Sweet as a bag of gummi worms
By Julie Brown-Micko

Movie version of classic kid-lit appeals to nostalgic adults, too.

Before Anthony Bourdain gamely swallowed a warthog rectum, before local chef and celebrity Andrew Zimmern devoured frog hearts, there was a simpler time of “bizarre foods.” A time when shock-jock cuisine meant pre-adolescent kids munching worms on a dare. Those golden days, warmly chronicled in Thomas Rockwell’s classic 1973 book, How to Eat Fried Worms, have found new life in Director Bob Dolman’s modern movie interpretation of the kid-lit favorite.

Weak-stomached Billy Forrester (Luke Benward), who upchucks at the sight of clothes spinning in the dryer, is the film’s unlikely connoisseur of invertebrates. To find acceptance among the flinty-eyed fifth graders of his new school, he accepts a bully’s challenge to eat 10 worms in one day. The loser must walk through school with worms in his pants. The winner, of course, gains the respect of his peers. With fellow outcasts Erika (Hallie Kate Eisenberg) and Adam (Austin Rogers) at his side, the adventure begins. Bully Joe (Adam Hicks) and his gang try to find repugnant ways to serve the worms: fried in lard, of course, but also basted in liver juice, topped with ketchup and marshmallow fluff, blended with canned spinach, simmered in hot sauce and even cooked with a magnifying glass. How does Billy meet and master the challenge? Well, that’s the fun of this light little romp through the jungles of kidville.

The credits proudly proclaim that no worms were harmed in the making of the film but be warned: the slimy, wiggly, wormy special effects are good—very good. There’s plenty of goo and glop to satisfying the younger set’s appetite for disgusting sights, sounds and smells. Thankfully, some gentle comic touches balance out the gross-out factor. Unknown to Billy, his Dad (Thomas Cavanagh) also struggles to be accepted, submitting to the humiliation of a name tag at work, an electronic ID badge and, finally, wrestling (unsuccessfully) with the break room cappuccino machine.

The movie is as sweet as a half-pound bag of gummi worms. Good behavior and bravery are rewarded, fair play is the only way to win, and even the bully is redeemed in the end. Clearly Bob Dolman strives for a feel-good family movie. But the syrupy sentimentality of How To Eat Fried Worms makes it unlikely to appeal to today’s youth. The movie may find a more receptive audience among adults nostalgic for a simpler time when Dad knew best, dinner was at six o’clock sharp and bullies were mollified by a few fried worms.