WHITE ON RICE Review

A romantic comedy starring Asians, as an Asian movie blogger myself, I’m euphoric that a movie like WHITE ON RICE exists. Director Dave Boyle and co-writer Joel Clark have crafted a great original work that may be a bit familiar but… with its own blend of humor. Half of the movie is in Japanese though it’s not a foreign language film, it doesn’t exclude that culture, at the same time, it’s not a stereotypical showcase either. None of the Asian actors here are martial art fighters. WHITE ON RICE is funny and refreshing.

Director Dave Boyle (“Big Dreams Little Tokyo”) returns with “White on Rice,” the comedic story of Jimmy (Hiroshi Watanabe, “Letters From Iwo Jima”), a misguided 40-year-old divorceé trying to navigate his way through a new life in America and out of his sister Aiko’s (Japanese Academy Award winner Nae) basement. Disgraced by his disgruntled brother-in-law Tak (Mio Takada, “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”), the immature yet adorable Jimmy spends his nights searching for a new wife who shares his love of dinosaurs and geology. Things go horribly wrong when Jimmy falls desperately in love with Tak’s niece, the beautiful Ramona (Lynn Chen, “Saving Face”), and vows to steal her away from his co-worker Tim (James Kyson Lee, “Heroes”). Meanwhile, Bob, Jimmy’s nephew and bunk bed-mate (newcomer Justin Kwong) harbors a secret talent that holds the key to rekindling the passion in his parents’ marriage. Hilarious and heartwarming, “White on Rice” is a Japanese-American comic treat

A story of people who get too distracted chasing what they want. Like I said, the story’s been done in so many formats before but Dave Boyle successfully manages to incorporate an Asian man, Jimmy, who obviously doesn’t have a problem adopting American ways of dating and what society around him thinks would make a good mate, or in this case, a replacement for his wife that he divorced not too long ago. That’s where the comedy comes in and comes in with subtle yet effective force because even at one point, the audience got the idea Jimmy even tried with an American but ultimately an Asian woman is what he’s after, he’s so fixed on replacing his wife instead of letting love happen.

It’s clear to see that it’s low budget, it could use some more cinematic feel to it but for what it could afford, WHITE ON RICE makes sure the story and the characters don’t get to be victims. Sometimes we enter and exit a scene abruptly like watching an episode of The Sopranos but the important scenes, that develop the conflict and relationship are well-explored.
You see Jimmy starting off optimistic, to not understanding why the girl he likes doesn’t like him back, to depression and to self-realization that makes him feel optimistic again only because he never gives up on the one thing that he’s already got all along, the love for geology and dinosaur, which is also part of the humor because he’s enrolled in class thinking he could get close to Ramona.

Hiroshi Watanabe’s performance as Jimmy is entertaining, he doesn’t give out a boring minute at all. Jimmy’s infatuation and whenever he gets easily excited or his surprising sarcasms about a woman’s height, Hiroshi told me it’s like watching a sitcom and I couldn’t agree more. Hiroshi, in my opinion, is like Steve Carell but more aggressive.

Director Dave Boyle told me that it’s about people who get distracted they can’t see what’s in front of them and actress Lynn Chen who plays Ramona, the girl Jimmy has a crush on, told me that it’s a movie for all kinds of viewers, not just Asian American audiences and I can see both statements are right. Jimmy’s situation unintentionally has effect on his sister’s family and it’s not just about him living in their house, it’s about his brother-in-law, Take, who’s not happy with Jimmy but doesn’t realize that him and Jimmy are much alike. Take is so stressed about his marriage, trying to come up with a certain peculiar way to make his wife happy when all she wants is for him to play the music again, to be himself again, all the while they had no idea about their son’s brilliant talent. The movie leaves room to impress you.

What I appreciate about WHITE ON RICE is that it doesn’t dwell too much in culture shock, it does have a bit of that element since Jimmy doesn’t know what a ballbuster means…but it’s mostly a bumbling, oblivious man trying to find new love. It doesn’t show them removing their slippers before entering the house, the family even eats pizza not sushi, so it really is a story that you can easily relate to, whatever your background may be. You’ll laugh at Jimmy’s naive remarks and smile at his unpredictable reactions, WHITE ON RICE is one of the most entertaining rom-com I’ve seen all year.

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