How to Eat Fried Worms (2006) User Reviews

"Why don't they just ... ?"

[ginsteph · 4/10 · 3 September 2006]

I was dreading taking my nephews to this movie, as I didn't think it was going to be well done. The kids, ages 6 and 10 were set on seeing it, so I caved. I must admit that it was not nearly as bad as I had thought, but was still a far cry from the book. The movie seemed right on with the 10 year old's understanding and sense of humor. I found that the 6 year old understood what was going on and he was presenting solutions to the issues that were taking place. I eventually had to explain that sometimes the movies don't show the best solutions to the problems because it is more fun to watch what happens if they make the "silly" or "stupid" choices.

This movie is not as good as the book, and are the worms even real?

[Mark-AA84 · 5/10 · 30 May 2023]

I remember first reading the classic book by Thomas Rockwell when I was in elementary school, but this movie is beyond an adaptation of the book. In fact, it is nowhere near as good as the book, despite some of the humor seen. It is one of the lamest examples of how someone can attempt to adapt a movie from page to screen. Some of the scenes in the movie aren't even from the book like the Brown Taod restaurant. Also, in the book, Billy Forrester (the main protagonist) has to eat a worm a day for fifteen days in a row. If you want to see a better version of Rockwell's book brought to the screen, check out the episode from CBS Storybreak on YouTube..

A rare delicacy

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 24 November 2017]

A couple of future Disney bubblegum teens Luke Benward and Adam Hicks are featured in this film from their salad just reaching puberty days. Benward is the new kid in town and Hicks is the one leading a bullying squad against him.

This all is because Benward spilled a can full of bait worms on the classroom floor. To the sound of the phrase 'worm boy' he brazens it out saying he enjoys them, they're quite the delicacy.

Only Hicks counters with one of those triple dog dares that you never turn down. Eat 10 of them on Saturday without upchucking some intestine and you win. What I'm not sure, but as we learn in A Christmas Story you don't turn down a triple dog dare.

Benward and Hicks had better things in their future. I swear though Hicks could be the illegitimate son of brat packer Anthony Michael Hall from the 80s. Both Hall and Hicks did better things than this film.

If your taste runs to films where all the adults are idiots this is definitely your kind of movie.

A Horrible and Mean Spirited Movie

[ian_snively · 1/10 · 3 January 2014]

This film exploits the "gross-out" and "kids rule" to an extreme. There is nothing wrong with this, since shows on Nickelodeon had similar themes and were decent, but this film decides to force it down the audience's throats, with one-dimensional characters all around the board; who have little to no redeeming quality in their personality.

*SPOILER* The ending provides one of the worst morals you can give to a kid, seeing how the main character in the movie was a decent soul. By the end of the film, he wonders if he should stop this "bet" with these bullies. However, he makes the choice of finishing the bet, despite the trouble that he got into. He befriends the bullies, and they stuff a bunch of worms down the principal's pants (...nice). I also felt really sorry for the "witch" lady in the film. She was treated as this "evil" woman, and was pressured with rumors all around town. We end up knowing anything about her character, as she too is portrayed as the "crazy old hag" stereotype in the film (Remember kids. All old woman who live in a cabin by themselves with no company are crazy and should be mocked Moments like these are downright disgraceful.

The film would have been clever if, in the beginning, the characters seem like tropes, but end up being someone completely different (but only seem one-dimensional due to the obvious social pressure you see in the film). But the movie does otherwise, and tries to brainwash kids into a little world of stereotypes and insults just to make a quick buck.

I remember seeing this movie when I was a kid. This was the movie that woke me up; realizing that not every movie is going to be good. Even as a child, I thought that the gross "humor" and mean spirit atmosphere went to far. There was nothing to enjoy and no characters to like. It was painful all the way through.

Save your money. This movie is not even worth a rental. Trust me, there are much better family-friendly films out there that your kids can enjoy.

Good Family Film - with slime!

[SpudV · 7/10 · 18 September 2006]

It started out slow after an excellent animated intro, as the director had a bunch of characters and school setting to develop. Once the bet is on, though, the movie picks up the pace as it's a race against time to see if a certain number of worms can be eaten by 7 pm. We had a good opportunity on the way home to discuss some things with our son: bullies, helping others, mind over matter when you don't want to do something.

