How to Eat Fried Worms

How to Eat Fried Worms (Bob Dolman, 2006)

Here's your daily "what were they thinking?" factoid: How to Eat Fried Worms is banned in Malaysia. Yes, I'm serious.

In a case of true chip-off-the-old-block-dom, my daughter has started writing movie reviews for her middle school paper, so it's up to me to start taking her to all the movies her mother and stepmother have no desire (and rightly, so, many times) to see. At the top of the list was How to Eat Fried Worms. Now, Thomas Rockwell was one of my favorite authors in middle school, both for this wonderful novel and for his much more obscure (and now long out of print) and even more brilliant The Portmanteau Book. Given that, and the decidedly lukewarm reviews to be had, I went into this fearing the worst. And I must say, I didn't get it. I grant you, this movie could have been miles better, especially had it been more faithful to the book. But, you know, for a dumbed-down brought-up-to-date movie based on a kids' book, it's not half bad.

Billy (Because of Winn-Dixie's Luke Benward) is the new kid at school, and as such is immediately picked on by the local team of bullies, headed up by Joe (The Shaggy Dog's Adam Hicks). Really, all you need to know is that the two of them end up making a bet that Billy can't eat ten worms in the space of a day. There's also a kinda-sorta romantic subplot between Billy and Erika (Hallie Kate Eisenberg, the Pepsi girl), who gets roped into watching Billy's little brother during the contest, but it gets relegated to the back burner pretty quick.

I think a lot of the negative reaction to the movie is coming simply because it's an adaptation of a classic kids' book, and not a really great one. And there's a case to be made that if you're going to adapt a great book, you need to turn it into a great movie. I also think that argument is pure bunk. A book and a movie are two entirely separate things, and sometimes you just have to look at them as such. (Consider the 1974 Tobe Hooper adaptation of 'Salem's Lot.) If this weren't an adaptation of Thomas Rockwell's novel, what would we be saying about it? That it plays into the gross-factor? (Better with worms than with the infantile potty humor of The Ant Bully.) That the motivations of its characters are shallow and silly? (Compared to Cars, these characters are as well-drawn as any major character in War and Peace.) That it's episodic and overly simplistic? (Three words: Over the Hedge.)

Comparatively, this is one of the best kids' movies we've seen this year, though I'm certainly willing to concede that it's just been an awful year for kids' movies. It does have just about everything it needs to attract the pre-teen set, though you might want to consider whether you want your eight-year-old running around yelling "sphincter!" all day afterwards. ** 

How To Eat Fried Worms is another enjoyable, fun and simple tale from Walden Media. The story centers around a classroom bully, and how a new kid at school deals with his antics.

The acting and cast are wonderful, and filled with many unique characters. Just looking at many of the kids will have you smiling or laughing.

While the movie centers around a disgusting topic (eating worms), it is at heart a story not about a worm eating contest, but about how children come together and do the right thing in the face of a repressive bully.

Children will love this film, as it allows them to process the handling of difficult school mates in a healthy and fun way. Push past the "ick" factor and take your family to see this film. It will leave you laughing, thinking and feeling good that you have seen it.

One final note: some reviews will put down How To Eat Fried Worms because it involves a disgusting subject. Anyone who has had children knows how they love to talk about icky things and body functions. My nephew and daughter both loved the film because it allowed kids to be kids, and see things that kids love to see and talk about. All this and a wonderful story as well.

Another gem from Walden.

Total Score (out of 100) = 76

35 (out of 50). Enjoyment. A rating based on my overall enjoyment of the film.
9 (out of 10). Acting. How good was the acting?
9 (out of 10). Immersion. Did the movie suck me into the story?
10 (out of 10). Intangibles. Special effects. Movie pace. Is the movie forgettable, or something you will talk about and remember for weeks? Years?
8 (out of 10). Must see. Is this movie worth seeing/renting?
5 (out of 10). Must buy. Is this movie a must buy/purchase?

Screenwriter-director Bob Dolman lets his cast be themselves, and that's what makes How to Eat Fried Worms delicious fun for adults and children. Authentic and energetic performances from the pre-teen stars make for captivating watching, as new kid Billy (Benward) gets wrangled into a bet to eat 10 worms in a day by local bully Joe (Hicks). What he doesn't know is Joe's gang is concocting horrible ways to cook those worms. Liver juice and blended broccoli top the ingredients.

Mixed in with this groovy gag-worthy plot hook are great strands of parents trying to help kids adjust to new situations, girls trying to be friends with gross boys, siblings learning to like each other, and the redemption of bullies who really aren't that bad. Benward does a great job of conveying the terror of a new school and trying to find new friends, while such enemies-turned-friend as the spastic Twitch, the dancing Adam Simms and the theatrical chef Benjy will have all ages in stiches. Helping these on-screen bursts of energy is a wacky score by Devo leader Mark Mothersbaugh.

Kids' movies that don't dumb down the pain of loneliness, bullying and growing up always deserve praise, and Dolman's concocted a winner out of the cute 1953 source material.

DVD Extras: The extras are all kid-friendly and get my adult-approved stamp. A chef shows how he cooks up "worms" for consumption by Benward (cheesecake taste helps). A blooper reel, deleted scenes and a promotional making-of featurette are cute and fast-paced. New Line's DVD-ROM-accessible DVD player lets curious fans search for moments of worm cooking and consumption as well as words in the script and then jump right to those moments in the film.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 42 reviews  4.0 out of 5 stars