History TearJerker / WhatsEatingGilbertGrape

*** Darlene Cates eventually [[http://people.com/celebrity/darlene-cates-dies-gilbert-grape-weight-battle-hollywood-success/ died in her sleep as well]], making the whole scene eerily prophetic (although Cates had dropped an impressive 240 pounds by that time).

** The way Arnie and, by extension, the audience realizes that she's dead.. At first he's delighted that she's playing the same sort of hiding game he plays with his brother and sisters...but he slowly shifts to [[PleaseWakeUp frustrated and frightened when the game doesn't end]], finally becoming distraught as he realizes something's wrong. His anguished howls and pleading are genuinely heartbreaking and upsetting, espeically since [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37Zb2M9DTA8 Leonardo [=DiCaprio=] ad-libbed that whole scene.]]

* In the bonus features of the DVD, Darlene Cates remembers how Johnny Depp (who played Gilbert) came up to her on set, shaken, to ask her forgiveness for having to say (in the movie) all these horrible things about her character's - and her - morbid obesity.

Especially during his early years, director Lasse Hallstrom had tender Tear Jerkers down in ''spades''. Just the depths of the love of this one family, that is the very definition of dysfunctional, and yet is so strong...

** The way Arnie and, by extension, the audience realizes that she's dead.. At first he's delighted that she's playing the same sort of hiding game he plays with his brother and sisters...but he slowly shifts to [[PleaseWakeUp frustrated and frightened when the game doesn't end]], finally becoming distraught as he realizes something's wrong. His anguished howls and pleading are genuinely heartbreaking and upsetting. Also, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37Zb2M9DTA8 Leonardo [=DiCaprio=] ad-libbed that whole scene.]]

** The way Arnie and, by extension, the audience realizes that she's dead.. At first he's delighted that she's playing the same sort of hiding game he plays with his brother and sisters...but he slowly shifts to [[PleaseWakeUp frustrated and frightened when the game doesn't end]], finally becoming distraught as he realizes something's wrong. His anguished howls and pleading are genuinely heartbreaking and upsetting.

*** Darlene Cates eventually [[http://people.com/celebrity/darlene-cates-dies-gilbert-grape-weight-battle-hollywood-success/ died in her sleep as well]], making the whole scene eerily prophetic (although Cates had dropped and impressive 240 pounds by that time).

*** If you want proof of how effective this scene is, watch the parody of it in the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "Irregarding Steve," which features a b-plot of scenes from this movie being reenacted by squirrels. It's not meant to be taken seriously, but it's ''still just as sad.''

*** If you want proof of how effective this scene is, watch the parody of it in the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "Irrigating Steve," which features a b-plot of scenes from this movie being reenacted by squirrels. It's not meant to be taken seriously, but it's ''still just as sad.''

*** If you want proof of how effective this scene is, watch the parody of it in the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "Irrigarding Steve," which features a b-plot of the movie being reenacted by squirrels. It's not meant to be taken seriously, but it's ''still just as sad.''

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*** Darlene Cates eventually [[http://people.com/celebrity/darlene-cates-dies-gilbert-grape-weight-battle-hollywood-success/ died in her sleep as well]], making the whole scene eerily prophetic (however, when she died, Cates had already lost 240 pounds).
** Related: Arnie's discovery of her death. At first he's delighted that she's playing the same sort of hiding game he plays with his brother and sisters...but he slowly shifts to frustrated and frightened when the game doesn't end, finally becoming distraught as he realizes something's wrong. His anguished howls and pleading are genuinely heartbreaking and upsetting.

*** Darlene Cates would eventually [[http://people.com/celebrity/darlene-cates-dies-gilbert-grape-weight-battle-hollywood-success/ die in her sleep as well]], making the whole scene eerily prophetic (although by the time she died, Cates had lost 240 pounds).
** Related: Arnie's discovery of her death. At first he's delighted that she's playing the same sort of hiding game he plays with his brother and sisters...but he slowly shifts to frustrated and frightened when the game doesn't end, finally becoming distraught as he realizes something's wrong. His anguished howls and pleading are genuinely heartbreaking and upsetting.

*** Darlene Cates would eventually [[http://people.com/celebrity/darlene-cates-dies-gilbert-grape-weight-battle-hollywood-success/ die in her sleep as well]], making the whole scene eerily prophetic (although by the time she died, Cates had lost a significant amount of weight).

*** Darlene Cates would eventually [[http://people.com/celebrity/darlene-cates-dies-gilbert-grape-weight-battle-hollywood-success/ die in her sleep as well]], making the whole scene eerily prophetic (although by the time she died, Cates had lost a significant amount of weight).

*** Darlene Cates would eventually [[http://people.com/celebrity/darlene-cates-dies-gilbert-grape-weight-battle-hollywood-success/ die in her sleep as well]], making the whole scene eerily prophetic. At the very least, by the time she died she had lost a significant amount of weight.

*** Darlene Cates would eventually [[http://people.com/celebrity/darlene-cates-dies-gilbert-grape-weight-battle-hollywood-success/ die in her sleep as well]], making the whole scene eerily prophetic.

*** Darlene Cates would eventually die in her sleep as well, making the whole scene eerily prophetic.

** Her death, especially considering that the way it happens has happened to plenty of real-life obese people, not to mention that any attempt to get her out will be humiliating: her body is so heavy it'd take a forklift to move, and the closest thing to a casket her size is a piano case. Even if there was a less disgraceful option, there would be a crowd, staring and laughing at her even in death.

* Bonnie Grape. She's eaten herself into morbid obesity, at the expense of her good looks, and refuses to leave the house. When she's forced to go outside for the first time in years, she makes the painful discovery about how much of a laughing stock she is as the whole town stares and makes fun of her. Even before that, [[WhatTheHellHero Gilbert was letting the neighborhood kids sneak a peek through his window to gawk at her like some sort of side-show attraction]].

* Gilbert's mom. Everything about her is sad. She used to be gorgeous and is now beyond morbidly obese, she never leaves the house. The one time she's gone outside in years, everyone in town stares and makes fun of her, while children follow her home to laugh at her.
** Her death, particularly for someone whose mother, while not nearly as obese, died the same way. Not to mention the family's realization that any attempt to get her body out will be humiliating.

** Her death, particularly for someone whose mother, while not nearly as obese, died the same way.