Of special note is the girl who played Erica (Erk): Hallie Kate Eisenberg. The director kinda sneaks her in unexpectedly, and when she is on-screen she is captivating. She's one of those "Hey, she looks familiar" faces, and then I remembered that she was the little girl that Pepsi featured about 8 years ago. She was also in "Paulie", that movie about the parrot who tries to find his way home.

Ms. Eisenberg made many TV and movie appearances in '99-00, but then was not seen much for the next few years. She's now 14 and is growing up to be a beautiful woman. Her smile really warms up the screen. If she can get some more good roles she could have as good a career (or better?) than Haley Joel Osment, another three named kid actor, but hopefully without some of the problems that Osment has been in lately.

Anywhozitz, according to my 8 y.o. son, who just finished reading the story, the film did not seem to follow the book all that well, but was entertaining none the less. The ending of the film seemed like a big setup for some sequels (How to Eat Boiled Slugs? Escargot Kid's Style?), which might not be such a bad thing. It was nice to take the family to a movie and not have to worry about language, violence or sex scenes.

One other good aspect of the movie was the respect/fear engendered by the principal Mr. Burdock (Boilerplate). Movies nowadays tend to show adult authority figures as buffoons. While he has one particular goofy scene, he ruled the school with a firm hand. It was also nice to see Andrea Martin getting some work.

Horrible Movie! - does not do justice to the book.

[xavier24 · 1/10 · 19 December 2006]

I have to admit I did not finish this movie because it was so amazingly stupid and not worth watching. I watched it with a room full of kids, who also were not laughing at the stupid and crude humor. The director, Bob Dolman, seems to be so obsessed with sphincters and genitalia that it overrides the real story that I grew up with. THIS IS NOT A GOOD FILM FOR KIDS! Besides the fact that the content is so crude, the movie is just stupid has bad flow and has no intelligence behind it. What a waste of a perfectly good story. If you read the book when you were younger and loved it, then don't waste your time watching a movie that so badly botches it that it makes you angry. Buy your kids the book instead.

Very good movie for the family

[swapshopman · 7/10 · 29 August 2006]

I sat with my children as we watched this film. We all found it to be a very entertaining movie.

When Billy goes to a new school, a fifth grade bully starts stuff with him and this is what leads to the eating of worms.

A bet is made and Billy has only so much time to eat 10 worms or else. From this point the bully and his friends try to come up with nasty ways to cook, fry or bake the worms to try and get Billy sick so that he will lose the bet.

Billy stays strong and eats his way into becoming liked more and more by everyone, even the bullies friends.

I wont tell you if he wins the bet or not...you will just need to watch it to find out but I will think that if you like good family movies you will like this one.

P.S. Let me add that this movie is not just for boys, I have all daughters and they really liked it a lot.

Disturbing movie! Do not let your kids watch this trash

[buddybickford · 1/10 · 25 October 2010]

So I put this on for my three year old Daughter, instead of watching a nice kids film we watch a film where the kid is bullied throughout the film, he is actually made to eat worms. We are supposed to believe that in some way the bully learns his lesson as he loses his friends, but the fact is that that is simply not enough, as the abuse suffered by the boy is never even nearly revenged, it's basically child abuse by children, very humiliating for the boy, traumatic, depressing, and misses the point completely, this is a 'Pro Bully' film. The writer and / or Director must like bullies and what they do. A disgraceful film, I actually feel guilty for having let my child watch this, but I never imagined someone would be so dumb to make a film that enjoys torturing a good kid. He gets called 'Worm Boy' at least one hundred times throughout the movie, the Director directs him to laugh a lot, as if this can somehow convince the audience that he's really not bothered about the abuse.

Disgraceful story, disgraceful film, I know who I'd like to make eat worms. Now I need to go and punch myself in the face as my Daughter looks quite upset.

Fun to make fun of (:

[tikalgirl52 · 3/10 · 5 October 2007]

I was bored, around 10pm, so I watched this movie. And I could not stop laughing. Everything was so ridiculous. The way the kids were acting like they were older than 11 just cracked me up. One of the kids had a ring, that supposedly killed people after 3 or so years. It gave me the impression that he wanted to be a gangster.

