What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

Episode 190: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)

Theme: Questionable Titles Month
Hosts: Oz & Curtis

This week, Oz and Curtis turn up the small-town Iowa heat with What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? — a movie marriage of The Other Sister meets Cedar Rapids with a little Road House… all taking place inside Big Mama’s House. It’s a quiet, character-driven story about responsibility, grief, and the emotional gravity that keeps Gilbert stuck in place while the rest of the world passes through on Airstream wheels. Johnny Depp broods, Leonardo DiCaprio disappears into one of the best early-career performances ever, and Juliette Lewis floats around like a barefoot, cosmic life coach who wandered in from a different movie entirely.

Join your two favorite “is this a metaphor or just Iowa?” podcasters as they break down:

• DiCaprio’s shockingly great performance — raw, lived-in, and the highlight of the film.

• Mama Grape’s fight for dignity in a town that treats her like a roadside attraction.

• Betty Carver’s affair, meltdown, cookies, and dramatic exit to St. Louis.

• Gilbert’s identity crisis, Becky’s free-spirit philosophy, and one very chaotic birthday week.

• The unforgettable final sequence: loss, defiance, and a funeral pyre that would make Conan proud.

From burgers to water towers to Airstream love notes, Oz and Curtis unpack a heartfelt ’90s drama that’s equal parts tender, awkward, and unexpectedly funny — the cinematic equivalent of a very solid meatloaf.

Final Verdict

Oz — 6 Beautiful Sunsets
Curtis — 71 Mary Steenburgenes
Both — Still shocked the whole town was totally fine with the children burning the house down.