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Column by Scott Green
Jimmy (Hiroshi Watanabe, “Letters From Iwo Jima”) loves dinosaurs and sleeps on the top bunk. Unfortunately, Jimmy is 40 and shares that bunk with Bob (Justin Kwong), his 10-year-old nephew. Freshly divorced, Jimmy lives with his sister Aiko (Japanese Academy Award winner Nae) and her family while boldly searching for a new wife. His brother in-law, Tak (Mio Takada, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien") thinks he’s a disaster. And although Jimmy may lack social grace, he is convinced the best years of his life are just beginning. His plan seems like it’s all falling into place when Tak’s beautiful niece Ramona (Lynn Chen, “Saving Face”) moves in. But once Jimmy sets his sights on stealing her from his best friend Tim (James Kyson Lee, “Heroes”), he sees his intentions go hilariously awry. In his new comedy, White on Rice, Big Dreams Little Tokyo director Dave Boyle affirms that he is the master at the joke that you see coming, and laugh at anyway. With his new inductee into the pantheon of comedy's acute arrested development cases, he presents a catalyst for one Final Destination style calamity of social discomfort after another. It's a clockwork march towards disaster, but that doesn't prevent the catalog of relationship mishaps from being charming, genuinely funny and honestly heart warming. While I found the premise of the well worth tracking down on DVD Big Dreams Little Tokyo to be more distinctive, White on Rice features an outstanding cast with outstanding chemistry. If you can make it to one of its screenings, it's a film that is certainly good for a laugh.White on Rice is scheduled to open in Los Angeles and Orange County next week. Tickets are on sale for the September 11th opening, with a sneak peak. September 9th 7:30pm at the Laemmle's Pasadena Playhouse 7 sneak peak
