How to Eat Fried Worms (film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids How to Eat Fried Worms
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Bob Dolman
Produced by	Mark Johnson Philip Steuer
Screenplay by	Bob Dolman
Starring	Luke Benward Adam Hicks James Rebhorn Kimberly Williams-Paisley Tom Cavanagh
Music by	Mark Mothersbaugh Bob Mothersbaugh
Cinematography	Richard Rutkowski
Editing by	Janice Hampton Frederick Wardell
Studio	Walden Media
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release date(s)	August 25, 2006 (2006-08-25)
Running time	84 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Money made	$13.1 million

How to Eat Fried Worms is a funny family movie from 2006. It was written and directed by Bob Dolman. The film is based on the popular 1973 children's book by Thomas Rockwell called How to Eat Fried Worms.

The movie was made by Walden Media and released by New Line Cinema. It came out in the United States and Canada on August 25, 2006. The film stars Luke Benward, Adam Hicks, and Hallie Eisenberg. Critics had mixed feelings about the movie.

Story of the Film

A young boy named Billy Forrester (Luke Benward) has just moved to a new town. He gets sick easily, especially when he sees gross things. Billy is worried about being the "new kid" at school. His mom, Helen (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), and dad, Mitch (Tom Cavanagh), try to make him feel better. His little brother is Woody (Ty Panitz).

At school, Billy quickly becomes a target for the school bully, Joe Guire (Adam Hicks). Joe has a group of friends, including Plug (Blake Garrett) and Bradley (Philip Daniel Bolden). They pick on Billy and call him "Billy F." They even steal his lunch box!

During lunch, Billy opens his thermos. Instead of food, a pile of live earthworms falls out! Plug and Bradley had put them there. Billy almost throws up, but he manages to stay strong. Joe asks if Billy eats worms. Billy bravely says, "I eat them all the time!" Then he throws a worm at Joe's face.

Later, Joe and his friends catch Billy on his way home. Joe dares Billy to eat ten worms in one day. This has to happen on the coming Saturday. If Billy can't eat all the worms without throwing up, he has to walk around school with worms in his pants. Billy knows he can't back out, so he agrees to the bet.

The next day, Billy teams up with a smart kid named Adam (Austin Rogers). They try to cook the first worm, "Le Big Porker," in a park. A park ranger chases them for using a grill without an adult. They get away!

For the second and third worms, "The Greasy Brown Toad Bloater Special," they go to Adam's uncle Ed's (Clint Howard) restaurant. Uncle Ed kicks them out for having worms in his kitchen. After Billy eats the fourth worm, "The Burning Fireball," his mouth burns. Two of Joe's friends, Twitch (Alexander Gould) and Techno-Mouth (Andrew Gillingham), are impressed. They leave Joe's team and join Billy.

Billy, Techno-Mouth, Twitch, and Adam then go to a store. Adam plays a dancing video game. One of the boys spills a drink, and the machine breaks. They get kicked out! At the playground, Billy eats three more worms: "Magni-Fried," "Barfmallo," and "Peanut Butter and Worm Jam Sandwich."

After dinner, the boys visit a bait shop. Billy eats two more worms there: "The Green Slusher" and "Radioactive Slime Delight." The owner returns unexpectedly and chases them for breaking in. Joe tries to cheat so Billy won't eat the last worm. But all of Joe's friends leave him and join Billy's team.

Billy eats the final worm, "Worm A La Mud," just before the deadline. Joe's older brother, Nigel (Nick Krause), tries to bully Joe. But Billy and his new friends stand up for Joe. They tell Nigel to leave him alone, and Nigel leaves.

That night, Billy thinks about the bet. He realizes that the second worm was accidentally eaten by their principal, Mr. Burdock (James Rebhorn). This happened when Adam accidentally put it in the principal's omelet at Uncle Ed's restaurant.

The next day, Billy tells Joe about the worm the principal ate. Mr. Burdock almost catches them when a worm falls out of Billy's pants. Joe quickly covers it with his shoe. After the principal leaves, all the kids run outside. They celebrate by taking the worms out of their pants and throwing them into the air!

Meet the Cast

Movie vs. Book: What's Different?

Both the movie and the book are about a bet to eat earthworms. But there are some big differences.

In the book, four friends make the bet during summer. Billy has to eat fifteen worms over fifteen days. He wants to win fifty dollars to buy a dirt bike.

The movie adds many new things not in the book. For example, Billy is new at school. Joe is a bully, and Billy has a weak stomach. Also, Joe threatens Billy with a "Death Ring." In the book, Billy's parents find out about the bet. He wins the bet in the book, but in the movie, it's more like a tie.

All the worms in the book are nightcrawlers. The character Erika, who helps Billy in the movie, doesn't appear until the book's next story, How to Fight a Girl.

Awards and Nominations

The film received some awards and nominations:

Soundtrack Songs

Here are some of the songs featured in the movie:

• "The Tide Is High" – Sung by Matthew Sweet
• "Gone" – Sung by All Too Much
• "Baby Beluga" – Sung by Ty Panitz
• "Human Hands" – Written and Sung by Joe Mannix, Chris Peck, Bob Bruchu and Ed Fingerling
• "Get Ready for This" – Sung by 2 Unlimited
• "3 Little Bird" – Sung by Hallie Kate Eisenberg and Ty Panitz
• "Rocket Full of Power" – Sung by The Wipeouters
• "Move Your Feet" – Sung by Junior Senior
• "Jungle Boogie" – Sung by Kool & The Gang
• "Yum Yum Yum" – Sung by Mark Mothersbaugh, Robert Mothersbaugh (as Bob Mothersbaugh) and Bob Casale

See also

In Spanish: How to Eat Fried Worms para niños