Customer Reviews

Mr. Rice's Secret

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you are seeing this film for ANY other reason than David Bowie, you may want to run and not just walk away, NOW. However, Bowie's performance lights up this film, and considering all of the less than well-chosen works of the cinema under his belt, this film is sweet and very under-rated....in a sentimental kind-of way. However, this film has a definate message, one that has resounded in other Bowie works (music and film), as well as from Bowie himself. Everyone makes a difference - it's what you do in life that counts, not how long you live. Take if from me, this film isn't as bad as people would want you to beleive!

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.

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.

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.

So your search for anything Bowie has finally led you here. The story seems like a resurrected after school special with silly adventures and dialogue that just doesn't exist for kids. But then David (Mr. Rice) starts speaking... and things don't seem so bad. Uh, then again. A 400 year old man you would think wouldn't require kids to let's say, exhume a corpse! There is a message to the movie, very predictable, but this movie doesn't get past it's simpleton plot. And for you diehard Bowie fans, you'll love how he and his voice take over.

I found this film engaging and uplifting. One of those films that makes you think about the essential things in life in a healthy and inspiring way.

***** Warning, Spoilers *****

I knew as soon as I saw Conrad Spoke's review below that I just had to get this movie.

After viewing the movie for myself and revisiting the afore mentioned offensive review I can, with confidence, refute his claims and rebuke his falsehoods.

I'm not sure why, but for some reason this chap claims that anyone sacrificing their lives for another is someone to be derided.

Obviously, he has forgotten, or never appreciated, the risk to her own life, his mother took in bringing his miserable life into this world.

Being a mother who almost died giving birth and whose own baby sleeps with the angels; I am able to speak with some authority on the fact that many mothers still do take their own lives into their hands to bring the miracle of life into this world.

He has also forgotten the many generations of soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, Coast Guardsmen, Merchant Marines, doctors, nurses, police, fire fighters and Emergency Medical Technicians who have given their lives to save the lives of others and who fought to purchase the rights and freedoms that we appreciate today.

He also claims that science cured Owen and not the potion that was gifted to him by Mr. Rice.

That also is untrue.

While he WAS getting better, it wasn't until Owen took the stopper off the vial and accidentally spilled some of the potion into his open wound, (which, incidentally immediately cured his cut.....remember that?) that the Hodgkin's disease was cured, since the potion went straight into his blood stream and didn't have to travel throughout his body by being swallowed.

Immediately after that, his hair grew back in; he had more strength and more energy.

His friend (who was the one with Leukemia, not Owen) was dying and Owen knew that he had contributed to his friend's death by luring him into the beating he was given by Owen's other "friends".

So, rather than being selfish and hogging all of the potion for himself, (he could have gotten 2 lifetimes out of that vial since it had already cured all disease from his body when it fell in his cut) he decided to do the right thing and give his friend the same gift that had been given to him.....a lifetime without disease.

A person doesn't need a "consent form" to correct the damage they caused and since his friend communicated to Owen several times that he wished to live and not die; Owen had what, in the medical field is called, implied consent.

They have to use it all the time when they get patients in the E.R. who are unconscious or mentally unsound.

Once a person is cured they can make their own decisions, but to withhold life saving medical aid is tantamount to murder and that, you can be legally held liable for.

Having been a United States Army, Military Police soldier, I know whereof I speak.

Anyway, that is how Owen knew that he had a life worth living, and losing and that it is in what you do with your life that matters.

He was able to make a positive difference in someone else's life and that is what life is all about...being of benefit to others, and contributing to life; not being a burden on the world and a waste of oxygen.

Yes, Owen had a chance to know a portion of what Jesus gave to us all when He died on the cross for our sins to appease His Father's wrath with us, His unruly and unrepentant children, and earn back for us, through His own willing sacrifice, the promise of eternal life with God our Father.

And that was the greatest gift that Mr. Rice gave to Owen.

The gift of love.

I truly pity the person who has no love or charity in their hearts and who feels the need to impose their misery upon everyone else.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Grinch.

