Toast (2010 TV Movie) User Reviews

A coming-of-age memoir as complicated as TOAST.

[twilliams76 · 6/10 · 13 July 2011]

The film, Toast, is based upon the autobiographical book, Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger, written by English food writer, journalist and broadcaster, Nigel Slater. It is a memoir of Slater's early years and his memories of his mother who died when he was just 9 years old.

The book/film is entitled Toast as that was the ONE food his mother was able to successfully cook ... and he tells us that a person will always love the one who prepared slices of the warm, crunchy, buttery goodness to you as a child. The young Nigel must've held true to this mantra even in childhood, as he never accepted or trusted his father's new "cleaning lady", Mrs. Potter (Helena Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd, The King's Speech, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), who won her way into his father's heart with her culinary expertise ... much to Nigel's chagrin.

As Nigel was already interested in food (he'd drool over the exotic cheeses at his local grocer or sneak a flashlight into his bed to look at the mouth-watering pictures in the family cookbooks), he eventually becomes highly competitive with Mrs. Potter in hopes of winning-over his always-distant father.

Toast takes place over a span of ten years and so Nigel is played by two different actors. Young Nigel is played by a remarkable Oscar Kennedy who is making his feature film debut (!!!) while the older, teenage Nigel is played by Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland, The Spiderwick Chronicles). Highmore is a great, young actor; but it is surprising to admit that the younger, less-experienced Kennedy outshines him in this film as Kennedy's Nigel does more of the grieving and Highmore is scripted to do more of the pouting.

Toast isn't as boring as the title makes it sound; nor is it overly compelling as it turns into a most-conventional, lite-biopic. Bonham Carter is always good and her scheming, competitively outrageous behavior here is the butter on this piece of toast. The film is about Nigel Slater (kind of a blank page as he gets older) but he wouldn't have become who he is without the provocation of this film's Kitchen Queen, Mrs. Potter ... nor would the film be what it is without Bonham Carter.

Very refreshing journey through 60's Britain! Brilliant Cast, Brilliant Storyline!

[Cherry-Chopstick · 8/10 · 30 December 2010]

I loved watching this very nice trip into the past! The way all the actors portrayed their characters was amazing. Particularly Helena Bonham Carter is great in this movie! Watching the title character, Nigel, progress throughout the film, discovering himself as well as his love for food, made the film a lot more interesting to watch. Apart from that, the different types of food being cooked made you long for a taste! The only down point of the movie, was the abrupt ending. In the last five minutes so much happened, that should have needed to be explained more. It would have been nice to see what happens next, after Nigel started his new job, after leaving his home and Mrs. Potter. All in all, "Toast" was a lovely trip into nostalgic, vintage Britain, with superb actors, and some interesting twists (like Nigel realizing something important about himself and his identity) Definitely a film one should watch!!!

Gourmet

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 24 November 2011]

A very fine little movie. And a good exhibition for the actors, who have plenty to work with here. Helena Bonham Carter has a lot of fun and she is cast perfectly. The young actor is really good too. And while I am not always fond of the "based on ...", this feels rather like a movie then say a biopic.

It is light and has a lot of comedy to it, so it is not heavy drama. On the other hand, I don't think it is good for any recipes. I certainly don't remember anything much from that part of the movie. But you know it is called Toast for a reason, of course. A very nice and decent little movie, that is worth your time :o)

"Go see Toast. Then cook something."

[christine-705-717153 · 13 March 2014]

The British always seem to have such interesting faces, and because of that their movies seems to have more depth and feeling than American movies. Toast is no exception. This movie contains little dialogue and relies much on visual communication, which could easily have turned it into one of those movies that makes you glance at your watch every twenty minutes. But the casting of such physically unique individuals makes it riveting.

The dynamics of family. I know, I know. Do we really need to go there again? Yes we do, and Toast puts it out there in a raw, you-are-scarred-for-life way that we can all relate to. It hurts to watch the way Nigel Carter, the British food writer on whose biography the movie is based, hurl insults at his dying mother, knowing this behavior will haunt him in the end. It's equally hard to watch the miscommunication between father and son—this could be any home in America where parents and children seem to speaking foreign tongues to each other, tearing the already weakened fabric of parent-child relationships. It's a wonder anyone survives.

But Nigel was a survivor. I liked how he listened to the voice inside him, ignoring society's pressure to fit in. In school he was the only male who chose to take home economics over shop, and he stood at his father's wedding by the cake he'd made so carefully, even though the wedding represented everything that would alienate him even further from his father. Our Nigel did it his way. I half-expected to to hear that Frank Sinatra song at some point during the film.

