Review of The Ramen Girl (2008) by Zarinah H — 31 Jan 2010

The late Brittany Murphy shines in this heartwarming movie about self-discovery. Abby (Murphy) moves to Japan to be with her boyfriend but when she gets dumped, she finds herself in a fix. Unwilling to return to the States, thinking she still has a chance to make it up with her BF, Abby finds a new purpose in the ramen place across the street from her apartment. One rainy night, a despondent Abby wanders into the ramen shop after closing, and starts weeping. The chef Maezumi (Toshiyuki Nishida) and his wife are puzzled as they can't speak English and Abby can't converse in Japanese, so they offer some ramen to comfort her. It does that and more - inspired by the wonderful taste of the ramen, Abby is seized by a sudden desire to learn how to cook ramen, and like an annoying gnat, keeps harassing the chef until he finally takes her on as his apprentice - but not without giving her a really hard time (Abby's initial duties include cleaning the kitchen and the dirty toilets as well as waiting on tables).

The heated exchanges between Abby and Maezumi make for great entertainment- Maezumi as played by Nishida is an irascible taskmaster, who hides a lot of pain beneath his prickly demeanor. Abby, portrayed brilliantly by Murphy, is an initially naive, lost soul trying to find a purpose in life, and struggles to adapt to a foreign environment - not speaking Japanese doesn't help either. There is also a cast of secondary characters, such as the American woman who works as a call girl/mistress, the handsome, young Japanese executive who forms a relationship with Abby, the chef's wife, and a few eccentric regulars at the ramen place. The story does not get overly sappy, and the story, though predictable, is not without a couple of twists. The story might not be original, but it certainly is well-cast and the leads make this an engaging watch. I took away one star because I felt some of the secondary characters deserved more development, e.g. the call girl/mistress who just disappears half-way through the movie. On the whole, this is an interesting, and uplifting drama about searching for one's path in life, and showcases Brittany Murphy's acting talents to good effect. The movie is in both Japanese and English, with a lot of Japanese dialogue accompanied by English subtitles. Also recommended for those who'd like to watch another ramen-themed movie is Tampopo, a highly-entertaining movie.