DVD Review: The Ramen Girl: Brittany Murphy, Toshiyuki Nishida, Tammy Blanchard, Sohee Park, Kimiko Yo, Renji Ishibashi, Maria Abe, Reila Aphrodite, Justin Berti, Daniel Evans, Masayoshi Haneda, Judai Ikeshita, Robert Allan Ackerman, Cleve Landsberg, Kimio Kataoka, Masafumi Odawara, Philip Hall, Becca Topol: Movies & TV
DVD Review: The Ramen Girl: Brittany Murphy, Toshiyuki Nishida, Tammy Blanchard, Sohee Park, Kimiko Yo, Renji Ishibashi, Maria Abe, Reila Aphrodite, Justin Berti, Daniel Evans, Masayoshi Haneda, Judai Ikeshita, Robert Allan Ackerman, Cleve Landsberg, Kimio Kataoka, Masafumi Odawara, Philip Hall, Becca Topol: Movies & TV
Product Description
An American slacker (Brittany Murphy, 8 Mile; Girl, Interrupted) abandoned by her boyfriend in Tokyo finds her calling in an unlikely place: a local ramen house run by a tyrannical chef who doesn’t speak of a word of English. Undaunted by the chef’s raging crankiness, Abby convinces him to teach her the art of ramen preparation…and despite hilarious clashes of culture and personality, she learns how to put passion and spirit into her life as well as her cooking.
Stills from The Ramen Girl (Click for larger image)
“Lost In Translation” Lite [3.5 Stars],
By Beardyjin “beardyjin” (Tokyo) -
This straight to video film starring Brittany Murphy might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but this indie film managed to win me over in spite of its formulaic structure and initially silly premise.
This is the story of a lost 20-something trying to find herself and essentially grow up by learning the “fine art” of making ramen in Tokyo. You could call this film “Lost In Translation” light. The characters are engaging (an outstanding comedic Japanese cast) and as a foreigner who has lived in Tokyo I can tell the screenwriter and director both have a pretty good understanding of the Japanese people and their spirit.
Yes, comparisons can be made to “Lost In Translation,” but I’d have to say that film is a superior and more melancholic take on a similar tale. “The Ramen Girl” is a bit formulaic in some of its plot points and characters, but it’s ultimately heartwarming. I’d recommend “The Ramen Girl” as a second course to “Lost In Translation” for anyone who wants to have a “white-girls who find themselves in Tokyo” movie marathon.
Charming Tampopo for the 21st century,
By Judith Johnson (Albany, NY) -
This movie owes its inspiration to Tampopo, the quirky off-beat, critically acclaimed Japanese comedy about perfecting the art of ramen noodle soup making. Brittany Murphy is really wonderful as an rudderless 20-something American who strives to learn the art of making the perfect noodle soup while living in Toyko.
I was pleasantly surprised because the movie has subtitles as it has a mainly Japanese cast, it has the look and feel of an art house indie flick. Another nice touch is a soup making competition in which Tsutomu Yamazaki, who was the truck driver/teacher in Tampopo, is the judge.
I believe this movie has enough charm to appeal to a wide range of viewers and if you really like it, hey, check out Tampopo as well.
The ramen Girl,
By Go fish -
COMING OF AGE IN TOKYO five stars
Having grown up in Japan and America, I really felt this movie captured the cultural differences between the two countries with humor, intelligence and charm while still making its points pro and con for both. I don’t agree with the comparison to LOST IN TRANSLATION at all. That movie was about alienation. The main characters could have met on the moon. There was almost nothing in that film that reflected the Japanese culture. I don’t think it was trying to. In fact several Japanese friends and myself found it rather offensive to Japanese people. The Ramen Girl more specifically portrays being a foreigner alone in Japan. There are many fully developed Japanese characters and situations. The central plot could only ever happen in Japan. This is more of a coming of age movie. What is lovely about it is that it suggests that it’s possible to actually find oneself and grow outside of one’s home culture and then to bring what has been learned back home and lead a richer life. Abby, the central character, is sort of a lost soul. Finding herself abandoned in Japan, she is literally and charmingly, through several magical events, drawn into the culture of cooking ramen. Her scenes with her teacher are often hilarious as he doesn’t speak a word of English and she doesn’t speak a word of Japanese. What transpires would appear to be typical but it’s not. Nothing plays out just as one would expect it to. Her efforts are actually quite inspirational, although not always triumphant. All of the performances are first rate. Brittany Murphy has never been better and all of the Japanese cast are excellent. This movie was very well received in Japan. Journalists and movie goers were really surprised that it was written and directed by Americans. They clearly understood the culture they were making their film about. I think it’s great that this movie is finally available to an American audience on DVD. It’s really kind of irresistible. It’s also great to see a movie now that has such a positive point of view and leaves you feeling so good.
Search The Ramen Girl: Brittany Murphy, Toshiyuki Nishida, Tammy Blanchard, Sohee Park, Kimiko Yo, Renji Ishibashi, Maria Abe, Reila Aphrodite, Justin Berti, Daniel Evans, Masayoshi Haneda, Judai Ikeshita, Robert Allan Ackerman, Cleve Landsberg, Kimio Kataoka, Masafumi Odawara, Philip Hall, Becca Topol: Movies & TV from AmAzon
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