How to Eat Fried Worms (2006)

During the first day of his new school year, a fifth grade boy squares off against a bully and winds up accepting a dare that could change the balance of power within the class.

Director:

Bob Dolman

Writers:

Bob Dolman (screenplay), Thomas Rockwell (novel)

Stars:

Luke Benward, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Adam Hicks

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luke Benward	...	Billy
Hallie Kate Eisenberg	...	Erika
Adam Hicks	...	Joe
Austin Rogers	...	Adam
Alexander Gould	...	Twitch
Ryan Malgarini	...	Benjy
Philip Bolden	...	Bradley (as Philip Daniel Bolden)
Clint Howard	...	Uncle Ed
Ty Panitz	...	Woody
James Rebhorn	...	Boiler Head
Tom Cavanagh	...	Dad
Kimberly Williams-Paisley	...	Mom
Andrew Gillingham	...	Techno Mouth
Blake Garrett	...	Plug
Alexander Agate	...	Donny

Storyline

The Forrester family - father Mitch Forrester, mother Helen Forrester, their pre-teen son Billy Forrester and their pre-school son Woody Forrester - have just moved to a new town where Mitch is starting a new job. Both Mitch and Billy are worried about fitting into their new environment. It's worse for Billy as Woody, who is not worried about the move, is at that stage in his life where everything is simple and easy. Billy's first day in the fifth grade at his new school does not go well when he gets into an altercation with the class bullies, led by Joe Guire. The altercation involves worms and Billy stating that he eats worms all the time, which leads to all the bullies calling him "Wormboy". As such, Joe bets Billy that he can't eat ten worms (without vomiting), the bet to take place this upcoming Saturday, with the last worm to be consumed by 7pm. Despite having a notoriously weak stomach, Billy takes him up on the bet. As the bet starts, the only classmate on Billy's side is ...

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Plot Keywords:

school | new school | boy | bully | bet | 

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Taglines:

New town. New friends. New menu.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild bullying and some crude humor

Details

Official Sites:

New Line Cinema [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 August 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

A skacok meg a kukacok

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$4,003,537 (USA) (25 August 2006)

Gross:

$13,022,756 (USA) (6 October 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gran Via, New Line Cinema, Walden Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene where Billy and Erika are at Erika's house when she's doing archery was the first scene filmed.

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Goofs

Handwriting of "Billy Forrester" on the blackboard changes between scenes.

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Quotes

Dad: The only way to win is by playing fair.

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Crazy Credits

Silent quote from trailer used: "No worms were harmed in the making of this film." (Shows worm blowing up in microwave.) "Not even this one"

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Connections

Spoofs Emeril Live (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Rocket Full of Power"
Written by Mark Mothersbaugh and Robert Mothersbaugh (as Bob Mothersbaugh)
Performed by The Wipeouters

User Reviews

A great movie for 8 - 11 boys! (and those that appreciate that humor)

Pre-adolescent humor is present in large quantities. The acting and story are wonderful if you can stomach the concept. Those with weak constitutions will have some difficulty since the "worms" are realistic enough to cause churning of more than a few in the audience.

Tom Cavanagh and Hallie Kate Eisenberg stole the spotlight, but the young Ty Panitz could get some serious time on screen over the next few years.

Miss Eisenberg has developed from a cute face into a strong young actress with charm and wonderful comic delivery.

The story does a spectacular job in dealing with bullying, friendship, and fairness. It creates an opportunity to discuss these topics in an open and frank manner while recalling some "gross" scene from the film.