Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!

RyothChatty ridiculous rating

2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

pirrie-weir I had high hopes of this film from the blurb, as a food-themed film that would be suitable for a family audience. Although Christopher Lee and Sam West do their best, director Justin Hardy doesn't seem to know what he wants the film to be. Robert Hardy (any relation?) gives his usual lovable headmaster, and Lisa Faulkner is a convincing repressed daughter. Carol MacCready is a Mrs Bumble of a matron Any non-sporting person will sympathise with the cross country torment. But overall the film is dated and confused, a waste of good acting talent and a potentially delightful story. The start is so slow that younger audiences would not wait for the amusing action to happen. And Edward Fox's cameo role, charming though it is, adds nothing to the story. I wonder what was left on the cutting room floor.

aled-6 I went to this kind of school and only wish we had had the opportunity to have this much fun. Of course the head was very strict in the movie as he was in my school and we would not have dared to break rules in that way. The sensual part was deftly handled and gave no cause for concern. This was in every way a family movie.I enjoyed it immensely because I guess I am still a kid at heart and I love to cook. What a great relationship this kid had with his Dad and with the other boys in the school. Edward Fox was very believable as the English gentleman gourmet father of our hero, Magnus.Kudos to the writer, the director and the boys who did all that fine acting especially Freddy Findlay. Definitely a film that can be watched more than once.

aragorn2001 This is a "hidden gem" of a movie. It has all the elements of a fun and wonderful movie experience for idealists and cynics alike! The movie has good pacing and wonderful minor twists and turns on the plot that actually have you saying to yourself "hurray!"

saraarts This movie is absolutely delicious, as light as one of Magnus' (the main character's) own confections. Nevertheless it has held my interest through many viewings and even brought me to tears near the end, every single time.Not only is the acting of brilliant veterans Robert Hardy, Christopher Lee, Carol MacReady, and Edward Fox as perfect as you would expect, but the children put in brilliant, subtle performances as well, with Freddie Findlay showing true star promise. The lush Dover location and surprisingly poignant music also add dimensions of richness to a very simple, honest story.The focal characters are realistically bad and good boys -- realistic because often the same boys are both bad and good under believable circumstances -- who learn about the real meaning of friendship, teamwork, and even honor through, well, cooking. Do have fattening and decadent snacks on hand when you watch, because what the boys whip up will certainly make you hungry.Incidentally, this film also managed to charm my boyfriend and to hold his interest throughout, and since this is such a tiny little dessert of a film, and since said boyfriend generally goes for the gamut of action flicks from Jackie Chan to Akira Kurosawa, or 2-hour Chow Yun-Fat/John Woo bloodbaths, this is really saying something. Because of the way the film gets right into the world of children, while not abandoning entirely the world and motivations of adults, I would also certainly recommend it for children age 8 or 10 and up; but there are still enough jokes and subtleties for grown-ups only that it won't bore parents.