I loved the reference to toast. "Soft inside the toasted shell, where the butter nestles in…" or something like that. I loved toast when I was growing up, and I think it is the only comfort food that doesn't have a sugar base. My personal favorite was cinnamon toast, but hey, to each his own. I have never met anyone who doesn't like toast, and it was a perfect metaphor.

Which leads us to wonder, is it possible Nigel's mother was that bad a cook? Is it possible that someone could boil cans for dinner and burn them? Go see Toast. Then cook something. Feed those you love with culinary delights you enjoy making and let the sweet and savory fetes roll.

Nice film.

Interesting... but anticlimactic.

[Restharrow · 6/10 · 30 May 2012]

The casting choices were very good in my opinion; very individual characters who you really feel as if you get to know. Freddie Highmore came in too late unfortunately. The sudden switch lost my sense of attachment to Nigel, and it was too near to the end to have it rebuild. I loved Oscar Kennedy. I thought he was amazing.

The ending was such a letdown, I was still waiting for the 'real ending' when it happened. Nigel's sexuality wasn't really emphasized, nor was it not mentioned. It was just 'there'. It wasn't played into the plot line or Nigel's character development. Probably the most anticlimactic bit after the ending.

Good. But could have been a lot better.

Rated higher than I feel about Nigel.

[jeff-2051 · 7/10 · 1 July 2018]

The film is quite good. However, if Nigel is this big of a c*** in real life, I wish him nothing but the most tortuous suffering he deserves. Horrible human.

A good adaptation of the book

[dannydenshaw · 7/10 · 1 September 2015]

This is a film with many elements to entice me, as a lover of fine food, admirer of Nigel Slater and fan of British independent cinema. I have been put off watching it till now, though, not being keen on biopics and doubting that there was enough substance to Slater's autobiographical novel to make a full-length feature.

In fact, there probably wasn't, but it didn't matter thanks to strong performances all round. Oscar Kennedy makes a notable début as the 9 year-old Nigel and Ken Stott was made for the part as his emotionally stunted, bullying father; but for me it was Helena Bonham Carter who stole the show as the manipulative, vulgar and mildly toxic Mrs Potter. Freddie Highmore, in his first young-adult role, was good too and carries what feels like a rushed ending well, though the role didn't give him the chance to shine as an actor as he did in the likes of August Rush.

(MILD SPOILER FOLLOWS) The weakness in the screenplay for me was the cut from Slater's childhood to his late adolescence 2/3 of the way through the film. It jarred the continuity and left me wondering what had gone on in the intervening years. From then on I felt the story lost its way, and all sympathy for the protagonist evaporated with his behaviour, which seemed every bit as heartless as his step-mother's. It seemed to me that Slater's intention was to portray how much of a bitch the woman was but, if that's the case then it misfired in my heart.

A thoroughly enjoyable film all the same: whimsical, nostalgic (even for one born in the '80s) and engaging in its own right. One wouldn't have to be aware of who Nigel Slater is to enjoy it.

Possible spoilers

[duerden60 · 6/10 · 18 December 2019]

I have a couple of Nigel Slater's books and like his simple un-fussy style of cooking so looked forward to learning a little of his kitchen training. I didn't get any of that, how can you have a film about a famous chef without some insight of his training? Nigel's mother can't cook, there is no such thing as can't! Anyone can learn, so is it laziness, stupidity or what? I found the woman tiresome, sure she became increasingly ill but at her age she surely could do more than sling a few tins in boiling water. Her son soon showed her how. Dad was on medication for his gut so no wonder he was bad tempered, toast isn't healthy. Along comes H.B. Carter, she's amazing, cleans, cooks like a chef, sexy and for some inexplicable reason sets her cap for Nigel's tubby, grumpy and very ordinary dad. Nigel hates the poor woman, leaving aside memories of his mother and his homosexuality the way he behaved toward her was cruel and I thought rather odd. After all he drools over and longs for food, she supplies dishes beyond measure yet he doesn't give her a chance? The first half hour or so were slow, lingering for too long on shots so by the time it got going when Mrs Potter comes along it didn't leave enough running time for more of when Nigel leaves home. Or was that a deliberate choice in case of a sequel? If it had been me when left with the hot Mrs Potter in the shape of the delectable Helena B. Carter I would have let her teach me more about cooking and maybe a lot more about life!

