Mr. Rice's Secret (1999)

A terminally-ill boy's life is saved when his deceased 400-year-old friend, "Mr. Rice", leads him on a treasure hunt to find a magical "Potion of Life".

Director:

Nicholas Kendall

Writer:

J.H. Wyman

Stars:

David Bowie, Bill Switzer, Teryl Rothery

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Bowie	...	Mr. Rice
Bill Switzer	...	Owen
Teryl Rothery	...	Marylyn
Garwin Sanford	...	Stan
Zach Lipovsky	...	Funnel Head
Jason Anderson	...	Veg
Tyler Thompson	...	Gilbert
Campbell Lane	...	Mr. Death
Richard de Klerk	...	Simon (as Richard De Klerk)
Tyler Labine	...	Percy
Eric Keenleyside	...	Ray (as Eric Keenlyside)
Colleen Rennison	...	Molly
Kyle Labine	...	Jonathan
Tim Dixon	...	Priest
Juno Rinaldi	...	Cindy (as Juno Ruddell)

Storyline

A terminally-ill boy's life is saved when his deceased 400-year-old friend, "Mr. Rice", leads him on a treasure hunt to find a magical "Potion of Life".

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Plot Keywords:

saving a life | friend | 400 year old | teenage boy | ring | 

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Taglines:

It's what you do in life that counts.

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements, language and scenes of bullying

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 March 2001 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Mr. Rice's Secret

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New City Productions, Panorama Entertainment

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the end of the credits, the working title of the movie can be seen: "Exhuming Mr. Rice".

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Quotes

Funnel 'Funnel Head' McConnell: He's a parent, Owen. He's a recognized authority figure: I mean, he's supposed to be lied to!

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Soundtracks

How's It Gonna Be
by Kevin Cadogan/Stephan Jenkins/Arion Salazar
Used by permission of BMG Music Publishing Canada & EMI Music Publishing
Courtesy of Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Fair flick

First, I think what Mel Morris is looking for that distinguishes the Canadian film is the accent. There's not too much that is tougher on the ear than listening to a Canadian adolescent male's voice change with that accent. No offense to the Canadian folk...it's extremely distinctive.

Otherwise, a decent film, and I think the message that is sent in the film is that kids, even 12-13 year-olds who should know better, still can be cruel, even to terminally ill cancer patients who are trying to live out their lives as normally as can be. The one problem that I have with the film is the lack of adult intervention, especially the fight at the tennis courts and at the Little League tryouts. The directors went a little too over the top to drive the point across.