Lively entertainment: The worms crawl in, the laughs pour out
How to Eat Fried Worms is a well-told tale sure to appeal to kids and parents.
By PHILIP BOOTH
Published August 24, 2006
For more than three decades, middle school readers and their younger siblings have been regularly, willingly repulsed by Thomas Rockwell's How to Eat Fried Worms.
Rockwell's book at last has made an impressive transition from the page to the big screen, following a forgettable 1985 animated version made for television.
Worms is a funny little movie about bravery, peer pressure and friendship, told in a manner that's sure to appeal to young audiences. In a bonus for parents, it's nicely quirky, devoid of sentimentality and surprisingly well acted.
Partisans of the book, penned by the son of painter Norman Rockwell, might take issue with the slight redesign: Billy (Luke Benward) agrees to eat 10 worms in a day, rather than 15 worms in 15 days, as in the original; the ice cream worm cake, sadly, doesn't figure into the movie; and few of the characters remain intact.
Everyone else, though, should warm to this story of the cruelty and kindness experienced by Billy when he and his parents (Thomas Cavanagh, Kimberly Williams-Paisley) and annoyingly cute preschooler Woody (Ty Panitz) relocate to a new city.
Nice girl Erika (Hallie Kate Eisenberg) offers a helping hand at middle school. But most of Billy's male classmates, led by bully Joe (Adam Hicks), are eager to harass and humiliate the new kid.
That's where the worms come in: On his first day at school, Billy is startled to discover that his thermos bottle is filled with the creepy crawlies. Soon, he's dubbed Worm Boy and he falls into a foolish bet with Joe: Billy must down 10 worms in one day. The loser faces an even more agonizing trial.
That's it for plot complications. And yet filmmaker Bob Dolman (The Banger Sisters) keeps things lively as the boys, including misfit Adam (New Port Richey native Austin Rogers) watch Billy endure a variety of worm-based delicacies. Caution: Avoid eating spaghetti before or after watching Worms.
How to Eat Fried Worms
Grade: B+
Director: Bob Dolman
Cast: Luke Benward, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Adam Hicks, Austin Rogers, Ty Panitz, Thomas Cavanagh, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, James Rebhorn, Clint Howard
