Movies like What's Eating Gilbert Grape
If you like "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" you are looking for melancholic, depressing and touching movies about / with dysfunctional family, disability, small town, mentally challenged, mental illness, self discovery and responsibility themes of Drama genre shot in USA.
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1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
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What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
268K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
Gilbert has to care for his brother Arnie and his obese mother, which gets in the way when love walks into his life.
Style:
melancholic, depressing, touching, sad, emotional, independent film, compassionate, bleak, heartbreaking, poignant ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, teen drama
Plot:
dysfunctional family, disability, small town, mentally challenged, mental illness, self discovery, responsibility, brothers, character study, coming of age, life philosophy, life & death, parents and children, family drama, obesity, compassion, siblings relations, human relationship, brother brother relationship, autism, tragedy, grief, single mother, mental disorder, rural setting ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, year 1993, 70s, 60s, 1960s
Place:
iowa, texas, southern usa, usa
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to What's Eating Gilbert Grape
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out touching, realistic, sad and inspirational films with plots about mentor, storytelling, family relations, bittersweet, life philosophy, friendship and honest mostly in Drama, Biography and Romance genres. Some movies like What's Eating Gilbert Grape: Nobody Knows (2004), A River Runs Through It (1992), Mommy (2014), Still Alice (2014), The Florida Project (2017). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
A coming-of-age story based on the best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky, which follows 15-year-old freshman Charlie, an endearing and naive outsider who is taken under the wings of two seniors. A moving tale of love, loss, fear and hope - and the ...
Style:
touching, teen, sincere, melancholic, sad ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
coming of age, high school, teenager, adolescence, first love, friendship, teenage love, youth, high school life, depression, suicide, teenage life ...
Time:
90s, 2010s, year 1991, year 2013, 20th century ...
Place:
pittsburgh, pennsylvania, usa
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 141 min.
Story:
In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.
Style:
touching, depressing, atmospheric, gloomy, bleak ...
Audience:
kids, teens
Plot:
poverty, childhood, children, young kid, child abandonment, dysfunctional family, brother brother relationship, innocence lost, responsibility, neglect, jailbait, family relations ...
Time:
year 2004, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
japan, tokyo, east asia, asia, california ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
A River Runs Through is a cinematographically stunning true story of Norman Maclean. The story follows Norman and his brother Paul through the experiences of life and growing up, and how their love of fly fishing keeps them together despite varying ...
Style:
sentimental, touching, period piece, inspirational, thought provoking ...
Plot:
coming of age, fishing, father son relationship, childhood, river, brother brother relationship, beautiful scenery, self discovery, brothers, wilderness, death of brother, gambling ...
Time:
1900s, 1920s, 1910s, year 1992, 1930s ...
Place:
montana, usa
Similarity:
78%
65K
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 139 min.
Story:
A peculiar neighbor offers hope to a recent widow who is struggling to raise a teenager who is unpredictable and, sometimes, violent.
Style:
melancholic, psychological, touching, independent film, atmospheric ...
Audience:
teens, family friendly, teen drama
Plot:
oedipus complex, dysfunctional family, single mother, mentally unstable, juvenile delinquent, childhood, troubled teen, teenage boy, mother love, mother son relationship, teenager, adhd ...
Time:
2010s, year 2014, near future, year 2015, year 1982 ...
Place:
quebec, canada, montreal
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
150K
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a devastating diagnosis, Alice and her family find their bonds tested.
Style:
touching, heartbreaking, sad, depressing, tear jerker ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
alzheimer's disease, memory loss, illness, supportive spouse, mother daughter relationship, columbia university, family bonds, terminal illness, family drama, relationships, psychology, memory lapse ...
Time:
year 2014, 2010s, year 2015, future, 21st century
Place:
new york, usa, manhattan new york city
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min.
Story:
The story of a precocious six year-old and her ragtag group of friends whose summer break is filled with childhood wonder, possibility and a sense of adventure while the adults around them struggle with hard times.
Style:
sincere, touching, inspirational, visually stunning, aesthetic ...
