OREM, Utah — Would you want to have a magical power that allows you to effortlessly produce food in your hands, anytime you wish? Such is the predicament of Ezra Chase in "The Adventures of Food Boy," which premiered at the 8th LDS Film Festival 2009 at the Scera Center for the Arts on Jan 24. Written and produced by brothers Marc and Sam Mangum, the film is based on an award-winning short film that was released by the pair in 2007. "The Adventures of Food Boy" is an offbeat comedy starring Lucas Gabreel, who played Ryan Evans in the wildly popular "High School Musical" series. Seeing Gabreel playing the lead in "Food Boy" makes one curious why an actor would go from starring in one of the most popular Disney movies of all time to a relatively unknown movie with limited distribution. Maybe Gabreel saw potential in "Food Boy." I certainly did. The plot of "Food Boy" centers on high school junior Ezra Chase, an unpopular student who dreams of getting into an Ivy League university. To boost his college application, he decides to run for junior class president. Despite the warnings of his friends and family that he will never win against the class jock, he decides to run anyway. During the class presidency debate, meat suddenly starts flying out of Ezra's hands, hitting his opponent in the face. Ezra runs off stage in embarrassment and sprints home in a panic. Once home, he learns from his grandmother that the food appearing in his hands is a genetic gift that has been passed down for generations. She tells him that he has been given a rare gift and must learn to control his powers. Amid the challenges of learning to manage his powers, Ezra learns that his "food gift" has the potential of making him the most popular kid in school. He uses his powers during the school talent show to impress his peers, and rumors quickly emerge about his mysterious gift, catapulting him to instant popularity. The climax of the movie occurs when Ezra learns that he can choose to give up his powers if he wishes. While Ezra enjoys the popularity that his gift has brought him, he also longs for his life to return back to normal. The perplexity of making such an important decision was not fully developed in the movie, but audiences will likely be pleased with the outcome of Ezra's decision. "Food Boy" is a film that is energetic and fun. What cast members lack in acting experience they make up for in charisma. The cast does a good job of engaging audience members and holding their attention throughout the movie. "Food Boy" is a great family movie that both children and adults will likely find amusing. To find out more information about this movie and the other movies shown at this years festival, visit www.ldsfilmfestival.com.
E-mail: ajohnson@desnews.com