The Ramen Girl Review
The late Brittany Murphy shines in this heartwarming movie about self-discovery. Abby (Murphy) moves to Japan to be with her boyfriend but when she gets dumped, she finds herself in a fix. Unwilling to return to the States, thinking she still has a chance to make it up with her BF, Abby finds a new purpose in the ramen place across the street from her apartment. One rainy night, a despondent Abby wanders into the ramen shop after closing, and starts weeping. The chef Maezumi (Toshiyuki Nishida) and his wife are puzzled as they can't speak English and Abby can't converse in Japanese, so they offer some ramen to comfort her. It does that and more - inspired by the wonderful taste of the ramen, Abby is seized by a sudden desire to learn how to cook ramen, and like an annoying gnat, keeps harassing the chef until he finally takes her on as his apprentice - but not without giving her a really hard time (Abby's initial duties include cleaning the kitchen and the dirty toilets as well as waiting on tables).
The heated exchanges between Abby and Maezumi make for great entertainment- Maezumi as played by Nishida is an irascible taskmaster, who hides a lot of pain beneath his prickly demeanor. Abby, portrayed brilliantly by Murphy, is an initially naive, lost soul trying to find a purpose in life, and struggles to adapt to a foreign environment - not speaking Japanese doesn't help either. There is also a cast of secondary characters, such as the American woman who works as a call girl/mistress, the handsome, young Japanese executive who forms a relationship with Abby, the chef's wife, and a few eccentric regulars at the ramen place. The story does not get overly sappy, and the story, though predictable, is not without a couple of twists. The story might not be original, but it certainly is well-cast and the leads make this an engaging watch. I took away one star because I felt some of the secondary characters deserved more development, e.g. the call girl/mistress who just disappears half-way through the movie. On the whole, this is an interesting, and uplifting drama about searching for one's path in life, and showcases Brittany Murphy's acting talents to good effect. The movie is in both Japanese and English, with a lot of Japanese dialogue accompanied by English subtitles. Also recommended for those who'd like to watch another ramen-themed movie is Tampopo, a highly-entertaining movie.
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Customer Reviews
Heart warming - Curtis R. Gasser Jr. - Euclid,Ohio
I always liked Brttany Murphy. She puts on an outstanding performance in this one.
Ramen Girl I love this movie! - Denise Bishop - Sasebo, Japan
As and American after living in Japan for almost 4 years and opening my own restaurant there I can totally relate to this movie. It is very realistic and true to life if an American would cook ramen in Japan. The personalities of the shop owners are portrayed to the "T" The humor is true to life as well. You don't need to have lived in Japan to understand and appreciate that their culture is not unlike this movie portrays. The wife wanting to become close to Abbey and siding with her and the shop owner and his tough exterior, drinking habits and loathe of Abbey in the beginning shows that most older Japanese men truely do not show their emotions and are very guarded with them as well as their secrets. Once you get to know the charactors and understand them the appreciation for this movie grows by leaps and bounds. Even in this day and age to befriend a Japanese national you must prove yourself to the fullest extent humanly possible and once you have broken the ice you have a friend/family for a lifetime. This movie depicts this very clearly and shows both sides of what it is like to be an American in Japan as well as being Japanese and having foreigners living among you.
"Somewhere along the way I just forgot what I wanted to do with my life..." - Byron Kolln - the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood
The late Brittany Murphy stars in the charming culture-clash romantic comedy of THE RAMEN GIRL (2008). After relocating to Japan and being dumped by her boyfriend, Abby (Murphy) drowns her sorrows at a local Ramen shop. Delighted by the traditional dish of noodles, vegetables and pork, Abby resolves to learn how to cook the meal herself...triggering an hilarious battle of wills with her reluctant "sensei" (Toshiyuki Nishida) in the process!
Beautifully filmed on location in Japan, THE RAMEN GIRL is an adorable movie and Ms Murphy does a lovely job in the lead. On the downside, Becca Topol's screenplay is rather disjointed, peppered with too many characters who start off strong but seem to go nowhere (Tammy Blanchard as Gretchan, Daniel Evans as Tom, etc.).
Purely for fans of the late great Brittany Murphy, this will always be a must-see, but I'd love for this forgotten film to find an even larger audience. It deserves to.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Feb 03, 2010 03:33:04
Recommend : deep space nine dvd
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