Audience:
teens, date night, adult
Plot:
friendship, poverty, social services, mother daughter relationship, children, motel, single mother, little girl, childhood, swimming pool, eviction, female friendship ...
Time:
2010s, year 2017
Place:
florida, nebraska, orlando florida
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
When a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.
Style:
touching, emotional, sentimental, sincere, sad ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
terminal illness, dying, father son relationship, relationships, cancer, dysfunctional family, reconciliation, illness, divorce, hopes, fighting illness, destiny ...
Time:
year 2001
Place:
california, usa
Similarity:
75%
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
A retired farmer and widower in his 70s, Alvin Straight learns one day that his distant brother Lyle has suffered a stroke and may not recover. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in ...
Style:
road movie, feel good, touching, cult classic, visual ...
Audience:
family outing, kids, teens
Plot:
road trip, old age, brother brother relationship, elderly man, on the road, small town, senior citizen, determination, aging, family feud, illness, highway ...
Time:
year 1999, 90s, 20th century
Place:
iowa, mississippi, nebraska, usa, wisconsin
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
2.5M
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 142 min.
Story:
A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events - in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. Yet, despite all the things he has attained, his one true love eludes ...
Style:
inspirational, touching, feel good, sentimental, uplifting ...
Audience:
girls' night, date night, chick flick, kids, teens ...
Plot:
life philosophy, philosophy, life, mentally challenged, destiny, storytelling, love, rise to the top, human spirit, selflessness, vietnam war, life & death ...
Time:
70s, 20th century, 50s, 60s, 1950s ...
Place:
china, alabama, vietnam, america, savannah georgia ...
Similarity:
67%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
Like some other kids, 12-year-old Trevor McKinney believed in the goodness of human nature. Like many other kids, he was determined to change the world for the better. Unlike most other kids, he succeeded.
Style:
touching, inspirational, emotional, motivational, sentimental ...
Audience:
chick flick, kids, teens, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
teacher, childhood, single parent, life philosophy, death, boy, good deed, disfigurement, addiction, abusive husband, childhood trauma, teacher student relationship ...
Time:
year 2000, 20th century, 90s
Place:
tibet, usa, nevada, las vegas
Similarity:
75%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
A girl comes to terms with her mentally challenged parents.
Style:
serious, sentimental, emotional, touching, melancholic ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
youth, self discovery, family life, society, family problems, parents and children, disability, small town life, child's point of view, mother daughter relationship, father daughter relationship, compassion ...
Time:
50s, 20th century, 1950s
Place:
louisiana, usa
Similarity:
100%
161K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 132 min.
Story:
Sam has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old. He has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy on his own. But as Lucy grows up, Sam's limitations start to become a problem and the ...
Style:
touching, inspirational, sad, emotional, sentimental ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, adult
Plot:
lawyer, mentally challenged, father daughter relationship, single father, child custody, social services, custody, custody battle, disability, parents and children, foster child, love ...
Time:
year 2001, 21st century
Place:
california, los angeles, usa
Similarity:
55%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, Hungary
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
A Hungarian family forced to flee the Communist country for the United States, must leave a young daughter behind. Six years later the family arranges to bring the absent daughter to the United States where she has trouble adjusting. The daughter ...
Style:
emotional, sentimental, touching, sincere, melancholic ...
Audience:
girls' night, teens
Plot:
immigrant, justice, family relations, cold war, police investigation, adolescence, family bonds, friendship, love and romance, self discovery, human nature, on the run ...
Time:
20th century, 1950s, year 2001, 60s, 50s ...
Place:
california, budapest, europe, usa, austria ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 137 min.
Story:
After his older brother passes away, Lee Chandler is forced to return home to care for his 16-year-old nephew. There he is compelled to deal with a tragic past that separated him from his family and the community where he was born and raised.
Style:
depressing, sad, heartbreaking, touching, independent film ...
Audience:
teens, family friendly, adult
Plot:
sadness, family drama, loneliness, suicide attempt, depression, loss, death, uncle nephew relationship, dysfunctional family, guardian, nephew, grief ...
