Mr. Rice's Secret (1999) Reviews

• Deals well with a difficult subject

  mcdaid2000-10-11

  Death is always a difficult subject to cover in the movies. Even more so when dealing with terminally ill children. Mr Rice's Secret succeeds in covering the issues in a sensitive but not mawkish way. Bowie gives a measured performance as the ancient mystic who befriends a young boy with Hodgkin's disease. The real star though is Bill Switzer, who excels as the boy fearing death who must learn to love life.

• A deep exploration of a difficult topic

  Smish2002-01-27

  Death is not an easy topic to deal with in movies. But Mr Rice's secret manages to pull it off, with no problems. The film is centered around a boy, who while coming to terms with the death of his friend (the 400 year old Mr Rice) is led on a kind of treasure hunt. When he reaches the end he finds a potion of life, and learns an important lesson. The boy (played brilliantly by Billy Switzer) is the star of the film (despite it being pushed as a David Bowie film). The character of his mother (played by Teryl Rothery) could have been explored a little more and been more involved with the plot, but apart from that, it felt well cast and acted. A must see for when you want to ponder things like the meaning of life.

• The Meaning of Life

  meileen19422010-05-12

  I thought this was an excellent movie even though I was uncertain about watching it from reading the negative comments. It really shows a boy learning about what the real meaning of life is.....not how long you live but what you do with the years you have. He has growing up to do, as evidenced by his bending to peer pressure when it comes to an acquaintance who is being bullied. The bullying was bad, but not severe, and the young man being bullied is a strong character. The presence of the mysterious neighbor was a great factor in the boy's adjusting to learning to be sensitive and to enjoy life, not dwell on the down side of it so much. David Bowie did an excellent job and was probably emphasized because he was Mr Rice and because his is a name that will draw viewers. I know that is one of the reasons I watched it...and enjoyed it. He does have a good talent for acting, at least in my opinion. This is not a heavy movie,although some thought it so. It ends very upbeat and you can leave it with a smile. I remember Bill Switzer mainly from The Christmas List and the lady who played his mother....Teryl Rothery.....as the mother in the mini-series 'Alice'. All the boys were good in their roles and very realistic. Granted, the idea of "Mr. Rice" is a bit far-fetched, but adds the specialness to the movie. I have learned to at least give a movie a chance, even though the reviews may not be upbeat about it. This one is especially good to see......at least once.

• A posthumous treasure hunt that leads nowhere

  gnoelle2002-01-26

  What better friend can a dying boy have than a mysterious neighbor who gives him a really cool ring, which he throws away at the first opportunity? This movie had great potential. David Bowie exists only in flashback as an avuncular sage who spouts chestnuts about living and dying, and for all that I wish that his screen time had been longer. Certainly his is the most interesting character in this collection of cliches, and the casting was well done in his case. My main problem with this movie is that it could have been a fantastic story, except it pulls out every cheap sentimental stop along the way. The story could have been told in many ways other than this one, with its collection of children that are either dying or obnoxious or both, but I suppose that it's just not as interesting or story-worthy when an adult is terminally ill. Why couldn't any other member of the community that supposedly loved and mourned Mr. Rice have been the recipient of his secret? The treasure hunt itself is a good device, and one of the best parts of the movie, as are Owen's troubling nightmares and images of death. I would like to have seen more of this. I would like to have learned more about Mr. Rice's life...and death. Instead, we're left with frustrating glimpses of an interesting character, and no real clue why he chose this boy as his best friend. This is a movie that tries too hard to be too many things (in some places too strongly reminiscent of "Stand By Me"), and in the end really leads the viewer nowhere we haven't been before.

• I really liked it!

  vjknudsen2006-05-17

  A nice take on the coming-of-age theme. Fantasy and grave-digging might appeal to many kids sense of adventure. It has secret messages, a code ring, and a mystery--great fun! There were a lot of places I could see where you could initiate a discussion with your kids--about dying, how to treat other people, the true meaning of friendship, etc. I found the lead character Owen to be a likable kid, his friend Mr. Rice was cool--I really like David Bowie. The ending was not a surprise, but expected--maybe not by a kid, a really good movie for parents and kids to watch together. I'll keep it around for my grandkids to watch when they come over.