Toast: A História de uma Criança com Fome

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.

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.

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

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.

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.