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.

** SPOILER ALERT **

This movie reminds me of an old joke. A guy tells his friend, "My dog just wrote a mystery novel."

"What? How does a dog write a mystery novel?"

"He starts with the ending and works backwards."

That seems to be how all "Christian message" movies are written. First, write a list of all the "good" Jesus stuff: sacrifice, life after death, etc. Leave out the "bad" Jesus stuff: pick the wrong god and go to hell.

Next, outline some of the tritest character types ever used in family stories: the Standard Adolescent Male; the threatening dad who never quite beats his child on-screen; the brainless "what he said" eye candy mom; the chicken friend; the bully friend alpha male trouble maker; the worse bully; the dog.

David Bowie is the dog. He's also a middle aged neighbor who rakes leaves a lot. He's also Jesus. The kid, Owen, goes to this guy for comforts which are never clearly specified. It must be something good, because the big bribe is a magic decoder ring. Clunky flashbacks show that Owen was bald, therefore very sick. Mr. Rice assures him, "You are very special, Owen." Instead of running away, Owen watches Rice install a cool birdhouse. (If you want to know what metaphor the cool birdhouse represents, you will have to have to attend an "Understanding `Mr. Rice's Secret'" seminar in a church somewhere.)

Owen gets better. There are vague suggestions that a hospital is involved.

Rice dies, for no apparent reason. Owen, the teenager, is compelled to sneak into the funeral and videotape it, for no apparent reason. His bully friend forces the gang to break into Rice's house, for no apparent reason. Owen finds a Very Special Book of clues written by Mr. Rice. It addresses Owen directly! Oh, joy! Mr. Rice speaks to Owen from beyond the grave!

The Very Special Book starts Owen on a Harry Potter-esque, dark-of-night treasure hunt which involves the decoder ring and grave robbing. That's right, grave robbing. (The working title was "Exhuming Mr. Rice" - I kid you not - which they were too lazy to erase from the end titles.) In the casket, with the dead guy Rice, Owen finds a key. An actual key, a slap-you-in-the-back-of-the-head, undisguised metaphor. The key opens the birdhouse. (Be sure and tell me all about that seminar). Ooh, goody, more of those creepy "Hi, Owen" notes read by flashlight. One more treasure map and, ta-daah! Owen unearths a Very Special box containing a big test tube full of green glowing liquid. Several empty tubes and another beyond-the-grave note explain that Rice has used this Elixir of Life to live for centuries. But - oh, bless his heart - Rice bequeaths the last magic test tube to Owen.

And then - oh, bless his heart - Owen sneaks into a hospital and pours it down the gullet of an estranged leukemia friend who is much sicker. The kid is UNCONCIOUS. There is no consent form, no adult supervision. Just a lot of Bravery Moment music.

Now Owen is ecstatic, climbing to the precarious peak of his second story roof and screaming, "Now I have a life worth losing!" His parents are only mildly alarmed by this, since the boy's new philosophy is so compelling.

This is the kind of GET IT? story telling that only makes sense if you are already familiar with Christian dogma. Otherwise you might assume the filmmakers were part of some creepy death cult. Well, guess what? They are part of some creepy death cult: Christianity. These are the standard, gruesome themes of life-via-death and a dependence on someone else's blood sacrifice. I have no use whatsoever for this morbid view of life. These "Christian Values" are simply repugnant to me.

Any kid who is force-fed this tripe, as an appetizer to a seven course bible meal, needs to notice one important element of this story, one which is neatly hidden from view. Owen's life has already been saved: by science. He had leukemia, received the best treatments that medical research could offer, and got better. He wasn't saved by a magic potion or a magic theology.

But in the minds of the hacks who produce such propaganda, science doesn't matter much. They show just enough of the hospital to assure you that it is trivial compared to the death cult stuff. Medical science is all about extending life, and that's not nearly as much fun as glamorizing death.

Telling children that death equals life - in a bible or in a movie - is just plain sick.

The DVD arrived quickly and in great condition . The only drawback was the shipping price .