Time:
2010s, year 2016
Place:
massachusetts, boston, nebraska, new england
Similarity:
64%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
A mother and daughter dispute is resolved by the "Yaya sisterhood" - long time friends of the mother.
Style:
touching, sentimental, sincere, intense, rom com ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, teens
Plot:
dysfunctional family, estrangement, playwright, relationships, women, friendship, corporal punishment, reconciliation, childhood memory, mother daughter relationship, female protagonist, american south ...
Time:
year 2002
Place:
southern usa, louisiana, new york, usa
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
A mentally ill young woman finds her love in an eccentric man who models himself after Buster Keaton.
Style:
sweet, feel good, melancholic, cute, compassionate ...
Audience:
date night, kids, girls' night, chick flick
Plot:
mental illness, social misfits, brother sister relationship, poker, love, mechanic, love story, mental health, siblings living together, misfit, mental disorder, autism ...
Time:
90s, year 1993, 20th century
Place:
usa, seattle, washington state
Similarity:
60%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, United Arab Emirates
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
Suffering from a severe case of depression, toy company CEO Walter Black (Mel Gibson) begins using a beaver hand puppet to help him open up to his family. With his father seemingly going insane, adolescent son Porter (Anton Yelchin) pushes for his ...
Style:
touching, depressing, emotional, sentimental, unusual plot structure ...
Plot:
depression, mental illness, happy ending, losing-it hero, midlife crisis, mental disorder, dysfunctional family, psychology, family drama, mental health, coping, cheerleader ...
Time:
2010s, year 2011, 21st century
Place:
usa, california, new jersey
Similarity:
100%
102K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
A man who lost his family in the September 11 attack on New York City runs into his old college roommate. Rekindling the friendship is the one thing that appears able to help the man recover from his grief.
Style:
inspirational, touching, depressing, sincere, heartbreaking ...
Audience:
chick flick
Plot:
friendship, grief, 9/11, mental disorder, dealing with death, mental health, trauma, character study, therapy, mental illness, tragic event, friends ...
Time:
september 11 2001, year 2007, 21st century
Place:
usa, new york, manhattan new york city
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min.
Story:
Amidst her own personality crisis, southern housewife Evelyn Couch meets Ninny, an outgoing old woman who tells her the story of Idgie Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison, two young women who experienced hardships and love in Whistle Stop, Alabama in the ...
Style:
feel good, sentimental, captivating, touching, sad ...
Audience:
girls' night, chick flick, kids, teen drama
Plot:
small town, friendship, lesbian, feminism, self discovery, feminist, small town life, lgbtq, cannibalism, midlife crisis, female bonding, female protagonist ...
Time:
1920s, 1930s, 90s, year 1991, 20th century ...
Place:
alabama, southern usa, usa, georgia, louisiana ...
Similarity:
67%
380K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 165 min.
Story:
The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.
Style:
philosophical, melancholic, cerebral, touching, depressing ...
Audience:
teens, kids, chick flick, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
coming of age, childhood, teenager, high school, adolescence, domestic abuse, family drama, youth, divorced parents, stepsister stepsister relationship, relationships, marriage ...
Time:
2010s, year 2014, 2000s, 90s, near future ...
Place:
texas, ethiopia, houston texas, austin texas, usa
Similarity:
75%
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
In 1957, a son and mother flee the East and an abusive boyfriend to find a new life, and end up in Seattle, where the mother meets a polite garage mechanic. The boy continually gets into trouble by hanging out with the wrong crowd. The mom marries ...
Style:
depressing, period piece, realistic, touching, emotional ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
coming of age, child abuse, small town, childhood, single parent, husband wife relationship, dysfunctional family, domestic violence, homosexual, biopic, stepfather stepson relationship, abusive stepfather ...
Time:
1950s, 50s, year 1993, 90s, 20th century ...
Place:
seattle, washington state, salt lake city utah, washington d.c., usa ...
Similarity:
60%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
While serving time for insanity at a state mental hospital, implacable rabble-rouser, Randle Patrick McMurphy inspires his fellow patients to rebel against the authoritarian rule of head nurse, Mildred Ratched.
