Toast

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Toast

Released Sep 23, 2011

1h 36m

Comedy

Drama

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62%

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34 Reviews

52%

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1,000+ Ratings

Young Nigel Slater (Freddie Highmore) has big culinary aspirations, even though all his mother (Victoria Hamilton) knows how to make is toast. When his mother dies, relations grow strained between Nigel and his father (Ken Stott), especially when he remarries a woman (Helena Bonham Carter) who wins his heart with a lemon meringue pie. Nigel enters culinary school, starts working in a pub and finds himself competing with his stepmother -- both in the kitchen and for his father's attention.

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Joe Williams

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Like its namesake, "Toast" is crusty comfort food with little nutritional substance.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 21, 2011

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Tom Keogh

Seattle Times

"Toast" has three things deserving of adoration: spectacular lemon-meringue pies, the songs of Dusty Springfield and Helena Bonham Carter.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 20, 2011

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

Director S.J. Clarkson seems oblivious to the dissonance; perhaps he's deafened by the music.

Rated: 1.5/4

Oct 13, 2011

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Steve Cruz

OUT FRONT Magazine (Denver)

If you love the look and sound of the ’60s, mixed with a doddy story of a charming British gay boy getting his food on, Toast may charm you as much as it did me.

Rated: B

May 9, 2023

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Kelly Jane Torrance

Washington Examiner

[Freddie Highmore's] scenes with Helena Bonham Carter, an actress who can play a meaty role like this with her hands tied behind her back, can be great fun.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 5, 2019

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Neely Swanson

Easy Reader (California)

Toast never succumbs to cloying sentimentality.

Sep 16, 2017

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Michelle C

I had previously read Slater’s memoir on which this is loosely based. Charming production with good performances. Fine array of Midlands accents.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/20/24

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Cynthia A

The first half was good but as the movie progressed I slowly lost interest especially as it transitioned to his puberty stage. I was not familiar with this chef and looked him up following the movie.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/23/24

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isla s

I thought this was an interesting story. It'd be hard not to feel sorry for Nigel as a child, given his somewhat chaotic domestic situation at times. It is somewhat cheesy and nostalgic but I enjoyed it for the most part. I liked the Dusty Springfield songs played in the background towards the end. I thought it was interesting hearing Freddie Highmore's English accent, considering I'd only ever seen him in American shows and films before (he is English, I believe). I also thought Helena Bonham Carter gave another decent enough performance. Not a bad film, not really stand out memorable but not awful, it's worth a watch, yes.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

I thought this was gonna be quirky and fun 2.1

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/05/21

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Audience Member

Lovely movie. Helena Bonham Carter and Freddie Highmore doing an amazing job as always

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

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Alan D

Dreary movie, great great set design and some good performances from the "young Nigel" and "Mrs Potter/Slater" , but overall disappointing. I actually felt sorry for the Mrs Potter character as cooking/cleaning was her raison d'être and Nigel (and the filmmakers) choose to portray her as some kind of monster.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/28/21

Full Review

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S.J. Clarkson

Director

Helena Bonham Carter

Mrs Potter

Freddie Highmore

Nigel Slater

Ken Stott

Dad

Oscar Kennedy

Young Nigel Slater

Victoria Hamilton

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Synopsis

Young Nigel Slater (Freddie Highmore) has big culinary aspirations, even though all his mother (Victoria Hamilton) knows how to make is toast. When his mother dies, relations grow strained between Nigel and his father (Ken Stott), especially when he remarries a woman (Helena Bonham Carter) who wins his heart with a lemon meringue pie. Nigel enters culinary school, starts working in a pub and finds himself competing with his stepmother -- both in the kitchen and for his father's attention.

Director: S.J. Clarkson
Producer: Faye Ward
Screenwriter: Lee Hall
Distributor: W2 Media
Production Co: Ruby Films, BBC Films
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 23, 2011, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 23, 2017
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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