It's pretty hard to take little kids seriously, especially when it has to do with eating worms. They act like everything is such a big deal, like if Billy (the main character) doesn't eat the worms then the world will end.

This is a good movie for little kids (excluding the fact that a 5 year old says 'penis'), but not for teens or adults who don't want to waste their time.

A really fun family movie!

[revran · 10/10 · 9 September 2006]

My wife and I took our 13 year old son to see this film and were absolutely delighted with the winsome fun of the film. It has extra appeal to boys and men who remember their childhood, but even women enjoy the film and especially Hallie Kate Eisenberg's refrain, "Boys are so weird." It's refreshing to see a film that unapologetically shows that boys and girls are indeed different in their emotional and social makeup. Boys really do these kinds of strange things and usually survive to tell the story and scare their mothers silly! We enjoyed the film so much that my son and an 11 year old friend, myself and my daughters 23 year old boyfriend went to see the movie the next day for a guys day out. We had even more fun the second time around and everyone raved about it. It's clean and delightfully acted by a pre-adolescent cast reminiscent of the TV Classic "Freaks and Geeks". We all feel it will become a sleeper hit not unlike the "Freaks & Geeks" which didn't survive its first season but sold-out its DVD release. Do see it especially if you have boys and you'll find it stimulates conversation about fun and safety! Girls will love it because of the opportunity it affords to say, "Boys are so weird!" Don't miss it...

kid's humor works

[Ismale · 7/10 · 25 November 2006]

it's a weekend i've been watched this funny film. and i really like it. all the kids are cute, who remind me of my own childhood with those stupid thinking. it's a real entertaining movie for a group of families at weekend night, which could make lots of memories and laughters. Kid's humor always work. nice acting as well. simple story but cool shooting. nice job for directer to find the kid's way. when it comes to the kid movie, i think of "12 and holding". another one this year but differed aspect to the kid's world, which is real and cruel. awesome work. H2EFW focuses on the happy side of childhood, which every kid and family need. p.s. Twitch, i think, is the voice of Nemo from "Finding Nemo".

A hard act to swallow

[Ali_John_Catterall · 5/10 · 15 November 2009]

Among the American Library Association's '100 Most Frequently Challenged (ie challenging) Books Of 1990 - 2001', Thomas Rockwell's classic children's novel 'How To Eat Fried Worms' sits at number 96.

Quite why it was deemed fitting for the ALA's sinbin, alongside such horrors as 'Mommy Laid An Egg', 'My Brother Sam Is Dead' and the ever-popular 'The Boy Who Lost His Face', is mystifying. As a classmate observes in Bob (The Banger Sisters) Dolman's very loose screen adaptation, "normal people don't eat worms." Well, not normally, but if there's a matter of personal honour at stake, boys of all ages will do all kinds of impossible things.

In Rockwell's original novel, our young protagonist Billy is dared by his pals to scoff 15 fried worms in as many consecutive days. Should he succeed, he'll win a mini bike. If he loses, he has to cough up 50 greenbacks, along with those masticated worm segments.

Upping the ante, the screen version of How To Eat Fried Worms sees 11-year-old Billy (Benward) obliged by fifth-grade despot Joe (Hicks) to eat 10 of the squirming critters in one day - else take a shuffle of shame down the school corridor with his pants stuffed with live nightcrawlers. For Billy, a dweeb-magnet in a new school, the task is further complicated by the fact he's already got a weak stomach. What follows may cause those of a squeamish disposition to mislay the contents of their own.

If you've seen one worm devourment, you've seen them all, so to hold the interest, Billy's slithery snacks are given the Nigella makeover, with dishes called things like 'The Barfmallow', 'The Radioactive' (steamed in a microwave) and 'The Fireball' (drowned in chilli sauce); a flair for home economics previously unheard of in rough-and-tumble fifth-grade boys.

