White on Rice

PG-13

Released Sep 11, 2009

1h 30m

Comedy

List

45%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

52%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A 40-year-old moocher falls for his brother-in-law's niece, making a bad situation worse.

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Mike Hale

New York Times

Bland and only occasionally funny.

Rated: 2.5/5

Mar 12, 2010

Full Review

Aaron Hillis

Time Out

Watanabe's performance sucks any remaining sweetness right out of this fish-out-of-water comedy; you're ready to call the police once he starts stalking his hot cousin.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 10, 2010

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

Slant Magazine

If nothing else, White on Rice proves that Napoleon Dynamite's gawk-at-the-spaz routine doesn't sound any more endearing in garbled Engrish.

Mar 8, 2010

Full Review

David Noh

Film Journal International

...what we mostly get here, unfortunately, is...akin to an Asian minstrel show.

Mar 12, 2010

Full Review

Jeff Vice

Deseret News (Salt Lake City)

Unfortunately, the main character of this unfunny comedy is never endearing, he's just an irritant. So we're not all that interested in his personal and professional plights.

Rated: 2/4

Sep 24, 2009

Full Review

Kam Williams

Sly Fox

A hilarious slice-of-life flick offering a unique take on Japanese-American culture adding up to one of the funniest films of the year thus far.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 18, 2009

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spencer p

Light and free-spirited, this second Japanese-American comedy from Dave Boyle proves that family dynamics and rom-com charm can exist in any culture, if you forgive its somewhat creepy protagonist.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An Asian comedy that Asians can enjoy without all the stupid stereotypes..kinda.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

wickedly funny story about a asian family living in utah love the movie within the movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The main character in this film is so socially inept and awkward that it's almost uncomfortable to watch, which hurt the overall flow of the movie for me. It's cutesy and fairly entertaining, but I wouldn't be likely to watch it again because at times it almost seems it's blatantly making fun of someone slow-witted and innocent. Because of that, I can't rave about this film, but it's not terrible.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film is bloody funny film. If your a yank, you wont understand most of it. If your used to japanese comedy, this will entertain you fully. I really enjoyed this film all the way through and i hope you will too.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

My rating: 5 out of 10. A very quirky indie film. Very very very quirky. If you like oddball indie films, check this out, especially if you or someone you are close to is Asian. Otherwise, take a pass.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

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Dave Boyle

Director

Hiroshi Watanabe

Jimmy

Nae

Aiko

Mio Takada

Tak

Lynn Chen

Ramona

James Kyson

Tim Kim

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Synopsis

A 40-year-old moocher falls for his brother-in-law's niece, making a bad situation worse.

Director: Dave Boyle
Producer: Howard Hayes
Screenwriter: Dave Boyle, Joel Clark
Distributor: Variance Films
Rating: PG-13 (Sex-Related Humor|Some Violent Images)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 11, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 26, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $68.4K
Runtime: 1h 30m