Warm, tender, evocative, multi-layered and wonderfully acted

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 6 January 2011]

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting something this good when I tuned in to watch Toast. While it doesn't quite make my favourite dramas of all-time list, it is for me one of the better programmes airing over the Christmas season. Is Toast sentimental? Yes, in a way I suppose it is. But it is also warm, gentle and tender, not to mention evocative and multi-layered. Toast looks wonderful certainly, as the production values and period detail are really quite pleasing. The photography is very skillful, while the scenery and costumes are beautiful. In general, I did like the music. It did occasionally get a tad over-bearing, but in its more subdued moments it was quite charming and quaint, very like the drama itself. The script is always touching, honest and funny, while the story is engaging throughout and the pacing and direction are also spot-on. The acting is perfect across the board. Oscar Kennedy is wonderful as young Nigel Slater, and while Freddie Highmore as his teenage self is good Kennedy was better. Ken Stott is also winning as his father, and Victoria Hamilton is very touching. Helena Bonham Carter also gives one of her better performances of late. All in all, this is a very absorbing and beautifully done drama. 9/10 Bethany Cox

A grand toast to "Toast", I give, it is quite an unusual film and also quite good

[inkblot11 · 7/10 · 20 December 2012]

Little Nigel Slater (Oscar Kennedy as a boy, Freddie Highmore as a teen) loves his mum (Victoria Hamilton) very much, except in one matter. She is the world's worst cook and never buys anything fresh, only food in tins. His father (Ken Stott) doesn't seem to mind but many a dinner is difficult to swallow. Mum's backup is always the reliable toast, popping out of the silver dragon, and spread with butter and jam. Nigel consumes quite a bit of toast, needless to say. A chance encounter with a young gardener in the neighborhood opens a world beyond the tin. Sadly, though, Mother becomes sicker with asthma and dies. Young Nigel is despondent and so is his dad. Yet, before long, Father hires an eccentric, divorced housekeeper, Mrs. Potter (Helena Bonham Carter) to clean up the home. Mrs. Potter dresses exotically and plays Dusty Springfield records as she "disinfects" the place from top to bottom. Out of the blue, the buttoned-downed Mr. Slater becomes smitten with Mrs. Potter, much to Nigel's chagrin. Well, opposites can attract. Before long, the adults decide to move to a remote part of England, dragging a kicking Nigel with them. Thus, an enmity has sprung up between Mrs. P and Nigel. When a teen, Nigel signs up for cooking classes at school and vows to "outcook" his stepmum, even down to her lemon meringue pie. Can he do it? This is quite an unusual film, based on the true tale of Slater, who became a chef and food writer in his later years. The performances of Stott, Kennedy, and Highmore are great and Carter delivers a wham-slam turn as Mrs. P. Then, the early sixties time span and British setting is a treat, as is, naturally, the lovely songs of Springfield, one of the best female singers ever. Mrs. Potter's costumes are also lots of fun and provide a great counterpoint to the more conservative choices given to Stott and Hamilton. There is one point that might upset some viewers. Nigel is gay and there is a scene of him kissing another male as a teen. It is quite a minor point in the overall movie but it may deter some viewers. Nevertheless, Toast deserves a big, hearty glass of wine, in a raised hand, as its extraordinary story is captivating.

Average nostalgia flick.

[david-barrs · 5/10 · 10 January 2012]

Good performance by H.B.C and Ken Stott and quite good for the 1960s portrayal but sadly it just shown Nigel Slater as a very self centred person and a spoilt brat.The kind of person no one likes.Why would you want to be seen like that unless you actually were. Do not really see the point of the film.What had the stepmother done to deserve such treatment? Why was Nigel such a brat? What happens to the stepmother? Maybe more relevant facts should have been accounted for. His school days and education were barely touched as were his teenage years.The film ends with a job at the Savoy and the viewer is left to decide what then happens.I just do not see what Nigel Slater was hoping to get across.

What a great food fight!

[talynsun-1 · 9/10 · 2 January 2011]

Toast is the story of renowned food writer Nigel slaters childhood experience with food or really lack there of. Based on his autobiographical novel of the same name. Filmed in almost permanent amber hue of childhood memories, and with a better than average quality of weekly drama the BBC like to pump out. Firstley Nigel's mother has no love of food, she hate's fresh veg(they have dirt on them)and any thing new or foreign sounding. She boil's tined food in there tins in water in a over-sized pan and hate's every moment of it. This really vex's poor young Nigel who find passion in food & cooking. His first taste of food knowledge comes form the hot male gardener. Whom tender's there garden and Nigel likes to spy on him as he gets naked in the shed from his day in his work clothes. Soon enough Nigel's long suffering mum dies of a Asama attack. And Nigel's dad employs new cleaner Mrs potter(Helena Bonham carter) In reality this reunites actors Freddie high more(older 18 yr old Nigel) with Helena Bonham carter for a third time,they first worked together on women talking dirty when Freddie was 7,before Helena played his mother in Tim Burton's Charlie and the chocolate factory.

