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The Ramen Girl (2008)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
23 October 2008 (Russia) moreTagline:
In food as in life, sometimes the missing ingredient is love.Plot:
An American woman is stranded in Tokyo after breaking up with her boyfriend. Searching for direction in life, she trains to be a rāmen chef under a tyrannical Japanese master. full summary | add synopsisNewsDesk:
(4 articles)
New to DVD - May 26th - June 2nd (From SoundOnSight. 26 May 2009, 11:27 PM, PDT)
This Week on DVD: Killshot, The Sky Crawlers, Harlan Ellison: Dreams of Sharp Teeth
(From FilmJunk. 26 May 2009, 9:23 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Pleasant comedy about girl finding her spirit... more (11 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Brittany Murphy | ... | Abby | |
| Toshiyuki Nishida | ... | Maezumi | |
| Gabriel Mann | ... | Ethan | |
| Akiko Monou | ... | Mio | |
| Sohee Park | ... | Toshi Iwamoto | |
| Kimiko Yo | ... | Reiko | |
| Maria Abe | ... | Asami | |
| Renji Ishibashi | ... | Udagawa | |
| Daisuke Takahashi | ... | Tom | |
| Daniel Evans | ... | Charlie | |
| Tammy Blanchard | ... | Gretchan | |
| Thane Camus | ... | Wilson | |
| Hako Ueno | ... | Hanako | |
| Masayuki Maekawa | ... | Vendor | |
| Yuya Ogawa | ... | College Student (as Yuya Ogawa) |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some sexual content.Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
102 min | Germany:122 min (European Film Market)Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby DigitalFun Stuff
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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...