin', okay?

Okay. I was counting.

Five, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen...

Hey, kids, let's play! Come on! Look!

We got the trampoline. Come on, boys. It's fun!

The, uh... The ice cream's gonna melt...

soon.

You're right. It is melting.

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

- Oh, my God. - Oh, my!

- Oh, my God. - Oh, my. - Oh, my God.

- Come on up here. I wanna show you. - I don't wanna do it. - I don't either.

- You don't wanna do it? - I want a pool.

- You want a pool? - Yeah. - Yeah, we want a pool.

Come on. Come on up here. Up, up, up, up, up, up.

Gilbert was just making a delivery.

Oh. Oh.

Gilbert, come here for a second.

- Here. - Oh, no, no, no, no. Really, uh...

Oh, no. No, no, here. I insist. You deserve it.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

- Bye, Gilbert. - Bye.

Gilbert?

Come by my office. We need to talk.

Okay.

Arnie?

Okay, son, it's a little dangerous up there. Come on down.

- Arnie, get down! - Come on, son. We've had enough fun for one day.

- Come on down. - Hey!

Hey! Hey!

Wanna go up there!

- Son? - Yeah?

- Come on down. - No!

I'm not coming down! I'm goin' up there!

Son, come on down.

I'm gonna go up there!

- Arnie? Arnie. Come on down, buddy. - Look up here.

Hi!

Okay, son. Come on down.

I'm gonna go up here!

- Come on, son. - I'm goin' higher than before!

- I'm goin' high! - It's gonna be getting dark soon. Come on down.

- Hey. - Hey, Bob. Yeah, look it. Here we go again.

Basically, I don't like to work on carburettors...

and I can tell without gettin' into it...

that that is a complicated unit.

I... Now, I understand. I can do it myself, but I need the part.

Look, let me show you.

See, it's this little guy right here.

See, the needle valve is worn down.

- And I need a new one. Can we order it? - Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am.

- I can order it. - I'm goin' up there! - About how long do you think that would take?

- Probably a week. - A week? - Don't make us come get you.

I... You don't have to come get me! I'm goin' up here!

Arnie?

Whoa! I'm not gonna fall! Whoops!

- Whoa! - Whoa.

Hey!

My shoe done fell off.

My shoe done fell off, Gilbert.

I know a boy whose name is Arnie.

He's about to turn 18 and have a big party

I know a boy whose name is Arnie.

Come on down, buddy. Come on.

Match in the gas tank Boom, boom.

Match in the gas tank Boom, boom.

Match in the gas tank Boom, boom.

Match in the gas tank Boom, boom.

Boom, boom, boom, boom.

Match in the gas tank Boom, boom.

- Good boy. - Easy does it, now. - Come on down, buddy.

- All right! - Come on down.

Come on!

Here we go. All right. Thanks a lot, Jerry. Really sorry.

Good. Good boy. Good boy.

I'm gonna take him home. I promise it won't happen again.

Son, we hear this every time. Then after a couple of days, he's right back up there again.

Yeah, but this is the last time. Right, buddy?

- It's the last time. - Yeah.

- Come on. Let's go. - I wanna go back up there again.

Let's go.

- I wanna go up there again. - Arnie, man, good job. - Hey.

- Don't touch him. - Whoa! Nice try!

- Way to go, Arnie. Could you do it again for me? - Get out of here.

- Hey, could you help me out later... - Yeah. - With the fridge?

- With the what? - Something wrong with the fridge.

- The electricity? - I don't know. Maybe.

- All right. I have to get my tools. - Hi.

I'll see you... I'll just come by later. Hi. You be careful, all right, Arnie?