Nigel and Mrs potter hate each other on sight,being nothing like Nigel's mother, Mrs potter swears, smokes and cooks well, the latter you think would help them find common ground but no. They battle it out (lot's of fun to watch by the way)for his dads affections.And as Mrs potter Nigel's dad get together and all 3 move to the countryside much to Nigel's destine,he finds work in a local pub as a kitchen hand (boiling bags of frozen food for 20 Min's a piece). He meet the owners boy who's a whizz in the kitchen and quickly fall's in love. i don't want to give much more away than that really but watching toast was a delightful treat from the BBC and the only thing i have not deleted from my planner after watching this Christmas.all in all a great drama 9 out of 10,thank you.

Progress of a brat

[bobwarn-938-55867 · 7/10 · 4 April 2022]

Well made movie. Certain level of comedy. But look a little deeper. Self absorbed brat. Dad not a great father. Mother he worshipped dies and he makes his dad's life hell. Dad's new wife a 'character', but he is her implacable enemy: forever. Never compromises. Selfish to the end. Shallow.

All about himself.

The rat.

Unappealing protagonist

[grnhair2001 · 2/10 · 18 June 2017]

I had never heard of this food "celebrity," though I am not immune to the charms of cooking and food.

In order to enjoy a movie I have to feel some sympathy with the main character. They don't have to be the most likable person on the planet, but I have to have a connection to them somehow. Even if they are a strange evil genius, I can usually find my way in and relate.

But this main character was hideous: A spoiled, whiny, bizarre little kid, who expected the world to revolve around him. There is an attempt to make a saint of his inept, sickly mother, but she was despicable as well. The child loathed the father, but despite seeing the father through the lens of that hatred, I felt the most sympathy for that character. Surely he had thoughts of infanticide but did not act on them. Now there's a saint.

In no sense that this provide any insight into the human experience. I didn't care about anyone. I was glad when it was over.

Warm, Sweet, but main character lacks like-ability

[DJOfRadioGallifrey · 5 September 2011]

The film was well paced, the characters were laid out simply. The film is a satisfying drama entwined with a cookery ideas class which will make your mouth water. My only complaint is this may be the only biographical film where you are not keen on the lead character, who can't help but be put across on screen as a stubborn teenager that doesn't think outside the box, he maybe a kid with a set agenda but he never seems grow beyond his character, the only thing that grows is his cooking ability and maybe is sexuality. But he is anything but sweet. Instead he holds a life long grudge against someone who doesn't deserve it.

A canned life might still flourish

[OJT · 7/10 · 31 January 2014]

• Eat that bloody pie!

With the same script writer as "Billy Elliot" it's easy to see they have tried you make some of the same with "Toast", except this is much more of a comedy. A strict father, not very understanding of a sons needs and dreams. The film is almost Wes Anderson'ish in it's feel. Think "Moonrise kingdom", with a dash of "Chocolat" and you're there, in the same kind of tasty childhood universe.

This is based on memories of the childhood of Nigel Slater, a famous British cook and cookbook writer. He appears as a chef in the final scene of the film as a cameo.

Young Nigel grows up in Wolverhampton, and as 9 years old, writing 1969, he no longer can stand his life home, with his parents. His grumpy uptight dad and his hopeless cook of a mother, suffering from bad asthma (probably due to her never eating any vitamins). Nigel has the tinned food mom put on the table, but loves her for her toasts with butter. When his father sacks the gardener dye to him damaging Nigel with the love for freshly grown veggies, he's had enough. Nigel's fantasy helps him survive. His longing for some real tasty food, and fresh vegetables and fruits makes him want to become a cook. The takes the long way to get there, as he don't even have a little encouragement back home. But the death of his mother, which he still misses after her demise, and the wise word of his young friend, "The way to a mans heart, is always through his stomach", changes everything.

It's a cute story, though maybe a bit sugar coated for my taste. Still, if you can overbear that, you'll enjoy this. Cute and lovely, though quite slow. Well done 60'ies portrait, as always when it comes to British films. Helena Bonham Carter really does her best role ever here, I think. She's very strong, and very unlike other roles she's had lately, even if it's some of the same comic demands.

