Rice Girl

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.

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.

Rice Girl, a 2003 production directed by Michael Fischa with Cheryl Ling in her starring and writing debut as Windy Yee. This is the story of a struggling actress and her misadventures in trying to win the starring role of Hooker X a fictional major motion picture production.

Windy is told by her acting teacher Mr. Roulette that in order to get the part of Hooker X she must learn how to turn tricks, eat, breath, think, live and become like a hooker, none of which sits well with Windy's best friend and roommate Darla, a devout Christian. Windy dismisses her friends concerns and proceeds on her mission of obtaining her life long quest of movie stardom. While researching the role as Hooker X Windy is befriended by a real hooker, played by Jacqueline Jetter as Jaundra Rolle, meets a rouges gallery of characters along the way and after a prayerful intervention by her friend Darla, is blessed with the assistance of a guardian angel.

Rice Girl is an interesting mixture of physical comedy, slapstick humor, sex, and religion. Ms. Ling is a delight to behold, her physical presence, charm and over-the-top portrayal lends itself nicely to the role as the naïve and guileless Windy Yee who struggles to learn the part of Hooker X without actually letting it becoming part of her.

Rice Girl also stars many well known actors such as Ian Lithgow (Third Rock from the Sun), Martin Kove (Cagney and Lacy, The Karate Kid), Dean Haglund (The X Files), Joe Estevez and the late Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (Midway, Happy Days, Karate Kid).

Rice Girl is most definitely a guilty pleasure to watch and experience, slightly risqué, and a gentle and fun prod to those struggling to reach for the stars and determined enough not to give up.

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.

This story of an Asian American actress (Cheryl Monk, who wrote and executive produced) trying to make it in Hollywood is played out through a series of vignettes that include an encounter with a Russian acting coach and a fairly hilarious scene in a Chinese seafood restaurant. Interwoven with this tale is a plot thread involving the undercover police officer (Ian Lithgow) and his efforts to redeem himself in the eyes of his superiors, including Martin Kove (The Karate Kid, Cagney & Lacey) after a narcotics bust goes hysterically awry.

Aided and abetted by a guardian Angel named Eddie, who transforms from a talking goldfish into a wisecracking spirit in the vein of Mr. Jordan from "Heaven Can Wait," Cheryl perseveres in her efforts to secure the plum role of "Hooker X" in the upcoming film to be directed by an auteur director played by the X-Files' Dean Haglund (The Lone Gunmen).

Standout performances in this film are delivered by the easygoing Ian Lithgow, who, at times, is reminiscent of radio personality and Comedy Central mainstay Adam Carolla, Jacqueline Jetter as Cheryl's tutor in the world of prostitution, and Cheryl Monk, who has a wonderfully madcap quality about her performance. Yes, it's a low budget production, but the plot is amusing, the pacing breezy, and apart from a typically over-the-top performance by Martin Sheen's brother, Joe Estevez, the acting is within acceptable limits for a farce without being too hammy. All in all, a very cute film.