Johnny Depp, Hollywood's Mr Solemn, followed Edward Scissorhands and Benny & Joon with this sweet-natured but rather slow goofball of a film that casts him as the senior son in a decidedly different rural household. Father hanged himself and mother has ballooned to 35 stone. There are two sisters, but it's Gilbert (Depp) who's responsible for the safe-keeping of his 17-year-old mentally handicapped brother Arnie (a miraculous performance by Leonardo DiCaprio that was Oscar nominated). Gilbert is also having an affair with a housewife (Mary Steenburgen) whose simple-minded husband (Kevin Tighe) wants to sell Gilbert insurance - that is until strange new girl Becky (Juliette Lewis) blows into town in her granny's trailer. Yes, this is odd all right, but so haltingly paced that your attention wanders. Yet its heart is in the right place, and you may remember these characters longer than those from your average mainline movie. Though you may have trouble digesting it all, there are no sour grapes here.
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