How to Eat Fried Worms

Name: How to Eat Fried Worms
Genre: Comedy, Family
Released: August 25, 2006
Duration: 98 min
Rating: 56
Cast: Adam Hicks, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Luke Benward

2006

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 26 Ratings

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4.7

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4.7	Your Score
4.7	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 26 Ratings

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How To Eat Fried Worms

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Movie Details & Credits

New Line Cinema | Release Date: August 25, 2006 | PG

Starring: Adam Hicks, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Luke Benward

Summary: Based on the hugely popular Thomas Rockwell book, How to Eat Fried Worms tells the classic story of a boy whose bravado lands him in a difficult predicament. (New Line Cinema)

Director: Bob Dolman

Genre(s): Comedy, Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 98 min

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Critic Reviews

Gregory Kirschling

Happily, after a cartoon opening-credits sequence that overdoes it on the barf, Worms goes light (but not too light) on the gore and the goo. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Angel Cohn

While changes have been made to the book in the interest of compressing the story and emphasizing certain life lessons, the 33-year-old premise is still perfectly in sync with the sensibilities of preteen boys everywhere. Read full review

Andrea Gronvall

The movie gathers steam as these little terrors up the ante with each new gross-out recipe. Former child star Hallie Kate Eisenberg, blooming into a beautifully poised young woman, grounds the film as Benward's loyal supporter. Read full review

Manohla Dargis

Nicely directed, the film version proves refreshingly free of the customary blights that affect most modern children's movies, notably adult condescension. But, man, is it mean. Read full review

Lael Loewenstein

A decidedly old-fashioned family film that may prove too quaint for modern audiences. Read full review

Michael Wilmington

This is a picture in which the barf scenes standard in the usual crude youth comedies aren't gratuitous. They're logical climaxes. Read full review

Joanne Kaufman

After the first bit of fish bait is consumed, actually even before, this one-trick movie is a tough slog.

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User Reviews

TaylorD.

Jul 6, 2007

This movie is AMAZING! To all you people that gave this movie a 0 or anything less than a 9, I hope you realize that this movie has a great moral to it. It is a movie that all ages can enjoy.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

MichelleC.

Aug 21, 2006

This was pretty cute for young school age kids. Definetly has a lesson about bullying, etc. Adults and older kids should find it mildly intertaining, yet nothing to write home about.

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MarkB.

Oct 9, 2006

The big question that nobody asks is, How do the worms feel about this? They're crawling along through the moist dirt, innocent as can be...and then suddenly they're brutally ripped away from their families and communities and forced to become the main ingredient in omelets, The big question that nobody asks is, How do the worms feel about this? They're crawling along through the moist dirt, innocent as can be...and then suddenly they're brutally ripped away from their families and communities and forced to become the main ingredient in omelets, milkshakes and pasta dishes solely because two fourth-graders just can't get along. If you've ever gone fishing in your life, chances are you won't give this a first much less a second thought, but if worms could go to the movies (or even see, for that matter) this would be their equivalent of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. [***SPOILERS***] Writer-director Bob Dolman, adapting Thomas Rockwell's children's novel about a squeamish new kid in the neighborhood who's forced to choke down 10 night crawlers in one day, is no stranger to amphibian abuse: he wrote the classic WKRP episode in which Herb Tarlek accidentally spray-paint his daughter's pet frog to death. His film is frequently silly, overdone, forced and, of course, childish (a potentially interesting subplot which counterpoints the young hero's abuse at school with his dad's trial by fire at the office gets short shrift early on so the movie can devote more time to the greasy kid stuff), but parents who have grown weary of films like "The Ant Bully Becomes Everyone's Hero By Going Over the Hedge in the Barnyard During Open Season" might relish being dragged to a kiddie film featuring real live nonanimated human beings for a change. As a director, Dolman is an extremely laissez-faire schoolteacher; the boys all overact and he lets them, so it's up to the girls to save the day. SCTV's great comedienne Andrea Martin is so lovable as a loopy schoolteacher that you wish she had a lot more screen time, and Hallie Kate Eisenberg (Beautiful, Paulie), as a sympathetic classmate who, despite being a girl and therefore relegated to the sidelines, is easily the coolest and smartest member of this fourth grade class, is a real natural; she truly listens to her fellow performers and her reaction shots are a joy to watch. Even in those forgettable Disney movies Jodie Foster made in the 1970s before Taxi Driver rocketed her into the spotlight, you could definitely see that she was Headed For Big Things; Eisenberg has that same potential. If you want it, here it is, come and get it!… Expand

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Tss5078

Mar 16, 2014

When I watch films like this, I am looking for three things. I hope to find some young talent, before anyone else knows who they are, a unique story, and a funny scene or two. Unfortunately, the story here is quite disgusting and there weren't any stand out performances, but there was aWhen I watch films like this, I am looking for three things. I hope to find some young talent, before anyone else knows who they are, a unique story, and a funny scene or two. Unfortunately, the story here is quite disgusting and there weren't any stand out performances, but there was a really funny scene, where the nerdy kid gets caught playing dance dance revolution. The story begins when a new kid named Billy (Luke Benward) moves to town. The other kids immediately try to intimidate him, by replacing his lunch with a bag of worms. To their surprise, in defiance, Billy eats the worms and gains their respect. One thing leads to another and eventually a very disgusting competition is born. The film is based on a very popular children's book and that's really who this film was intended for. Occasionally, you get some surprises out of a film like this, but as I said earlier, there really wasn't any stand out talent here. I didn't find any young actors/actresses that I could start following from the beginning of their career, but the kids weren't bad either. They seemed to have a lot of fun with the strange story and ultimately I think kids will probably really enjoy it. As for us adults, there really isn't anything here for us to watch and I may never eat gummy worms ever again.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SteveJ.

May 9, 2007

I can't really see what the people who made this movie thought the audiences would like about it. The plotline is reasonably bland; the worms are disgusting; the acting is horrible; the characters are generic; many sequences are overexaggerated or just plain unrealistic; none of what I can't really see what the people who made this movie thought the audiences would like about it. The plotline is reasonably bland; the worms are disgusting; the acting is horrible; the characters are generic; many sequences are overexaggerated or just plain unrealistic; none of what is intended to be funny is; and the script is classic for Hollywood: a bland, generic bad guy, a by-the-book protagonist, a girl who is practically perfect that the main character likes, conflict just for the sake of conflict, and an ending that is happy but dosen't really make sense. You might like this movie... if you're 6 years old.… Expand

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Bobbie

Sep 26, 2006

Simply awful unless you are about 8.

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Elena

Sep 24, 2006

The title suggests this a movie a fish would love. Pretty lame if you ask me.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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