Friday, April 12, 2013

Toast

The ultimate nostalgia trip through everything edible in 1960's Britain.Basted on Nigel Slater's memoir.


Its a quirky film about how horrible home coming could be with boiled bag dinners in the new age of cooking and the ignorance of the ordinary housewife of the age. But there was always toast. And this movie makes the most of the this coming of age film about a boy who has a hunger for more than one thing.



A good bit of the movie is played by child actor Oscar Kennedy as Nigel. So don't go thinking its actually Freddie Highmore's movie. Because it isn't.



Basically, its a story about a boy who loved his mother, who did his best to seek love from his father and learned a lot about veggies from his biggest crush, the gardener (Matthew McNulty). Unfortunately, his father put a stop to that.



His mother played by Victoria Hamilton was quite ill. After her death, his Dad (Ken Stott) turns to Mrs. Potter (Helena Bonham Carter). Soon the bake offs start and other great feast. In the long run, its the two of them that are killing his father with all their amazing foods. Each know, how to get to his father's heart. Through his stomach.



Eventually, Mrs. Potter becomes Nigel's new step-mom. Still they secretly hate each other.



Freddie Highmore plays the older Nigel who definitely has a way of showing new discoveries and what he wants out of life.

Ben Aldridge with Freddie Highmore. (a dancer and chef)


Some of the movie is a bit childish, yet heart breaking too. Its an endearing story. Yet, I wanted more Freddie Highmore, at times. Still, its nostalgic and a unique history of the foods that make England great.



STORYLINE:Wolverhampton,1967:- nine year old Nigel Slater loves his mother though she is a hopeless cook, her finest offering being toast whilst he has great culinary aspirations. When she dies of asthma Nigel is left with a distant father but worse is to come when the 'common' Mrs. Joan Potter arrives as the Slaters' cleaner. Nigel fears,rightly,that her aim is to be the next Mrs. Slater and soon he has a new stepmother and is whisked away to the country. Joan is,however,a superb cook but this only makes for rivalry as Nigel,the only boy in his cookery class at secondary school,competes with her to find the way to his father's heart. A weekend job in a pub kitchen introduces Nigel to an older boy,another great cook and gay like himself ,who gives him the confidence and inspiration to leave home after his father's death and head for the hotel kitchens of London

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