Featured Audience Ratings

• Cynthia S

  
  What a wonderful little movie! Nice BBC film based on the early life of UK food critic Nigel Slater. Good performances by Oscar Kennedy as the young Nigel, and Freddie Highmore as the teenaged Nigel. In addition to providing food porn in dessert form, the set design is also awesome… More
  What a wonderful little movie! Nice BBC film based on the early life of UK food critic Nigel Slater. Good performances by Oscar Kennedy as the young Nigel, and Freddie Highmore as the teenaged Nigel. In addition to providing food porn in dessert form, the set design is also awesome with lots of yellows and greens. Very 60s! For the sharp-eyed, Nigel Slater makes a cameo near the end as a chef at the Savoy. A truly nice surprise, because I wasn't expecting too much from this movie. I love when I am treated to a true delight!

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Freddie Highmore, Ken Stott, Matthew McNulty, Clare Higgins, Victoria Hamilton, Selina Cadell, Tracey Wilkinson Director: S.J. Clarkson Summary: Adapted from famed food writer Nigel Slater's memoir, this drama centers on young Nigel, who struggles… More
  Cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Freddie Highmore, Ken Stott, Matthew McNulty, Clare Higgins, Victoria Hamilton, Selina Cadell, Tracey Wilkinson Director: S.J. Clarkson Summary: Adapted from famed food writer Nigel Slater's memoir, this drama centers on young Nigel, who struggles with his mother's death, a troubled relationship with his father and a new stepmother even as he pursues his passion for cooking. My Thoughts: "Unfortunately I found the story to be a bit boring just like the food this film is named after. I just couldn't get into the film. I felt bad for Nigel for having a hard hearted father and a sick mother. But besides the performances, there was nothing in the film worth keeping my attention."

• Walter M

  
  While young Nigel(Oscar Kennedy) may love his parents(Victoria Hamilton & Ken Stott), he is nowhere near that fond of his mother's cooking, even though she can rock a slice of toast. Inspired to do better, Nigel cooks them spaghetti bolognese for dinner, a dish they are… More
  While young Nigel(Oscar Kennedy) may love his parents(Victoria Hamilton & Ken Stott), he is nowhere near that fond of his mother's cooking, even though she can rock a slice of toast. Inspired to do better, Nigel cooks them spaghetti bolognese for dinner, a dish they are puzzled by. That all turns to be a moot point when Nigel's mother falls ill, a condition he initially thinks might be caused by her being pregnant. "Toast" is an oddly engaging movie that is aided by some great moments, including one where Nigel's friend points out that growing up in a dysfunctional household can only make him interesting as an adult, a sentiment I would like to agree with despite the lack of scientific studies. And that's not to mention a controlled gonzo turn from Helena Bonham Carter that turns Mrs. Potter from monstrous to I think something approaching a tragic figure. All of this is in the service of learning not to take anything for granted. But then "Toast" is set in the dreary back end of England(at first I thought this might be the 50's until a random group of hippies are shown on a pier and the great use of Dusty Springfield songs) which is quite possibly hell for any aspiring foodie, if the reported awfulness of English food is/was anything to go by. On the other hand, the fact that we get both ends of the spectrum of dishes admittedly does go a long way to disprove that whole line of thought.

• John C

  
  A "foodie flick" that is right up there with Babette's Feast and Eat Drink Man Woman in having the focal point being food glorious food. It was a bit of a trifle but very filling. (10-18-11)