The Ramen Girl (2008)

An American woman is stranded in Tokyo after breaking up with her boyfriend. Searching for direction in life, she trains to be a râmen chef under a tyrannical Japanese master.

Director:

Robert Allan Ackerman

Writer:

Becca Topol (screenplay)

Stars:

Brittany Murphy, Toshiyuki Nishida, Tammy Blanchard

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brittany Murphy	...	Abby
Toshiyuki Nishida	...	Maezumi
Soji Arai	...	Toshi Iwamoto (as Sohee Park)
Kimiko Yo	...	Reiko
Daniel Evans	...	Charlie
Renji Ishibashi	...	Udagawa
Gabriel Mann	...	Ethan
Tammy Blanchard	...	Gretchan
Daigo Tanji	...	Taxi Driver
Thane Camus	...	Wilson
Hako Ueno	...	Hanako
Masayuki Maekawa	...	Vendor
Yûya Ogawa	...	College Student (as Yuya Ogawa)
Tomoyuki Kuramoto	...	College Student
Yuta	...	Young Man at the Shrine

Storyline

Abby, four years out of college, an aimless child of privilege, comes to Tokyo to be with her boyfriend, who promptly leaves for Osaka. She wants to stay in Tokyo in hopes he'll come back to her, but she's miserable: she speaks little Japanese and has a dull job as a law-firm gopher. She stumbles into the neighborhood ramen shop operated by the aging master chef Maezumi and his wife Reiko. His soup cheers Abby, so she decides to apprentice herself to him. He's uninterested, she's insistent, so he shouts at her and gives her all the cleaning to do. Weeks go by; she's persistent. Will he ever actually teach her to cook? And if he does, will she bring the requisite spirit to the job?

---

Plot Keywords:

chef | master | japanese | stranded | ramen | 

---

Taglines:

The Missing Ingredient Is Love.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

23 October 2008 (Russia)

Also Known As:

Könnyes leves

Filming Locations:

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Media 8 Entertainment, Digital Site Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 122 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The shooting for the film was particularly difficult for Brittany Murphy, as she at times arrived hours late to set and expressed constant anxiety about her appearance and reputation.

---

Goofs

Abby tells Maezumi that she's never finished anything important in her life, including college. However, she is shown working for a Japanese company in the first part of the film, which would not be possible since Japan does not issue work permits to foreigners who have only a high school diploma.

---

Quotes

Maezumi: A bowl of ramen is a self-contained universe with life from the sea, the mountains, and the earth. All existing in perfect harmony. Harmony is essential. What holds it all together is the broth. The broth gives life to the ramen.

---

Connections

Referenced in Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations: Japan: Hokkaido (2011)

---

Soundtracks

Jingle Bells
(uncredited)
Written by James Pierpont
Performed by Kazuya Takahashi

User Reviews

Pleasant Surprise

I knew nothing about this movie before watching it but within minutes I was hooked.

Brittany Murphy tugged at my heart's strings as she portrayed a girl who is left alone in Tokyo trying to find a purpose or reason to go on.

This movie does very well even though the Ramen Girl (Abby) doesn't understand what anyone is saying at first. You quickly pull for her to succeed in the battle of translation.

The Culture clash is entertaining and hilarious at times. The only downside I have (Don't worry, this isn't a spoiler) is just that I wished the ending would have been slightly different. Either way, I'm glad to have this pleasant surprise in movie collection.

If you have always wanted to visit Japan, or have any interest in Japanese culture, this will certainly tickle your fancy.

Hope you enjoy.