How
To Eat Fried Worms is a typical story about a new kid’s worst
fears. As if moving to a new place isn’t hard enough, having
the principal bust you on rules everyone knows, walking into school
with an unpopular girl, and ticking off a bully only made it worse.
This
was a non-stop, full-action-packed kid comedy in motion with commotion.
How To Eat Fried Worms is based on a novel by Thomas Rockwell, son
of American painter, Norman Rockwell.
It’s full of energy and good fun, even if it wasn’t always
a clean. Trying to be mischievous the bully Joe, played by Adam Hicks
(The Shaggy Dog) and his posse surprise Billy played by Luke Benward,
(Winn Dixie) with a lunch that changed his life.
How
To Eat Fried Worms is loaded with fun, action,
laughs, with a few hundred worms thrown in for taste.
Trying
to not be intimidated, Billy nonchalantly, as a fifth grader can get,
tells them that he eats worms all the time and throws one at the bully.
The game is on for a crazy flick! Billy and Joe make a bet that Billy,
who previously got queasy, even at the sight of his baby brother’s
drool, would eat 10 worms before the end of the next day. So the boys
start cooking the crunchy munchies with names like Barfmellow, Le
Big Poker and The Burning Fireball. All through the movie, the team
of nine boys switches sides. Billy defeats all odds and one by one
chows down his wiggly delicacies.
An unpopular girl, Erika, played by Hallie Eisenburg (The Miracle
Worker) is the only girl that knows about the bet and saves the day
at the end. Billy’s little brother, Woody played by Ty Panitz,
(Bones, TV Series) gains a new brother that isn’t so queasy
and not so intimidated by the strangers he soon befriends.
The movie had me laughing so hard and so unexpected, that I nearly
spit soda at the people in front of me. It’s highly kid friendly.
There isn’t foul language, sappy kissing scenes nor bad humor,
just plain dirty worms creatively prepared for munching and battles
waged that any kid might face. It has its morals and an excellent
plot, probably because it is based on an excellent and very descriptive
novel.
It does the book justice and overall, if I had three thumbs, they’d
all be up. The only bad thing is that it’s not out on DVD yet,
but it will be a definite top of the list for stocking stuffers!