Will Billy win the bet? Well, there's so little suspense involved - after the first wriggler's taken the train to tummytown, Billy has little trouble polishing off the rest - that it's pretty hard to care. Plus, it's difficult to believe that by forcing down the unsavoury fare, poor Billy will win a new-found respect and cease to be called 'Wormboy'. If anything, the reverse would be the case. One imagines him starting his first day at the stock exchange, and a fellow trader saying, "Hey... aren't you the guy who ate the worms?"

Naturally, this is all secondary to the real message, driven home with the subtlety of a chainsaw; that bullies are made, not born, and if we only took time out to understand their problems we could unite both sides of the Gaza Strip. We're in Stand By Me territory, with that movie's blend of gross-out humour and heartfelt adolescent bonding, and those elements don't always prove such a digestible mix here.

That said, Dolman's a good director of kids, able, as Herr Lipp of 'The League Of Gentlemen' would undoubtedly say, to "put himself inside an 11-year-old boy". Hicks, as the bullying and bullied Joe, is standout. The frankly horrifying rumour that one punch from Joe's 'death ring' will lead to a belated death by perforated ulcer in the eighth grade is a fine example of adolescent psychosis. While exchanges like "His mind told his vomit to stay inside his stomach." "Impossible!" "Yeah, puke has a mind of its own," would fit quite comfortably in a 'grown-up' comedy.

The best line, though, is the one about an old woods-dwelling woman who the kids are afraid of: "Some people call her the two-headed witch. Know why? Coz she had two heads once. But one fell off."

"And He Got Sick At The Zoo From Watching A Pig Lick Itself." --- Woody (Ty Panitz)

[Robert_Hearth · 5/10 · 4 March 2007]

"How to Eat Fried Worms" (2006)

Directed By: Bob Dolman

Starring: Luke Benward, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Adam Hicks, Austin Rogers, Alexander Gould, Clint Howard, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Ty Panitz & Thomas Cavanagh

MPAA Rating: "PG" (for mild bullying and some crude humor)

I had read "How to Eat Fried Worms" when I was younger, but I hadn't even thought about it for years. When I heard they were making it into a movie, I remembered reading it, but nothing else about it. I saw the trailer and, I must admit, that I didn't really get the feeling that this would be a good movie. In fact, the trailer made it look gross and, ultimately, just didn't make me want to see the movie at all. In a world where trailers often show the best parts of the movie, a trailer that makes the film look bland is never a good sign. When critics greeted it with a surprisingly warm reception (I expected it to be much, much colder), I actually got excited. Could it possibly be that the trailer was just a bad trailer for a good movie? It has happened before. When I finally saw "How to Eat Fried Worms", I realized that the trailer definitely was misleading, though not completely wrong. It is far better than its advertisements suggested, though still just an average kids' film. It will entertain the kids, though parents will probably be grossed out and, ultimately, it just isn't anything special. "Average" is a word I have had to use far too much lately and, unfortunately, it is the word that sums up "How to Eat Fried Worms" as well.

Billy (Benward) is the new kid at school and is, automatically, the target of the school's bully, Joe (Hicks). When Joe switches Billy's lunch with a bunch of live worms, Billy, not wanting to let Joe think he is upset, pretends to love eating worms and thus a battle of wits ensues. Joe bets Billy that Billy can't eat ten worms and Billy accepts the bet. Whoever loses will have to come to school with worms in their pants. How many times have we heard a plot similar to this--the new kid at school becoming the target of the token bully? If there has ever been a more tired plot beginner then I have never seen it. But, this is not the only thing that is clichéd in "How to Eat Fried Worms"? The middle and the end have also been done before, leaving absolutely no room for imagination or surprises. We have seen this all before.

The performances in "How to Eat Fried Worms" are about what you would expect from its young cast. They are by no means award-worthy, but they all serve their purpose well enough, I suppose. And besides, the target audience really won't be complaining about underwhelming performances. Luke Benward carries the movie, because he is in almost every scene. He does a nice job…no complaints here. Hallie Kate Eisenberg, despite having starred in a few big Hollywood productions, is probably best known for starring in a series of Pepsi commercials. Here, she really isn't given much to do, but she does with it what she can. Adam Hicks pretty much plays the same old bully we have seen over and over again, time after time. I can't blame him for this, because he is a fourteen year old actor who probably hasn't seen a lot of the performances from which his character was ripped off. The rest of the cast does a decent job. It all worked well enough.