Main character Nigel, played by Oscar Mennedy, might annoy some, but then he wasn't very loved as a child, but the older, played by amazing Freddie Highmore makes it all come right. Highmore is a real charmer. The casting of Oscar Kenbecy was impossible to fill Freddue Highmores shoes here, making some of the films main problem. Not due to him, because he does his best, but more to the extreme talent of Highmore. Not only the father, but also Nigel changes when he gets the right food. They can be used as the excuse for the change in character.

Interesting and somewhat nostalgic

[pilot1009 · 7/10 · 22 July 2019]

A good story of a dysfunctional family, with an interesting view of the sixties.

This movie is a dish that looks simple, yet tastes complex

[lord-of-the-lez · 7/10 · 4 July 2018]

Despite the synopsis being "The ultimate nostalgia trip through everything edible in 1960s Britain," that's not an accurate description of what this movie is about. It's less about food and more about Nigel's relationship with his family, particularly his mother and how he deals with changes in his family over the years. The movie poster is also deceiving, as Freddie Highmore's version of Nigel doesn't appear until the last 30 minutes. Most of the movie follows Nigel when he was a little boy.

Anyway, there were some nice, genuinely tender moments in this film that made my eyes tear up. I also love seeing a gay person in a movie that isn't about him being gay. Nigel's romantic inclinations are briefly touched on as a natural snapshot of him growing up and discovering who he is. And as a gay person myself, that is very refreshing to see.

Overall, this is a touching little story of a particular childhood that surprisingly explores many different themes. To be metaphorical, it packs many ingredients into a single dish to give it a more complicated flavor than what you'd expect.

Dull characters: the 1960s are the real star

[abecrabt · 7/10 · 18 February 2020]

If you like Dusty Springfield or would simply like to be transported perfectly, exquisitely back to the mid 60s and early 70s, you will enjoy "Toast", a cinema adaption of food writer Nigel Slater's autobiographical memoir of his 1960s and 70s Wolverhampton childhood. The clothes, houses, cars, even sweets of the mid 1960s and early 1970s are beautifully reproduced. The Art Director must have haunted auction houses, had 1960s "Simplicity" patterns made up again, found the perfect beige Rover saloon, and the joiners built a perfect 1960s kitchen. Dusty Springfield sings at key points and of course we also see her album "Where am I going" and its turn on a Dansette. Part of your ticket price is in effect a Museum admission, so perfect is your experience.

So skillful is the recreation of the 60s that even the opening credits are by means of long forgotten 60s products on the corner shop shelves with the names of the cast, Writer and Director cleverly stencilled onto them. However if you wish to see characters that skillfully made in Slater, his parents or his stepmother, you might not be so happy. Where, as you look round the 60s kitchen and dining room everything is interesting, unusual, redolent, if you try to understand much about the characters beyond the dislike between son and father or stepmother, you'll find almost nothing.

The characters are not completely free of depth, even if their attempts to communicate always fade. The gorgeous, raucous stepmother the cleaner, Mrs Potter, played superbly by Helena Bonham-Carter tries briefly to find common ground with the child Slater, before reverting to threats. Her character might be some sort of cook-up itself, chain-smoking expressively, always in a 60s curtains one-piece, communicating with her new husband by cooking alone. I wonder if there's some gay dislike of women in this character. More likely it is simply the determined method of the film to have a 3D 1960s, some slapstick, and 2D characters for us to do the best we can with.

Curiously a single character does talk articulately and explain the world around him: Slater's pal at school, who spews out the kind of adult wit and knowledge that American screenwriters like for their grotesque child stars: is the writer simply showing that they really can do dialogue, though they've been forced otherwise to write silent simpletons?

Perhaps many father/son relationships of that era were that distant and silent, mine pretty much was. There was less feeling that fathers need find time or try to talk much to their children if they didn't want to - they were bringing home the bacon and that was enough: we're a million miles from that world now. I wonder if Slater's autobiography would fill us in a lot on this relationship; it's hard for cinema to portray a silent, stuttering relationship like this, and a lot is required of the viewer in experience and imagination. Even I, a contemporary with I think a similarly distant father, felt dumbfounded. Maybe I miss the point; the film avoids the human profundities in order to take us on a delightful ride through the 1960s and early 70s, as light and simple as a Slater soufflé, with some slapstick to keep us amused.

What a great Surprise!

