Children will be elated with the gross-out humor and the secret-world-of-kids theme. Adults will squirm in their seats with boredom; the movie is overly long and predictable.
How to Eat Fried Worms (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:70
Fresh:40
Rotten:30
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: This Fear Factor for kids is good-natured and tasty enough.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for mild bullying and some crude humor.
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Aug 25, 2006 Wide
Box Office: $13,022,756
Synopsis: Thomas Rockwell's classic children's novel is adapted to the big screen in this delightful, touching adventure. Billy (charming newcomer Luke Benward, BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE) has just moved with his... Thomas Rockwell's classic children's novel is adapted to the big screen in this delightful, touching adventure. Billy (charming newcomer Luke Benward, BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE) has just moved with his parents and little brother, Woody (Ty Panitz) to a new town, and the first day of school does not go well for him. He gets on the wrong side of school bully Joe (Adam Hicks), and when he fights back--something none of the other kids have ever had the courage to do--he ends up accepting a dare to eat 10 worms in the course of one day. As Joe and his gang strive to cook up ever more revolting recipes, Billy gradually wins the respect of his peers, and gains courage in his own abilities too. He befriends Erika (Hallie Kate Eisenberg) and becomes the champion of the underdog, dispelling the myth of Joe's power and unexpectedly having a blast along the way. The film is spot-on in its depiction of a kid's universe, complete with peer pressure, the mild threat of adult intervention, and the occasional flight of fancy, such as the "witch" the boys encounter by the river. Billy's relationship with his pesky little brother is hilarious and something almost any kid can relate to, and his dad (Thomas Cavanagh, SCRUBS) provides an entertaining subplot that shows how some things don't change, no matter what age you are. [More]
Starring: Timothy Patrick Cavanaugh, Kimberly Williams, Thomas Cavanagh, Hallie Kate Eisenberg
Starring: Timothy Patrick Cavanaugh, Kimberly Williams, Thomas Cavanagh, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, James Rebhorn, Clint Howard, Andrew Gillingham, David Kaufman
Director: Bob Dolman
Director: Bob Dolman
Screenwriter: Bob Dolman
Producer: Philip Steuer, Mark Johnson
Composer: Mark Mothersbaugh, Robert Mothersbaugh
Studio: New Line Cinema
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Reviews for How to Eat Fried Worms
Kids won't get hit over the head with the messages, but they're not buried so deeply as to be indecipherable.
In too many kid-oriented films, the child actors mouth off like small, sassy adults -- Here, the kids, refreshingly, act like kids.
If your stomach doesn't churn a bit after hearing the title of the children's movie How to Eat Fried Worms, the picture itself may finish the job.
It never manages, under the guidance of director Bob Dolman, to feel as if it's penetrated actual boys' lives.
Worms is one of those rare kiddie flicks that successfully adopt a child’s-eye view of the world, where nothing is more important than saving face on the playground and where parents are as distant and clueless as storybook giants.
No worms were harmed in the making of "How to Eat Fried Worms," but one classic book was.
A considerably more digestible serving of children's entertainment than you might expect.
Fried Worms' appeal is right there in its title, only the second-best title of the month (after Snakes on a Plane) but still maybe the second-best title of all time.
Bob Dolman sets dull-as-dishwater images to a straightforward adaptation of Thomas Rockwell's prize-winning kid-lit classic.
a serviceable drama for the pre-teen set, but it doesn’t have the acting or the cinematic polish to set it apart as something special.
This is a decidedly old-fashioned family film that may prove too quaint for modern auds.
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August 24, 2006:
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Another wave of new releases hits the multiplexes across North America this weekend in hopes of capturing the final dollars of the summer movie season. More...
August 24, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Invincible," "Worms" Score; "Idlewild," "Beerfest" Mixed
This week at the movies, we've got four underdog stories. An average Joe tries to play pro football ("Invincible," starring Mark Wahlberg), the new kid in school tries... More...
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