Rice Girl

No one is safe from the bad writing, bad directing, and bad acting of Rice Girl, particularly not the pair of sibling-rivalry wannabes with famous last names, nor even the recognizable names like Morita and Haglund. It is not even "goodbad", in the John Waters or Ed Wood way. The entire wandering, reason-defying plot resembles a hazy version of Western culture that is defined by 1 part Looney Tunes, 1 part Benny Hill, and 4 parts Three Stooges, executed without the spontaneity, originality, or panache of any of them. The only character that barely makes it out of this debacle alive, despite over-the-top, jerky facial expressions and movements, is Eddie the guardian angel. From the bad accents to the poorly written and delivered dialogue to the strainfully overexaggerated reactions, every moment of this movie is painful.

This is a very fun movie. Lighthearted, goofy/silly comedy with facial expressions to match had me cracking up. There are scenes which are a particular riot, like when Windy sees the Russian acting coach and shows him her slapstick sample tape, and we see his reaction to it. And then there's the cop with the powdered donut, Windy chowing down on fish heads, and the wrestler with the Godzilla-ish roar to keep up the silliness.

I'd love to see more movies with Cheryl Ling, the character of Windy is wonderfully likable, even if not so bright.

This movie also carries a Christian message not normally seen in a Hollywood production, in a nice way.

I got some mileage out of the catchy "Sticky Rice" song, which stayed in my head but not in an annoying way.

This movie is good for people who like this type of humor. A word of warning: You may not want to watch it with your young kids unless you want to explain what a hooker is.

I was very entertained watching "Rice Girl"--I smiled or laughed all the way through. Cheryl Monk's facial expressions were precious--so much fun to watch. Fairly impressive cast for an Indy film with Pat Morita and Dean Haglund. Eddie's character was a clever use of anthropomorphism in switching between animal, human, AND guardian angel--quite cute.

My only concern: to enjoy this movie, one must appreciate the occasional sideline comedy "shorts" spread throughout the movie. It will probably be hard to find them all funny, but still clever nonetheless.

Cheryl Monk's first film,"Rice Girl" is a lighthearted spoof of the standard Hollywood newbie starlet cliche. The film follows the outrageous misadventures of Windy Yee (played by Cheryl Monk), who has managed to squander the money her family sent for her education on acting lessons and is trying desperately to land a role in any film to prove to her family that her dream is worth following.

When she reads that Director Martini (Dean Haglund) is looking for the perfect actor for his new move, "Hooker X," Windy decides that this part will be the perfect opportunity for her. She hands her savings over to the worst method acting coach in the world (played by film veteran Yevgeni Lazarev), to learn the magic technique that will make her perfect for the lead in the movie. His bad advice sends her off to learn the art of acting like a hooker from a real hooker (played by the outrageously hip and sassy Kay Billings) -- and straight into the vice squad investigation being run by Detectives Tom Monk (Ian Lithgow) and Alan Long (Joe Estevez.)

The silliness continues as Windy's outrageously uptight and extremely religious roommate starts praying for her "lost sister" and turns Windy's pet goldfish, Eddie, into a guardian angel, played with gleeful panache by newcomer Bryan Frank.

This is a film that never takes itself seriously. The zany, Chuck Jones style of the physical comedy heightens the absurdity of the plot.

Featured guest appearances by veteran actors added sparkle to the movie. Pat Morita turns in one of the funniest scenes as a shopkeeper confronting Hollywood's mot incompetent bandit (newcomer Mario Gallegos,) while Martin Kove as Captain Ron Williams seemed to have a wonderful time chewing up the scenery. Lone Gunmen actor Dean Haglund closes the movie with a first-rate improved rant scene that will have you in stitches.

Enjoyable and fast-paced. Recommended for all ages.

Very funny movie. I enjoyed it. I really thought the extra characters slightly (even that big Japanese actor playing the grocery store owner) distracted the story flow.

I think the story stayed course when Windy was on the screen. I thought her British accent was hilarious. The whole 'Cops in disguised funny costumes' was the not so interesting part for me, also the Mexican guy character didn't seem to fit in the movie. But I liked it overall. This movie should make it on to some TV channel at least, if not theaters.

I wonder if bits and pieces of this movie are based on Windy's real life

Windy has a lot of potential as an actress. Highly recommend to others.