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 (screenplay)

Stars:

Ken Watanabe, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto

6 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tsutomu Yamazaki	...	Gorô
Nobuko Miyamoto	...	Tampopo
Kôji Yakusho	...	Gangster in the White Suit
Ken Watanabe	...	Gun
Rikiya Yasuoka	...	Pisuken
Kinzô Sakura	...	Shôhei
Yoshi Katô	...	Master of ramen making
Hideji Ôtaki	...	Rich Old Man
Fukumi Kuroda	...	Gangster's Mistress
Setsuko Shinoi	...	Rich old man's mistress
Yoriko Dôguchi	...	Girl Oyster-fisher
Masahiko Tsugawa	...	Supermarket manager
Chôei Takahashi	...	Company executives
Akio Tanaka	...	Company executives
Yoshihei Saga	...	Company executives

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

waitress | ramen | food | noodles | breaking the fourth wall | 

---

Taglines:

The first Japanese noodle western!

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

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

The noodle cook in the train station is quite realistic. Japanese train stations are filled with small noodle-shops, diners, and lunch-stands, especially since many trains do not offer food for sale on board.

---

Quotes

Tampopo: What about your wife?
Gorô: She left with the kids.
Tampopo: Why?
Gorô: I don't know. I grew up in a miserable family, so I wanted to make my own home the warmest there was. I got married. We had kids. And we had a warm home. But I never felt comfortable there. I don't know how to act in a happy home. Before I knew it, my wife was gone... Maybe I'm just a cold-hearted guy.

---

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.

---

Connections

Spoofs Shane (1953)

User Reviews

My All-Time Favorite Movie!

I just keep watching this movie over and over again. Why? It's hard to say exactly. Sure, the acting is great and the story is terrific, but what makes "Tampopo" so special is harder to define. I like to think of it as optimism; the belief that people in this world still do nice things for other people. Or maybe that romance can strike when you least expect it. Sure, this is a movie about food, you've heard all about that, but more importantly it's a movie about people. People working together, eating together, striving together, and accomplishing together.

The script is flawless. Every scene blends into the next, and takes you someplace new. The narrative sidetracks away from the main story from time to time, leading to the most conceptual and entertining scenes. Tampopo is an adventure on a very small and personal scale. It's a charming movie, unlike any other I've seen, well worth a look.