"How to Eat Fried Worms" is a horribly unoriginal movie. It was so clichéd and stereotypical that there was practically no room for creativity or originality. Unfortunately, for everyone who has seen even a quarter of the movies produced by Hollywood each year, there really isn't much of a reason to see this…however, "How to Eat Fried Worms" was not made for these people. It was made for kids…and, for kids, "How to Eat Fried Worms" is a solid enough watch. It's a safe film, despite being gross and almost completely repulsive, but kids will enjoy it. Parents probably won't. "How to Eat Fried Worms" is made specifically for its target audience and that audience will like it. Did I enjoy it? Well, I'm going to recommend it, but it isn't a movie that I would go out of my way to watch again. If I am ever watching television one lazy Saturday afternoon and "How to Eat Fried Worms" comes on, then I would probably watch it again. Despite being glaringly obvious, it's a comical movie that kids will have fun with it…even if parents will find it to be rather dull and completely uninventive.

Final Thought: Kids will like it…regardless of how clichéd it is.

Overall Rating: 5/10 (B-)

I liked it but ...

[jake_gyllenhaalic · 7/10 · 10 September 2006]

I really liked the movie. I remember reading it several times as a kid and was glad to see a movie had been made about the book.

I was kid-sitting for a boy and a girl, ages 11 and 8 and had to talk the girl in to seeing the movie. But happily, at the end, she was glad she saw it and even said that she wanted to buy it on DVD as soon as it came out.

There were some great laugh-out-loud moments and the movie was not as "gross" as I expected it would be ... tho it did rank pretty high up there on the gross-o-meter ...

The only thing I cannot figure out is why they had to have the "dilly" line in there that was done by Woody in reference to his private part ... that to me was the only shocker moment (and you could hear the adults in the audience audibly gasp at that moment in the movie) ... I have no clue why that was put in the movie; it added nothing to the actual movie except for that shock/gasp factor ... other than that, a pretty good movie. Nice to see the "Pepsi" girl all grown up.

Only for kids

[princebansal1982 · 5/10 · 27 June 2011]

This movie has an interesting premise and all the actors have done a good job. But there is not enough plot to make it past 40 minute mark. However movies just goes on one hour after that by repeating the same things again and again.

I can't argue with the intentions of the movie. It is a very well intended and sweet family film. It is about bullying and friendship and about kids being kids. But there is a lot of repetition. I think I would have loved it if it had more plot wise.

As it stands now, I would recommend it only for kids. Adults are just going to get bored after half an hour.

Brought my kids age 6 and 3...

[nvarea · 7/10 · 30 August 2006]

Let's keep it simple: My two kids were glued to this movie. It has its flaws from an adult perspective, but buy some jelly-worms and just enjoy it.

And the Pepsi girl was excellent!

And Kimberly Williams was pretty gosh-darned hot, although she's not in the film very much, so don't get too excited there.

Not that's it's really a bad thing, but it is the kind of movie you watch just once. Don't buy the DVD.

Enjoy!

Did I mention Kimberly Williams? (That was for the dads.)

Intestinal Fortitude

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 26 October 2009]

Squeamish 11-year-old Luke Benward (as Billy "Worm Boy" Forrester) moves to a new town. At his new school, young Benward is picked on by the other boys. They put worms in his thermos. Getting his gag reflex under control, Benward tosses a worm on freckle-faced bully Adam Hicks (as Joe Guire). Benward bets he can eat 10 worms in one day - without regurgitation!

Tall, teased Hallie Kate Eisenberg (as Erika "Erk" Tansy) uses her archery skills to help Benward. Director and former SCTV writer Bob Dolman promises, "No worms were harmed in the making of this movie." In a related note, SCTV star Andrea Martin has one funny scene. "How to Eat Fried Worms" is loosely based on Thomas Rockwell's popular novel. Pre-teen kids into gross-outs should enjoy the film.

**** How to Eat Fried Worms (8/25/06) Bob Dolman ~ Luke Benward, Adam Hicks, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Alexander Gould

Good, But I Expected More!

