Writer: Naseem Randhawa

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Watch this if you liked: “Ratatouille”, “Julie & Julia” and “Toast”

What do culinary movies like "Ratatouille", "Julie & Julia" and "Toast" have in common? They are all hunger igniting, drool inviting, and deliciously vivacious food centered stories told with heart.

Based on a memoir from famous TV food personality Nigel Slater, "Toast" tells the tale of Nigel's (Freddie Highmore) childhood affinity for cooking after his father remarries a housekeeper played by Helena Bonham Carter. The housekeeper's famous Lemon Meringue pie ignites jealousy within Nigel when he tries to uncover her secret recipe in order to vie for his father's heart, which in turn results in a series of competitive cookouts between the teenager and his new stepmom.

The highlight of the movie apart from the mouth-watering food displays are the relationships between the characters which have unparalleled emotional depth, considering of course that they were based on real-life experiences.

The kid from "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory", Freddie Highmore is no longer just a kid in the movie as the lanky 20-year-old plays a 15-year-old teenager that carries emotion and teenage angst so well that it may even make Holden Caulfield proud. Helena Bonham Carter who plays the housekeeper now turned new wife/stepmom, delivers enough menace to make one loathe her, but only so much a kitchen based rivalry can muster.

Set in the 60's where an air of nostalgia is subtly but cleverly brought to contemporary times, the methods of making various confectionary through more traditional means than the modern gadgetry available today is certainly one of the other interesting aspects to note with "Toast". Those seeking a pleasant story that can be enjoyed by all ages will find "Toast" to be a gripping tale that not only stirs the belly, but also the heart.

Cinema Online, 28 June 2012