The Ramen Girl

One of the strangest and most enjoyable Japanese films I have seen in "Tampopo"--a wonderful film about a woman who is struggling to make her ramen noodle shop the greatest on the planet. It's quirky and lovable. Now, with "The Ramen Girl", similar material is being explored and the results are quite pleasant if not in the same league as "Tampopo".

Brittany Murphy stars as Abby--a rather spoiled and stupid young woman who foolishly has come to Tokyo to follow a man. She knows none of the language and is totally in over her head--especially since her only focus is this guy. When he breaks up with her, she has nothing.

One night, she goes to a nearby ramen shop. There, the owner and his wife speak no English and Abby speaks no Japanese yet somehow she muddles through. After eating the ramen, she is captivated--so much so that she comes back the next night. Soon this dippy lady has a plan--to learn to make ramen like the masters. But, as she knows no Japanese and the owner/chef knows no English, getting this point across to him is practically impossible. So, instead of his taking her on as an apprentice, she becomes like an annoying squatter who won't go home! Reluctantly, he teaches her.

This is a film I would rate higher in enjoyment than I would overall. This is because too often the film simply makes no sense nor does Abby. How she learns all this without really understanding the language and culture as well as how and why the man teaches her are all a mystery! It's enjoyable but mindless as well. Worth seeing, but see "Tampopo" first.

A young woman Abby (Brittany Murphy) travels to Tokyo to see her boyfriend and he promptly breaks up with her and she gets a job works in a Tokyo noodle restaurant, where she finds out it is an art form to create one of Japan's favorite dishes. She trains under Japanese master Maezumi (Toshiyuki Nishida) who tests her and teaches her lessons in life and cooking. This is a fun little film and I wasn't expecting to like it so much. There is a lot about Japanese culture and traditions that most Americans like me don't understand , when I think of noodles I think of cheap dried noodles as a food of last resort. There are to this film credit sub titles for the Japanese; I think that if they had of put actor speaking in English it would have been very unauthentic. So there is some very interesting scenes of Tokyo that you don't see in most films, a kind of realistic view of Japanese life. It's nice to watch an Asian film with no martial arts, or weird horror plot, this is more of a romantic comedy and some drama. It's a feel good movie and was suggested to me by a friend as a movie to watch and review, she was right . Brickthrewglass.com

Watching Brittany Murphy's films posthumously makes you realize that although many of her movies weren't that great, SHE was a REAL shining star. She was the Marilyn Monroe of her era - bright-eyed, innocent, full of life and wonder. Her childlike hunger to learn is most evident in The Ramen Girl and this part was made for her. Too bad the supporting actors weren't as good... too bad the script was mediocre. It was a terrific idea and Brittany's acting makes it worth watching. She will charm you and, like other coming of age movies, you'll be inspired to want to change your life somehow or do your best at what you're doing now. Watch Brittany and take in her many-faceted soul in this and her other films and you'll be enchanted.

This was my first view of Britany Murphy in a movie, "The Ramen Girl". I was impressed with her acting and presence on screen. With all the new Hollywood stars coming out of the woodwork these days, you begin to lose track about who's good and who's not so good. This movie has definitely etched a niche for her as a capable actor and hope she manages her career accordingly with her remarkable talent.

The movie in many ways is a throw-back to a silent movie where dialog is not really the centerpiece to the story. The subtitles though helpful were not needed as the audience would have gotten the gist just by viewing the actors' facial expressions intertwined with their body language.

This movie must have been successful in Japan and Asia as it importantly catered to the emotional side of things and the nuances associated with human relationships in order to successfully carry the story rather the plot itself. We are usually accustomed to movies with a continuity heading toward a final conclusion that makes sense to all of us. The viewers, who feel this way about a movie, will be disappointed because "The Ramen Girl" falls short of this requirement. I liked the movie because it successfully joined two cultures in an attempt to show that the traumas and jubilations arising out of love, pride, loneliness, self-worth, honor and feelings we share and experience with people are commonly the same universal denominators we all share in culturally different ways in Tokyo or NYC or the world for that matter. The writer was right on the mark on this one. The movie does have its funny moments to keep it interesting. All around, I give it an 8.

I think a large part of the negative reaction comes from expectations about what the film is or should be.

First of all, this is not a remake of Tampopo, nor is it about food. It actually borrows more from "Like Water for Chocolate" than Tampopo, but the food subplot is an afterthought and a bit of a distraction.

It isn't really a rom-com though there is a romantic interest in there. Nor is it really a East meets West type of thing either though that certainly is an element.

It is a story about a young girl, who like many young people have wandered aimlessly expecting that life will just happen for them. The Japanese expectation that a big company will take care of them for life is not that much different from the American expectations. Our ramen girl discovers that such a lack of passion and spirit, even when the ingredients are there and all the right steps are followed will lead to a bland soup. A simple metaphor but done fairly well.

Brittany Murphy is surprisingly good as the ramen girl and her interactions with the gruff ramen-nazi (wonderfully played by Toshiyuki Nishida) are hilarious. The development of the relationship between the two of them was very well done.

I quite enjoyed this film and recommend it as a light pleasant diversion that brings a smile to your face - like a good bowl of ramen should...