How to Eat Fried Worms

When moving to a new town and facing a ruthless gang of pranksters with monikers such as Plug and Twitch, a little bravado is sometimes necessary. However, fifth-grader Billy (Benward) discovers the consequences of making false assertions when his claim to having eaten worms is tested with a bet—he must consume ten creepy-crawlers cooked in a variety of gastronomic styles that would challenge even the Food Network’s ingenuity. The gross-out appeal of this belated film adaptation of Thomas Rockwell’s 1973 kid-lit classic won’t be nasty enough for the Fear Factor generation. (Now playing; Click here for venues.) — Erin Clements