Movie Reviews for Mr. Rice's Secret

Mr. Rice's Secret

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Movie Reviews of Mr. Rice's Secret

Movie Review: Finding your way home
Summary: 5 Stars

Actually, I am a David Bowie fan . . . too . . . like many others reviewing this movie. However, I would like to add that to really be a fan of Bowie's, after all these years, one must be a chameleon, like him. This, maybe, is his greatest testament in life: that he can change and take on new concepts, and, if nothing else, to achieve personal pleasure and growth as a consequence. He has re-invented himself more than Madonna has herself. But, the growth patterns of each necessarily benefits their true fans who can keep up with the changes.

True, he is not in many scenes (although he is perceived in all scenes); yet it seems he must feel very passionately about the moral lessons to be learned in this film, or he would not have joined the cast. (Of course, in reality, he could have been hard up for money.) But I like to believe that he feels that giving the one thing you need most in life to "a friend" who needs it more is the definition of his life's work, and this is really why he committed to the project. Children and adults can benefit from the childlike approach to telling this story. It's overly sentimental, but life is that way sometimes . . . when you allow yourself to feel.

I enjoyed this film. It feels low budget, but most Bowie films feel that way as they try to convey some idea way more than images. In concert, Bowie adds great dramatic imagery on stage with sets and costumes. In films, he uses ordinary life themes (or what may be ordinary to some) as background, and often portrays ordinary or nearly ordinary people. For example, he has acted in gritty urban settings, small Southern towns, and typical battlefields. Once he even portrayed Pontius Pilate in Israel in a straightforward manner.

I am still a Bowie fan, probably will always be. And I enjoy him in his usually, consistently, cheesy roles. David and Imam recently "starred" in an Hilfiger fashion campaign, which is personified middle class. I thought they were both so miscast. They are more Haute Couture than ready-to-wear. Never could understand what it was supposed to mean. The clothes are not Bowie style. Good clothes, but just not Bowie style. Maybe the goal was to reach a more mainstream market. This serves to further define our chameleon who keeps us guessing. Nevertheless, I think this film is Bowie Style. It is mystical, soul-searching, intense, thought provoking, relative in a weird sort of way, and entertaining.

Overall, bravo to the boys (or girls) who learn to stand up for themselves and do the right thing.

Movie Review: beautiful and touching
Summary: 5 Stars

David Bowie's character in Mr. Rice's Secret is one of an old man who's filled with knowledge and experience. Throughout the film, he shares his wisdom with his best friend- a teenager who has a fatal disease living down the street.

I personally found Mr. Rice's Secret to be a powerful and heart-warming story. The focus is mainly on the teenage boy going through the cancer (who never really shows any serious signs of having cancer, might I add) and for the most part, focuses around his friends (one of them being a bully who likes to beat up on his other friends, but leaves the boy with the disease alone).

When the friends get together, they gradually discover things about Bowie's character and get involved in their own situations amongst themselves.

Now I *really* don't want to spoil the storyline because it would pretty much destroy the uplifting message at the very end, so let's just say, there's a secret about David Bowie's character that can drastically change life for the better. I mean, I think most of us knew which way the storyline is going because there's nothing really different about this film compared to many others with similar storylines, but it's HOW the ending happened that left me really feeling like Mr. Rice's Secret is one of the more underrated films out there.

No, it's not about David Bowie performing any number of his many classics (though I wouldn't mind hearing "Modern Love" a few times, har har!). In fact, for the entire hour and a half the movie is on, I'd say only about 10 minutes actually feature Bowie on screen. It's mostly a family film dealing with important, life-changing issues involving the teenage boys and only occasionally touching upon the subject of cancer.

The one thing that confused me a bit is that the father seemed to not mind at all treating his cancerous son like any other child, and even threatened to spank him in one situation (which is wrong for a couple different reasons- one, he's too old to be spanked, but more obvious is the fact that he's dying of cancer so... even CONSIDERING spanking him seemed wrong to me).

Overall, Mr. Rice's Secret moved me to tears a few times. It's a well-made, family film. Highly recommended.

Movie Review: great find
Summary: 5 Stars

I discovered this movie accidentally on a lazy summer Sunday afternoon, flipping channels on the TV. I enjoyed it, but the 11-14 year olds that I showed it to related to it even more. The film explores issues of disease and death, responsiblity, bullying, friendship, and finding meaning in life. David Bowie plays Mr. Rice, who dies at the very beginning of the film. However, he is anything but dead because of the legacy he passes down to Owen, a boy struggling through early adolescence and cancer therapy. Owen is haunted by the reality of his own probable death, as he faces his peers, and goes on a quest to solve a riddle left to him by Mr. Rice.

Movie Review: A Secret we could All Learn from.
Summary: 5 Stars

Mr. Rice's Secret is a wonderful opportuitity to explore the
imporantance each of us represents in Life. No matter how long
or short your life is; it's what you do while your here that
counts. How you treat others and what you believe in. I liked
the moral this story left me with. Be true to yourself and each
other.Rejoice in every moment you have been given.