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Movies / Upcoming / How to Eat Fried Worms
How to Eat Fried Worms

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How to Eat Fried Worms (2006)

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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.

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Comedies

US 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

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
03/09/07
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

With its universal themes about fitting in, How To Eat Fried Worms is an endearing family film guaranteed to provide a wriggling good time. While the premise has a certain gross-out factor which will delight eleven year old boys, the script is clever, and

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
03/01/07
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
10/18/08
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

[The actors are] all believably mischievous--and, when the need arises, they're also convincingly courageous in taking a moral stand.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Shirley Sealy
Shirley Sealy
Film Journal International
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
12/30/06
Los Angeles Daily News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

not particularly original or effective

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
12/02/06
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

...Isn't about or for anyone past puberty.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
09/16/06
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

"How to Eat Fried Worms" is a tasty little treat for grade-school kids.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
09/01/06
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

Throughout this fifth-grade Fear Factor, there are scattered lessons on the ills of bullying, the benefit of being true to yourself, the joy of true friendship. But really, what boy is going to remember a moral when there's an exploding worm?

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
08/31/06
Camerin Courtney
Camerin Courtney
Christianity Today

This is a movie for kids in the 8-12 range who see it as something that reflects their own lives. You may not care about How to Eat Fried Worms, but your kids will.

Full Review Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette | comment Comment
08/31/06
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Yes, the movie can be outstandingly irritating. But it's also a lot of fun, with keen instincts on kids' love for the gross-out.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
08/30/06
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com

One of the most amateurish essays in excruciating tedium I've encountered in a year that's hardly lacked for tedium.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
08/30/06
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

...The direction is lackluster, the child actors – with the exception of Eisenberg – are pretty dismal, and the whole thing is about 15 minutes too long.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
08/29/06
Pete Vonder Haar
Pete Vonder Haar
Film Threat

The lessons about bullying and standing up for yourself aren't forced too strongly, giving How to Eat Fried Worms the same appeal as the best Little Rascals shorts.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
08/28/06
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

It’s actually kind of disgusting and gross, and I’m sure that’s the point, but I don’t see the entertainment value in watching a kid eat one worm after another, after another, after another.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
08/28/06
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

bears all the hallmarks of a low-grade kiddie matinee, including... cardboard characters and several incidents in which people scream and run around for no apparent reason, except possibly to keep the audience from dozing off.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
08/28/06
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

Some adults may not enjoy 'How To Eat Fried Worms.' But that doesn't matter: this one is strictly for the kids -- who will no doubt eat it up.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/26/06
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
08/26/06
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is a story that could have gone way too far in the direction of the touching tale illustrating how kids overcome their fear of being ridiculed -- but instead maintains a buoyant irreverence.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
08/25/06
Susan Walker
Susan Walker
Toronto Star
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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