IMDb > Exhuming Mr. Rice (2000) > Reviews & Ratings - IMDb

Reviews & Ratings for
 Exhuming Mr. Rice More at IMDbPro »Mr. Rice's Secret (original title)

Filter: Hide Spoilers:
Page 1 of 2:[1] [2] [Next]
Index 18 reviews in total 

10 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
A deep exploration of a difficult topic, 27 January 2002
Author: Smish from UK

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.

Was the above review useful to you?

6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Deals well with a difficult subject, 11 October 2000
7/10
Author: David McDaid from United Kingdom

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.

Was the above review useful to you?

6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
A posthumous treasure hunt that leads nowhere, 26 January 2002
Author: (gnoelle) from Texas

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.

Was the above review useful to you?

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
The Meaning of Life, 12 May 2010
10/10
Author: meileen1942 from United States

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.

Was the above review useful to you?

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Well, it had David Bowie in it. Spoilers., 9 January 2003
Author: I_Feel_Happy from Tucson Arizona

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I rented it for Bowie. He had about 5 minutes of screen time, tops.

It was like an after school tv special with cussing, vomit, boogers, grave digging, and violence against children with cancer thrown in for added viewing pleasure.

One moment you're looking at cute middle class kids playing street hockey and the next scene, you're watching them kick a chemotherapy patient repeatedly in the kidneys.

Perhaps I missed the point.

Was the above review useful to you?

3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
A secret best left undisturbed., 17 January 2007
2/10
Author: Mart Sander from www.martsander.com

This film has proved to be a terrible disappointment. It lacks any kind of magic or atmosphere one has come to expect from recent children's films. The main characters are unsympathetic and uncharismatic, both as characters and as actors. It's beating around the bush for the first hour, and doesn't deliver much during the second. The storyline is vague and non-captivating. There is no camera-work to mention, the score seems to be copy/pasted from different public domain musical clips, and if you are expecting to see a good deal of 3D effects, forget it. Overall it gives the viewer an impression of being a mediocre TV movie from the 80s. I was looking forward to seeing this film, but completely lost interest after only a few initial shots. There's just no electricity whatsoever, and the topic of terminally ill children seems to be employed as the last resource to give this film a "social message" and depth it lacks. I suggest you don't waste your time on that film - there are so much better around.

Was the above review useful to you?

3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Ethereal story combining fantasy and realization of lost hopes., 8 October 2005
8/10
Author: deerlove from United States

Mr. Bowie's first few attempts at acting were stiff. Absolute Beginners was more like a music video than a dramatic story. Although I own and enjoy Labyrinth, I was hoping to see him in something better than a cartoon character. His bid for the Elf king was not unwelcome in my view, though he was a little old for the part at the time. This film shows his mysterious persona at it's best. He seems to be the person he is playing. I do not want to spoil the story for any "new viewers", so I will not give specific details. The treasure hunt provides intrigue for the viewer and a sorely needed diversion for a desperate child at the end of all hope. The ending satisfies any sentimental person. I would buy this film if I found it on DVD.

Was the above review useful to you?

3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
This could have been an excellent film, 14 March 2002
7/10
Author: Melm from Burlington, Ontario

But it wasn't. As an ex brit Canadian, I am continually appalled by the standard of Canadian films. There is just something sooo distinctive about them - you can spot them a mile off - haven't quite figured out what it is - certainly the filming and direction is part of it. David Bowie was great in his too limited role - could have done with more of him and less of the kid's parents - as the parent of 2 canadian teenagers myself I could see no resemblance to real teenagers. The language was stilted, the scene was sort of leave it to beaver with attitude - as if the movie was set 20 years ago. Still, it made me cry - which isn't hard to do and I have seen worse, thus a 6 out of 10

Was the above review useful to you?

Unrealised potential, 19 February 2011
4/10
Author: Nick Phillips

This film had potential, but I, and I suspect those involved in making it, really have no idea who it was actually aimed at.

Simplified too much to appeal to more mature kids (of all ages), too much involvement from rather cardboard parents for any escapism, the moralizing getting in the way of the story too much for younger kids and too obvious for older ones, the "puzzles" far too simply solved.

Overall, far too much certainty. For a movie with this kind of story to succeed, I think a lot more ambiguity and uncertainty is required - hints at what's going on, who the characters are, and what's going to happen, rather than great big illuminated signposts. It could probably do with taking itself rather more seriously, too.

I only find myself wondering how they managed to string it out for so long.

Was the above review useful to you?

1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Interesting mystery, Bowie was pretty good, 22 March 2005
Author: vchimpanzee from North Carolina

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

At the beginning, Mr. Rice is giving Owen a decoder ring, but in the next scene Owen is throwing the ring away. Mr. Rice has died, and Owen's parents won't even let him go to the funeral. Owen sneaks in anyway and tapes part of the funeral from the balcony. Later in the treehouse, he wants to show his friends Gilbert, Veg and Funnel Head the tape, but there's a problem. So they don't believe he was there, and he doesn't get 'points' (the boys get points for each courageous or stupid deed).

Veg's father is the real estate agent handling the sale of Mr. Rice's house, which makes it easy for the boys to sneak in. There, they find clues to Mr. Rice's secret.

Simon is a potential friend for Owen, for reasons I won't mention. But because he has leukemia and has lost his hair, other boys make fun of him. For that reason and for reasons that would be spoilers, Owen refuses to be Simon's friend.

In some ways this resembled 'Stand by Me', though it's not nearly that good. And I didn't like that movie that much. It was occasionally creepy, with eerie music. One occasion that required this music was the presence of the local undertaker and his 1960 Cadillac hearse (technology and music made it clear this was the present, so I don't know why the hearse was so old, but who cares? It looked great). Owen showed a lot of intelligence in solving the mystery, and Bill Switzer and Zack Lipovsky were good together in their scenes. The solution to the mystery made an interesting and inspiring story.

David Bowie was good as the middle-aged Mr. Rice, not showing any signs of being a wild rock star, though he was only seen in flashbacks sharing his wisdom with Owen. Funnel Head's brother Percy more closely resembled Bowie in his younger days; he was quite a colorful character whose help was needed in solving the mystery.

This was a family movie, with a minimum of offensive content (there may have been bad language removed for TV). The worst thing was probably the bullies beating up on those they didn't like.

This wasn't bad.

Was the above review useful to you?
Page 1 of 2:[1] [2] [Next]

Add another review

Related Links

Ratings Awards Newsgroup reviews
External reviews Plot keywords Main details
Your user reviews Your vote history