[danaelgagnon · 8/10 · 25 February 2020]

I LOVE Helena Bonham Carter, so I thought 'how boring could it be?' even though I found the description less than compelling. I had never heard of Freddy Highmore at this point tbh. Long story short... I was captivated by the personalities, and thoroughly entertained.

If you write a book report after only watching this movie, you'll get an instant F!

[davegoes · 7/10 · 4 October 2012]

The movie left me wondering who boils still sealed canned food? So I decided to read Nigel Slater's autobiography of the same name and I got my answer: No one. While his mother wasn't a keen cook and baked a Christmas cake that could anchor the Queen Mary, not once did I read that she prepared canned food that way or that she mistrusted anything unprocessed. While they did eat plenty of convenience foods, they mostly ate poorly cooked real food. Also, it was his father's idea to cook spaghetti bolognese, in fact he prepared it himself and it was Nigel who said the Parmesan cheese smelled of sick. These are only a few examples just from the beginning of the movie of the many things that where changed, exaggerated, or condensed from the book to fit a 1 1/2 hour TV movie script. Despite the many differences I found once reading the book, I did enjoy the movie which was quirky and well acted.

not quite a nostalgia trip

[garbanzosauce · 4/10 · 30 December 2011]

I saw this movie without knowing who Nigel Slater is. The trailer made it out to be a humorous coming-of-age story about a boy with a passion for cooking.

The young Nigel never gives Mrs. Potter a chance - because she works as a house cleaner, is a bit vulgar and lives in public housing, he looks down on her and puts her down in front of his father whenever he can. He wins sympathy points for the emotionally abusive father and the dying mother, but ultimately he himself is not a likable character. And that is the main drawback of the movie. It seems to have been created mainly to vilify the stepmother that Nigel never liked.

Otherwise there is nothing wrong with it. In fact I think Helena Bonham-Carter delivers a great performance as Mrs. Potter.

Cooking can leads to Rivalry

[eastonkellan_ru · 8/10 · 19 February 2013]

I like this film....it's so refreshingly funny......this film was based on the food writer, Nigel Slater

My only complaint is that Nigel Slater (played by Oscar Kennedy as young Nigel and Freddie Highmore as teenager Nigel) is such a bratty snob who looks down on his stepmother Joan Potter (played marvelously by Helena Bonham Carter) as a lowly cleaner

He should have given her a chance....... for in the beginning of the movie she is kind to him but the latter keeps on rejecting her so Joan develops animosity towards Nigel (with good reason) and instead of kindly asking Joan (who is a superb cook) the recipe for the Lemon Meringue, he secretly spies on her when she's preparing and baking the pie.......

It doesn't say in the film that Joan is only after Nigel's father's money so why downright rude to her????????

Entire cast is great

Is Nigel Slater really this unlikeable and snotty?

[txriverotter · 7/10 · 1 April 2021]

This was a good film, but the main takeaway for me is that Nigel Slater is a snob and was a snotty little kid, never giving his father's second wife a chance because she was a "lowly" cleaning lady.

If he was supposed to be the hero of his own biography, this failed spectacularly. I didn't like the main character, Nigel, at all. At least from the time he met Mrs Potter till the end of the movie anyway.

And the end, the wrap-up bio states: "And he never saw Mrs Potter again" seems to declare Nigel hasn't changed or grown any as a person in all this time. He still views her as some lowly janitor his father was too good for. Quite a shame.

disappointing story

[Yardrat · 1/10 · 16 June 2012]

Great cast (everyone), acted well (everyone), well written, filmed well.

But the story itself is just not appealing. Apparently a story based on a shallow little prick that due to his lactose intolerance throws up on his teacher; due to his selfishness made his fathers life miserable and despite the movie's insistence that he has some talent or respect for food he tears down the only character in the movie that shares this love.

There is a nice scene where a young man creates a masterpiece of a salad and but we are left to believe this culinary performance is somehow better (or executed more naturally) than Mrs. Potter's years of consistent good cooking; yet when the lead character tells the chef at the Savoy why he should be hired, he says it is because he can make a great Meringue Pie (the recipe he lifted from Mrs. Potter.)

The very idea that the chef the story was written about actually plays the chef at the end of the movie that gives him a job, is so laughably bad cinema as to sort of make me angry I watched the entire thing expecting at least something more than a bore. Instead the prick is rewarded, the real life chef winks and the viewer gets absolutely nothing. That's all folks.

This movie would do well to have a twist in it similar to "It's a Wonderful Life" but instead after this main character jumps off the bridge...he's gone from the movie...and the father and HIS love live happily ever after in Pottersville.