Rice Rhapsody

Rice Rhapsody made me laugh and cry, sometimes via very typical comedy/family situations, but it still worked.

Jen (Sylvia Chang), a mother with 3 boys, is running a restaurant in Singapore famous for the specialty dish: Hainan Chicken Rice. Since her 2 oldest sons are gay, her primary concern is making sure her youngest, Leo (LePham Tan), turns out straight -- which she tries to help along by hosting a beautiful female French exchange student named Sabine (Melanie Laurent) -- while also avoiding the affections of a long-time family friend who runs another restaurant down the street. While Jen thinks she is in control of everything, it turns out she actually has a lot to learn about life, love and happiness, which she does from Sabine (who honestly, I couldn't quit staring at, and totally bought as someone who'd be able to seduce anyone she met, even if they didn't initially like her).

There were a lot of genuinely funny and touching moments in this film, and while that may sound cliche, it's true. Most of the audience was laughing right along with me, particularly when they showed skinned chickens and ducks with their heads still on (which I guess is something I didn't think was that hilarious - "Hey! Look! Dead animals with heads on!). There was quite a bit of applause at the end, so it seems like it was appreciated all around.

My enjoyment of this film was such that it wasn't even ruined by the late-entering guy next to me, whose constant commentary included such gems as, "She's French! And she's eating French toast...ha-ha!".