Style:
psychological, serious, thought provoking, dramatic, emotional ...
Audience:
family friendly, date night, teen drama, adult
Plot:
mental institution, mental illness, fighting the system, freedom, human spirit, insanity, society, mental patient, mental disorder, nurse, psychiatrist, schizophrenia ...
Time:
60s, 20th century, year 1975, year 1963
Place:
oregon, eastern europe, america, persia
Similarity:
100%
32K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
Freshman high-school student Melinda has refused to speak ever since she called the cops on a popular summer party. With her old friends snubbing her for being a rat, and her parents too busy to notice her troubles, she folds into herself, trying to ...
Style:
touching, psychological, independent film, sad, sincere ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
high school, teenage girl, rape, bullying, youth, rape victim, school, teenage life, innocence lost, teenager, unsupportive friend, high school life ...
Time:
2000s, 21st century
Place:
columbus ohio, usa
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
580K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country.
Style:
road movie, inspirational, sincere, uplifting, touching ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
autism, road trip, redemption, disability, mentally challenged, brother brother relationship, siblings relations, runaway, self discovery, mathematics, psychiatry, life changing ...
Time:
20th century, year 1988, 80s
Place:
las vegas, california, ohio, cincinnati ohio, columbus ohio ...
Similarity:
60%
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
Set in the changing world of the late 1960s, Susanna Kaysen's prescribed "short rest" from a psychiatrist she had met only once becomes a strange, unknown journey into Alice's Wonderland, where she struggles with the thin line ...
Style:
psychological, crying, gothic, serious, heartbreaking ...
Audience:
girls' night, chick flick, teens, teen drama, adult
Plot:
mental illness, suicide, coming of age, psychiatric ward, suicide attempt, mental institution, teenage girl, psychiatrist, borderline personality disorder, insanity, female protagonist, mentally unstable ...
Time:
20th century, year 1999, 90s, year 1967, 60s
Place:
usa
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 154 min.
Story:
An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert ...
Style:
sentimental, inspirational, touching, sincere, emotional ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night
Plot:
african american, sexual abuse, incest, lgbtq, domestic violence, life is a bitch, rape, racial discrimination, feminism, incest rape, wife abuse, abusive relationship ...
Time:
edwardian era, 20th century, 1930s, year 1985, 1920s ...
Place:
africa, southern usa, usa, tennessee, georgia
Similarity:
67%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
A leukemia patient attempts to end a 20-year feud with her sister to get her bone marrow.
Style:
emotional, touching, sentimental, realistic, semi serious ...
Audience:
girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
terminal illness, dysfunctional family, estrangement, leukemia, family drama, father daughter relationship, family problems, single parent, siblings relations, sibling relationship, unfulfillment, life is a bitch ...
Time:
20th century, 90s, year 1996
Place:
florida, usa, ohio, orlando florida
Similarity:
50%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only ...
Style:
touching, sincere, sentimental, sweet, inspirational ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, teen drama, adult
Plot:
civil rights, racism, african american, friendship, coming of age, teenage life, racial segregation, children, american south, abuse, interracial relations, haunted by the past ...
Time:
year 2008, 20th century, year 1964, 60s
Place:
indiana, africa, usa, south carolina
Similarity:
67%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having ...
Style:
depressing, realistic, crying, sentimental, compassionate ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
dysfunctional family, therapy, suicide attempt, suicide, grief, coming of age, depression, psychiatrist, alienation, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, loner ...
Time:
20th century, year 1980, 70s, 80s
Place:
chicago, usa, illinois, houston texas, middle east ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min.
Story:
Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.
Style:
melancholic, thought provoking, sexual, dark comedy, sexy ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, kids, girls' night, teen drama ...
Plot:
midlife crisis, dysfunctional family, existentialism, age difference, obsession, loneliness, coming of age, older man younger woman relationship, dysfunctional marriage, youth, adultery, suburbs ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, year 1999, year 2013
Place:
usa, america, los angeles, iran
Similarity:
100%
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