Yes, 0% on Rotten Tomatoes is Possible: That's Exactly What DiCaprio's First Ever Movie Has
The very first DiCaprio movie is rated 0% and that is ... well deserved.
As blockbusters began to completely dominate the box office, brands began to overshadow actors and directors.
But even in these conditions, movies starring Leonardo DiCaprio continue to make hundreds of millions of dollars – simply because his name is much louder than the name of any franchise.
However, this was not always the case, and Leonardo DiCaprio began his journey as an unknown actor.
Many fans of Leonardo DiCaprio think that What's Eating Gilbert Grape was the young Leo's movie debut, but in fact the first feature film in DiCaprio's career was the horror movie Critters 3.
The Critters is iconic horror movies franchise from the 80's and 90's. Critters are creepy creatures from outer space whose only job is to eat and wreak havoc. They are quite compact and fluffy, but that only scares their victims more.
In the third movie, bloodthirsty creatures move to a big city. Leo’s character Josh lives with his terrible stepfather and the appearance of critters radically changes their lives.
Critters 3 was not released in theaters, which says a lot about its quality. This is also confirmed by the reviews: with seven reviews from critics, the movie has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 23% rating from regular viewers, which is also not very encouraging.
Not surprisingly, many consider What's Eating Gilbert Grape to be DiCaprio's film acting debut. The actor himself does not like his first movie, which is justified – Critters 3 can neither boast a good plot nor funny jokes.
What's Eating Gilbert Grape lacks girls in evening gowns, heroic personalities, and lush CGI. Instead of it, the director Lasse Hallström made a story about ordinary people with ordinary problems.
Leonardo played the mentally-ill brother of the main character played by Johnny Depp.
Director Lasse Hallström later revealed that he was looking for a less handsome actor for the role, but of all the candidates, Leo proved to be the most mature and talented actor. The 19-year-old DiCaprio was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his role in the movie.