White on Rice (2009)

hyped garbage

Good movie but grossly overrated

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

While I will be the first to admit that "White on Rice" didn't always work, the overall picture is so fresh and quirky that I still recommend it. It's a film from David Boyle--a writer/director/actor who totally captivated me and my wife when we recently saw his "Big Dreams Little Tokyo". Using the barest of budgets, Boyle has managed to once again make a film with characters you just have to love--very, very quirky ones at that.Jimmy is a pathetic Japanese divorcée who has left his country and moved in with his sister's family in the States. Jimmy is nearing 40 and has little to show for himself--not much of a job, no love life and he sleeps in the top bunk of his nephew's bunk-bed! However, when his brother-in-law's niece moves in temporarily, the dopey Jimmy is totally infatuated and soon behaves like an even bigger dope. At times, he is a little creepy--like a stalker--and I wish the film had not made him quite so extreme and creepy here. But, just when it seems to have gone over the top, it fortunately finds its way.Throughout the story, there are LOTS of wonderful characters. The nephew, Bob, is great. So is the Banana Lady and many other folks scattered throughout the film. This is DEFINITELY a film for those who like independent cinema and want a film totally un-Hollywood in style. Well worth seeing despite a few lulls.By the way, that's the director, David Boyle, inside the coffin in the funeral home segment! He's the second body you see and you have to look close for him in his trademark geek glasses. This is a WONDERFUL touch for his fans--as is seeing a poster for "White on Rice" in his previous film, "Big Dreams Little Tokyo"! Cute.

A remarkable movie about yet another piece of the American mosaic yet it really reminds the viewer of himself and the people in his life."White on Rice" strikes a perfect balance between the interesting and attracting side of cinema and the honest and realistic one.Clean and esthetically made comedy that captures the simple thrills of ordinary peoples lives.Light and fun to watch but also makes you think afterward.It's these combinations that make this movie so worth watching, the current low score it has is unjustified.If you're open minded and unaffected by stereotypes you will really enjoy this movie. Warmly recommended, Eitan

I took a co-worker, who had never heard of the movie or anyone in it. I heard about the movie on my local morning radio station - the main radio star (Jimmy Chunga) is in the movie (albeit a bit part). I had no idea what to expect and was absolutely delighted that it was quirky, silly, ridiculous, campy and everything else I loved about Napoleon Dynamite, except this time set in Salt Lake City (unnamed in the movie) and featuring the clash of culture between Japanese-Americans and Japanese- socially-challenged-folk. It is not for wee ones, but there's nothing overly offensive in the movie. Funny thing: by the end of the movie, I actually cared about the main characters, and couldn't help but think how clever the writers were keeping the characters internally consistent in their interactions. I just couldn't stop laughing during the movie - or long afterwords as my co-worker and I relived our favorite moments.

This is a very funny movie. It's sort of the classic coming-of-age story, except it's about a guy who turns 40 during the course of the movie. Jimmy is just like a ten year old kid and totally oblivious to the fact that there's anything wrong with that. He goes through the movie wreaking havoc on his long suffering brother-in-law who just wants to get his marriage back to something normal. I saw this at the LA Asian Film Festival and the audience ate it up. I'm not Asian (my fiancée is Korean and worked for the fest and recommended it), I suspect there's a lot of humor here that is even more funny to Japanese people. Very funny to me was Jimmy's nephew Bob, who's as mature as Jimmy is childlike. A lot of great performances by the smaller parts. One in particular is The Banana Girl (Joy Osmanski) who you should definitely look for in other things because she really lit up the screen. I don't know if this will ever come to the local multiplex, but you should definitely hunt it down. Well worth the effort.