Toast (2010) Movie Review – A Beautiful Food-Filled Coming-of-Age Film You Shouldn’t Miss

- October 06, 2025

Toast (2010)

This Toast movie review is a reflection on one of the most charming and heartfelt coming-of-age films of the 2010s.

Taglines: "The story of a boy's hunger."

Starring: Oscar Kennedy, Freddie Highmore, Helena Bonham Carter

Director: SJ Clarkson

Writers: Lee Hall, Nigel Slater

Runtime: 1h 36m (96 min)

Plot: Nigel (Oscar Kennedy/Freddie Highmore), a young boy growing up in 1960s England, develops a fascination with food that shapes his childhood and future. Amid family struggles and new changes at home, he finds comfort and inspiration in the simple act of cooking.

Review: This was recommended to me on YouTube. I’d never heard of this film before, so I clicked on it thinking I’d just be watching a trailer (didn’t bother reading the title—silly me!). I got really curious because Freddie Highmore’s face was on the thumbnail. I realized it was the full movie when I saw how long the video was. I wouldn’t have proceeded if I hadn’t noticed that the runtime was just a little over an hour and a half.

Anyway, I absolutely loved this film! I enjoyed every single minute of it. It also helped that it features a lot of food, so I was glued to the screen. Apart from that, the young actor who played Nigel (Oscar Kennedy) was really good. I did some research after watching and found out this was his first ever film! He was fantastic and really nailed his part. And of course, we get to see Helena Bonham Carter’s greatness—as always. The script was also strong; the humor they incorporated into the scenes didn’t fall flat, at least for me.

I’d have to say, I’m glad this popped up in my recommendations and that I got to enjoy such a fun movie. Honestly, I wish more biopics were made this way instead of going for the usual Oscar-bait approach. Go see this movie while it’s still available on YouTube!

Rating: 🎬 🎬 🎬 🎬 🎬 out of 5