[g-bodyl · 7/10 · 30 January 2009]

This is a good movie, a good family movie to watch if you have nothing else to do. If you are expecting this movie to be word to word from the book, you will be very very disappointed. I was somewhat disappointed because I read the book a few times when I was in elementary school.

This is about a new kid in town named Billy. He makes a bet with the school bully and the bet is not like most bets. Billy has to eat 10 worms in one day or the bully wins.

The acting is OK, probably the worst part of the movie. The kid actors over exaggerate on many things. They think it's apocalypse if Billy does not eat the worms. Hallie Eisenberg did a magnificent job, though.

The plot line is good as a movie, but it sucks as a book adaptation. I was able to watch this movie without looking at the time....sometimes.

Overall, this was a good family movie with some weak points. I rate this movie 7/10.

This is really bad.

[invisibleunicornninja · 2/10 · 11 May 2018]

This is a pretty bad movie. It looks really cheap and all the actors are terrible. I'm not just talking about the child actors, everyone here is pretty bad. Overall the movie is just gross and pointless.

The only reason why I watched this is because my brother read the book and wanted to see the movie. Apparently it is extremely inaccurate to the book. I don't really care, but even fans of this nonsense don't like it.

Nothing like book but still enjoyed it!

[tammywsmith · 9/10 · 21 August 2006]

I remembered this as being one of my favorite books as a child and had been wanting to read it to my 5 year old daughter for a while now. I knew the movie was coming out soon so we went to the library to get the book and they gave us preview passes for the next day! We rushed home and spent the afternoon reading the book so we could compare. Wasn't necessary. The only thing in common between the book and the movie is the main characters' first name, the fact that there is a bet, and a whole lot of worm eating. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the kid who cooks most of the worms likes to present his masterpieces with a french accent. How the kids know each other, the number of kids involved, how the bet came about, the number of worms that must be eaten, the time frame in which he has to eat the worms, how they are cooked, progression of friendships, climax scenes, etc., NOTHING is the same. But somehow, it did not ruin the movie for me. The characters are all enjoyable, and the film did not leave me disappointed. Word of caution for parents, there was one moment when you could hear the adults in the room collectively draw their breath and that was when Billy's little brother referred to his penis as a "dilly dick". The embarrassing part came when my daughter proceeded to ask those sitting around us, "Does anybody know what a dilly dick is?" lol. That and an occasional "shut up" is as foul mouthed as this film gets. My daughter thought she might get sick around worm 3 and 4 (and was holding the empty nacho container just in case) but was fine by worm 6. She and I both really enjoyed the film and had a wonderful time sharing the experience.

"Worms" nothing to squirm at

[Ronald_Mexico · 10/10 · 10 October 2006]

Watching the commercials for this movie, I was fairly convinced that I was going to loathe it. For one thing, it was one of those "loosely based on the novel" movies, which usually means that the book author saw the script, hated it, and refused to be associated with the film. Worse, the trailer showed only the most mundane slapstick imaginable (ex: kid gets squirted in the face with a garden hose...and falls over). So when my little brother got it into his mind that this was the "must see" film of the season (of course, he thought the same thing about "Cars", "Over the Hedge", "The Ant Bully", "Monster House", etc, etc), I was admittedly less than thrilled.

But once at the theater, the film won me over for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, the writers capture 'kid dialogue' better than just about any other children's film I've ever seen. A prime example of this comes directly after the boys' principal accidentally eats a worm stuck in an egg omelet. The boys do a lame, over-exaggerated impression of the principal lecturing them, which makes it realistic since all little kids think (mistakenly) that they do great mocking expressions of their adult tormentors. Then one of the boys asks, "Why did he say, 'alley oop'?" Another boy responds, "Maybe he's crazy!" and the entire group laughs uproariously. Not an overly witty rejoinder, but exactly the kind of thing a young kid would come up with on the spot and exactly the type of remark other kids his age would find hilarious. As if to confirm it, my kid brother laughed right on cue when they were spoken on-screen; I could practically hear his voice spouting the same exact lines if he was placed in a similar situation.

