Sûpâ no onna

I really enjoyed this one. It was a lot like Tampopo, the Noodle Western in taking a mundane career and turning it into a Zen-like success. The widow Hanako helps her childhood friend Goro turn his unpleasant store into a bastion of freshness and cleanliness. Hanako's acumen turns the store into real competition for the chain grocery nearby.

Hanako's enthusiasm is never-ending and contagious. Definitely a fun watch.

Cute, wholesome fare. A housewife meets a childhood friend with a grocery store on the brink of being run out of business by a giant new rival (think Walmart), and goes to work for him. Naturally, she starts by laying off the employees who are incompetent (of which there are many), and identifies cost-cutting measures across the board, including working the employees who remain harder and paying them less. Hahahaha no, just kidding, she doesn't do that. This is a feel-good movie, with vibes that would make Frank Capra proud. She helps David (actually "honest Goro") stand up to Goliath by focusing on quality, integrity, customer service, and sticking together to resist the big company's strong-arm tactics. Goro is maddeningly incompetent and the rest of the characters are practically cartoons, but Nobuko Miyamoto's charm carries the film. I also liked how the romance didn't go the predictable route, with the scene that ended in laughter. I'm not sure I believe the high average rating this film has, but it's good-natured, family entertainment.

What a delightful and bonkers feel good film! I think if this film were done in America, it would be extremely mediocre, but I think Japanese director Juzo Itami knows when to be subtle and when to be bonkers.

This is now my favorite movie, it's, another movie made by the same director starring the same woman s "Tampopo" - which i also loved

My favorite part is when Goro Judo tossed the meat thief - brilliant- hilarious and it made me cheer even though i was by myself, i still did, i don't care

apparently Goro was on every team in college, i just finished watching it and I'm still laughing

the carchase was great too, i was thrilled , the car chase was more exciting than any car chase I've sen in action movies in recent memory.

the 'love' scene was hilarious and refreshing too, and somehow - while not immediately apparent Hanoko's energy and personality is sexy - well, maybe just to me

10 out of 10

Just the kind of breezy, relaxed, funny, and even heartwarming film I needed tonight. Supermarket Woman is quite simply about a savvy middle-aged woman helping to revive a struggling supermarket, who are under extra threat by a new, larger store recently opening up nearby.

It's a very low-stakes movie, but you still come to care for the characters and the story. It's just never stressful or feels like it's playing much for drama, which is nice. Tonally, it's just about all comedy, but it never pushes things too far too often to the point where it feels like it's taking place in another reality entirely.

It's terrible to read about what happened to the director - he was apparently killed by the yakuza because of how he featured them in one of his movies. I've liked everything of his I've seen to some extent, but Supermarket Woman might be up there as his best or second best (personally speaking), and it's definitely his most consistently funny and entertaining.

It might help to have worked in a supermarket at some point before watching this, too. There are quite a few moments sprinkled throughout that feel very relatable.