How To Eat Fried Worms -- 2006 -- PG

So a kid movie based on the book of the same name. I think I may have actually read this at some point in my younger life, but I don't remember anything about it. Probably wouldn't make any difference if I did. The film adaptation offers not only a decent coming of age type story, but also a fair amount of total gross-out effects (and no worms harmed during the making of the film).

Moving stories of kids changing schools and trying to fit in with the new culture on the other side of those foreboding school building doors are nothing new in the movie world. In fact, most kid stories are either this type of story or some kid doing something superheroic that only a child watching the film would accept. This film gives us a big twist on its tread-worn concept. This kid is initiated into the culture with a surprise lunch box full of worms. He makes the fatal mistake of saying he eats worms which inevitably leads to the bet that he will eat ten worms by sundown on the first Saturday he's in the new school.

The bet solidified, the bully makes every effort to make the worm experience the worst of this new kid's life (as if eating worms to begin with weren't bad enough). The worm eating sequences are absolutely disgusting. The worms are very realistic and they look even worse when "cooked" or prepared; I found myself on the verge of gagging just watching some of this. Eat your heart out, Friday the 13th...oh wait, they did that in the ninth one...sorry, I digress.

We have a handful of main kid characters who get acquainted incredibly fast, which is realistic for kids who instantly trust each other beyond what adults would even think of doing. Even though there are a lot, we get to know them fairly well for as many as there are and as short as the film is. There are some very short sequences of mom and dad in there along with dad adjusting to his new job, but these scenes are thankfully short since we really want to get back to our boy and his antics at school and such. So as the worm-eating bet moves on, new kid earns the respect of his new found peers, much to the chagrin of the bully who thinks they're his posse and his alone.

This may be a kids movie, but I actually enjoyed it. It isn't perfect and has a sappy ending to make the kiddies feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but it plays the gross out factor very admirably, and doesn't hold back at all. Great fun.