Tampopo (1985)

A truck driver stops at a small family-run noodle shop and decides to help its fledgling business. The story is intertwined with various vignettes about the relationship of love and food.

Director:

Jûzô Itami

Writer:

Jûzô Itami

Stars:

Ken Watanabe, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto

6 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tsutomu Yamazaki	...	Gorô
Nobuko Miyamoto	...	Tampopo
Kôji Yakusho	...	Man in White Suit
Ken Watanabe	...	Gan
Rikiya Yasuoka	...	Pisuken
Kinzô Sakura	...	Shôhei
Yoshi Katô	...	Noodle-Making Master
Hideji Ôtaki	...	Rich Old Man
Fukumi Kuroda	...	Man in White Suit's Mistress
Setsuko Shinoi	...	Old Man's Mistress
Yoriko Dôguchi	...	Oyster Diver
Masahiko Tsugawa	...	Supermarket Manager
Yoshihiro Katô	...	Man in White Suit's Henchman
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mario Abe	...	Resutoran no shachô
Sen Hara	...	Old Woman in Supermarket

Storyline

In this humorous paean to the joys of food, the main story is about trucker Goro, who rides into town like a modern Shane to help Tampopo set up the perfect noodle soup restaurant. Woven into this main story are a number of smaller stories about the importance of food, ranging from a gangster who mixes hot sex with food, to an old woman who terrorizes a shopkeeper by compulsively squeezing his wares.

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Plot Keywords:

ramen | food | noodle | noodles | truck driver | 

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Taglines:

The first Japanese noodle western!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

September 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tampopo

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,410, 23 October 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$224,097, 10 February 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Itami Productions, New Century Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the junior executive orders something different from his bosses, his immediate superior kicks him. This is meant to put him in his place. In the Japanese corporate hierarchy, the lower echelon workers are supposed to follow their leader's direction at all times.

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Quotes

Old gentleman: Tampopo! Congratulations!

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Crazy Credits

The entire closing credit sequence is a shot a woman breastfeeding her child; the camera slowly zooms in on the baby's mouth sucking his mother's breast.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Big Easy/The Fourth Protocol/No Way Out/Tampopo (1987)

User Reviews

Something for Everyone

This movie is not, I repeat, is not intended for the typical movie goer. It is not to be forgotten a day after having been seen. It should be watched repeatedly, gone over with a solid spoon for thorough digesting. Not everyone who sees it will love it at first. But anyone who gives it a willing and open mind will find a deep respect within drawing them further into the movie. Should the simple viewer happen upon this movie, it is necessary to understand that it is not an American movie and only slightly emulates one, therefore it must be expected that certain aspects of the film will escape one at first. There will be certain chapters of the film which appeal more than others, but it is crucial to make an effort to be considerate of the fact that Juzo Itami was not necessarily making Tampopo up to be an international success. What is truly mindblowing is that this movie is nearly twenty years old! I am completely in awe each time I see this movie, and it never fails to make me stop and watch as Goro is instructing Tampopo on why the customer must, MUST, be observed upon entering the shop while Gun complains that the pork slices are too thin. Slap, slap, don't you want to see how the customer reacts? Isn't it strange? How do we relate in this tale? Pick it up, become an addict, never see another movie the same way ever again.