Another reason the movie works is that the writers manage to work in issues like bullying, sibling relationships, the new kid in school, and peer pressure/conformity without making any of them seem as though they were subplots for some after school special. For example, the bully (Joe) isn't stereotypical; he's definitely bad but not pure evil, and just enough of his home-life is revealed that the audience feels sympathy for him and understands his bullying origins. There's also no "cue the dramatic music" moment where Billy ('Worm Boy') realizes what a complete tool he's being to his younger brother Woody, and yet, by the end of the movie, some type of minor transformation has been made. There's some realism here in the way the characters resolve situations and in the way they relate to each other, and very little of it comes across as corny.

The only drawback to the movie comes in the form of an absolutely laughable dance scene that even the creators of the infamous McDonald's dance party in "Mac and Me" would scoff at. Why oh why was it put into the movie?? Did Austin Rogers (Adam) pull a Macaulay Culkin and refuse to take the role unless he was given a vehicle to showcase his oh so impressive dancing skills? The entire sequence definitely did not need to be there and had slightly less comedic value than any given show on "The History Channel".

Overall, though, this movie was excellent, and the length (about an hour and twenty minutes) was just about perfect. One of the best, most realistic live action kid films you'll ever see if you're ever around children or just remember what being a kid was actually like.

Loved the movie

[A2003sportsfan · 9/10 · 25 December 2006]

I thought the kids in the movie were great. I deal with kids in that age group, and I thought their behaviors were very believable. I did have a problem with the reference to the private parts made by the 5-year old. I didn't think the comment was necessary and actually slightly lowered my opinion of the movie.

I think Luke Benward is up and coming star. I would like to see more of him on the big screen. I enjoyed his reactions to the situations that he found himself in. Often kids in this age group do things without thinking through the consequences. Almost all of the actors did this throughout the movie.

I also think the message of bullying needs to be examined more in movies with this age group. It is a major problem in schools today.

The ending was quite unexpected. Billy's thoughts on whether he won or didn't win the bet were very surprising. How he handled that situation was excellent. Too often today kids are not willing to compromise. The actors in this movie showed that compromise is an important part of life.

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

[Hattrick-2 · 8/10 · 19 August 2006]

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.

A Kid's Movie that I actually enjoyed too!

[bkahlich · 8/10 · 4 September 2006]

After being forced to sit through some real stinkers (Racing Stripes, Shark Boy and Lava Girl) -- I truly enjoyed watching "Fried Worms". For once, I did not guess the ending! It was funny and entertaining and didn't resort to a ton of gross-out humor, despite the title. My boys (6 and 10) both LOVED it too -- oh and my 45 year old "boy" had a smile on his face the whole time. This is a family movie that is not just tolerable for the parents. The relationship with the little brother is so close to real life. "He is not stopping singing just to annoy me!!" Also, the way the new kid tries to make friends and how those friendships actually form is right-on with the way kids behave. Of course the parents have to act a little goofy -- but my favorite scenes involved the Dad getting used to his new job. Have fun!

Wonderful,hilarious, gross!! touching movie!! ~~SPOILERS~~

[momofmallory · 8/10 · 20 August 2006]

~~I was able to see this movie yesterday morning on a early viewing pass~~

I am a mom of 2 children, who range from 11 down to 6. So I'm sure plenty of parents can relate to having to see many many "kids" movies. This was refreshing for me. I haven't read this particular book, so I don't know if it stayed true to the book or not. But it sure took the grossness factor to a high level. This is the story of the "new" kid in town and it just so happens that there are a group of boys who have formed a club of sorts and love to pick on kids ....sound familiar? Haven't we all suffered this one time or another. He has the little brother who he cant stand and parents that he is embarrassed about. What I enjoyed most of all was seeing how each character was totally different from another they all stood out. The bully (why do they always make the bully a red head? My daughter has red hair! and she is no bully!..lol) is well a great bully, who finds himself being yelled at by his own big brother. It took twists and turns and well you fall in love with all of them and really find yourself routing for all the characters! Even the parents, great connection between father and son. All around enjoyable, sweet,funny, gross etc......Take your kids!!! You will enjoy it as much as they do!