Toast (2011)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

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.

I know this movie is based on true facts on Nigel Slater's life.I can say that it is well acted, well shot, and has a compelling story line. All of the good "ingredients" (teehee) are here. However, it is very hard to figure out the message that this movie sends. It is clearly a coming of age tale but seems to lack the pride and triumph (although it attempts) that I usually see in movies like this.If the directors and screenwriters wanted to show a complex tale about a complex man, they overcooked it. I believe the main problem is the characters themselves change too much over the short period of time, and too many scenes seem needless and pointless, muddying the central message about Nigel overcoming unhappiness and great odds.Mrs. Potter may have had her issues with the ill advised competition with her stepson, but overall seemed to be a decent person. Nigel's attitude toward the end seems more jarring than triumphant.Nigel's father is painted as very harsh and unsympathetic, yet becomes a very sympathetic person toward the end.Nigel himself begins as innocent and very sympathetic, but is revealed fairly quickly on to be capable of some real nastiness.I guess my problem with this movie is the fact that it seems like it wants to clearly delineate the bad guys vs. the good guys, but loses this among some pretty complicated characterization that leads nowhere.For instance, why does Mrs. Potter cry to herself in the kitchen? What about Nigel's response then? This scene leads nowhere.What about the quick little romance thrown in toward the end? That whole part seemed too hasty.It's almost like this is attempting to be three movies in one, and failing at invoking any real passion or good feeling toward the main characters.Here's the worst part to me: One of the worst offenses Mrs. Potter seems to have committed is to be "common." I believe that this movie really wants the audience to agree with this, and to sympathize with Nigel because of that.

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.

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)