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.

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.

The movie has a very good film quality not usually found in many indy productions... then again, this film obviously had some small budget. Being involved in the indy scene, though, it was nice to see something NOT filmed on a shaky digital camera and overexposed.

Not terribly well acted but definitely not the worst I've seen, the movie is a satire that pokes fun at Asian and Hollywood stereotypes, though not very convincingly. Instead of coming off as a satire, it comes off as simply over-the-top and cartoony, especially with the ANNOYING acting of the man who plays Eddy. This guy has a rubber face Jim Carrey would be envious of if it were not used to such poor effect.

Extras were in short supply here and the backdrops were very poor-man's-props, to the point that a donut shop looked like a tent. As I said, very indy, but the magic if indy film is using what you have on hand and making it look half-way plausible, so we'll overlook that. Characterization was shaky but not sure that was part of the 'satire' thing or not. The Christian overtones were unexpected but very welcome for their rarity. All in all, a cute film and worth checking out if you have some time to kill and appreciate independent cinema.

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.