The Ramen Girl

As one who has lived in Japan and has eaten REAL Ramen, I enjoyed this movie just from that perspective. However, I was touched on other levels as well.

There is a depth to this movie that sadly many viewers simply will not be able to comprehend. This is a movie that goes beyond the technicality or "head thinking" aspect of a craft and addresses the heart or "spirit" of doing something.

This is clearly a movie about redemption. It is a movie about relationships. And, it is a movie about cross-cultural understanding and communication.

Ramen Girl touched my heart, and I hope it will touch yours as well.

Never heard of this movie before my sister started playing it. I guess it wasn't marketed very well. All in all, the movie was enjoyable, especially if you're a fan of Brittany Murphy. She did a pretty great job and it's always pleasant to her smile. Her interactions with her teacher were the best parts of the movie.

There was no real need for the other non-Japanese characters as their subplots didn't add much to the movie. Nor was there any real end to their story. The ending was quick and not well thought out, but still okay. Other than that, a very watchable and at times pretty funny movie. Made me crave Ramen!!!

One of the strangest and most enjoyable Japanese films I have seen in "Tampopo"--a wonderful film about a woman who is struggling to make her ramen noodle shop the greatest on the planet. It's quirky and lovable. Now, with "The Ramen Girl", similar material is being explored and the results are quite pleasant if not in the same league as "Tampopo".

Brittany Murphy stars as Abby--a rather spoiled and stupid young woman who foolishly has come to Tokyo to follow a man. She knows none of the language and is totally in over her head--especially since her only focus is this guy. When he breaks up with her, she has nothing.

One night, she goes to a nearby ramen shop. There, the owner and his wife speak no English and Abby speaks no Japanese yet somehow she muddles through. After eating the ramen, she is captivated--so much so that she comes back the next night. Soon this dippy lady has a plan--to learn to make ramen like the masters. But, as she knows no Japanese and the owner/chef knows no English, getting this point across to him is practically impossible. So, instead of his taking her on as an apprentice, she becomes like an annoying squatter who won't go home! Reluctantly, he teaches her.

This is a film I would rate higher in enjoyment than I would overall. This is because too often the film simply makes no sense nor does Abby. How she learns all this without really understanding the language and culture as well as how and why the man teaches her are all a mystery! It's enjoyable but mindless as well. Worth seeing, but see "Tampopo" first.

Watching Brittany Murphy's films posthumously makes you realize that although many of her movies weren't that great, SHE was a REAL shining star. She was the Marilyn Monroe of her era - bright-eyed, innocent, full of life and wonder. Her childlike hunger to learn is most evident in The Ramen Girl and this part was made for her. Too bad the supporting actors weren't as good... too bad the script was mediocre. It was a terrific idea and Brittany's acting makes it worth watching. She will charm you and, like other coming of age movies, you'll be inspired to want to change your life somehow or do your best at what you're doing now. Watch Brittany and take in her many-faceted soul in this and her other films and you'll be enchanted.

Strange thing about this movie is that it has a lot of things wrong with it, but it is still a good movie, because it has a lot of "charm". Not the kind of charm in a movie that is overly contrived, but an actual sincere charm - which is hard to find. Most credit goes to Brittany Murphy for the charm, because she is such a naturally, sweet girl that she just delivers that quality to the whole film. The first problem I would love to address is the Cover of the DVD/Poster/Ad, because it is really awful. It has a "reverse stereotype" of Brittany Murphy in a Kimono with hands clasped. This would be okay for a film that one would think is about a soft-porn, submissive female on Cinemax, but it is not - it's more in the line of Karate Kid, and Shall we Dance. The People who watch expecting to see some White girl in Japan in hot, sexy escapades will be disappointed, and the People who usually watch more cultural, art films would avoid it thinking it's just soft-porn, so this "Cover" just disappoints everyone. The Marketing Dept. should learn from the people who market Fast & the Furious, because those movies sucks big, but always pulls in the audience because people know what to expect.