mustangmangt Warning: This will contain spoilers!After watching this movie, my summarized impression of it is Karate Kid, but replace the karate with ramen-making and you'll be halfway there. The first 90% of the movie was pretty excellent, and extraordinarily touching; I found myself crying or laughing on several occasions, which is something I normally don't do while watching movies. This movie, to paraphrase sensei, has spirit. Unfortunately, it gets bogged down by several flaws that render my 4 score.My biggest issue with the movie, was not the ending, but shortly before (SPOILER ALERT!!!) when Sensei takes Abby to see his mother. Why do they all understand each other all of a sudden? Is it the spirit of Ramen?Another thing that really bothered me was the pacing. It was superb up until the previous scene, and then after that it seemed like the director/editors realized "oh well the end" and that was that. Very anti-climactic, if you will. (SPOILER) I think the movie would have made so much more sense had they taken the thread of Abby's Magic Tears and ran with it; instead, they strangled it, squashed it, and essentially made it useless.Overall, it was a very feel-good movie, which was bogged down by either poor writing, directing, or editing. While I did watch the shorter 108 minute American edit, I will try and hunt down the European one and see if perhaps if can assuage the bad taste I have. This movie had so much potential, and I would hate to have seen it wasted.

Lloyd Bayer Konnichiwa (Hello)Not all Asian movies are about martial arts or vengeful evil spirits. This is one such film that boldly goes on to prove just that. It is about culture, tradition, attitude, and endurance of the human spirit. Eventually, what it comes down to is a face-off between the perfectionism of the East versus the arrogance of the West, albeit in not as many words. Incorporated into an almost well written script are ample reasons illustrating exactly what makes the Japanese tick; what makes them strive for perfection and why they put their heart and soul into everything they do. I say almost well written, because the film holds its ground all the way only to end abruptly. That being said, it has a feel good ending which satisfies, nonetheless. When Abbey travels to Tokyo to spend time with her expatriate boyfriend Ethan, she has no clue of the rude shock awaiting her arrival. Even before she can unpack, Abbey is literally dumped on the sidewalk while Ethan takes off with no promise of return. Abandoned in this beautiful city yet unable to speak a word of Japanese, her life seems meaningless to a point where she suffers a mental breakdown while visiting a local noodle (ramen) house. When the proprietor reluctantly offers some solace, Abbey naively embarks on a journey of self esteem and acceptance. Soon, her interest in Japanese culture draws her in to the art of preparing the ultimate bowl of ramen, but not before enduring intolerable psychological torment from her teacher, Maezumi. Although the film claims to be a romantic comedy, elements of romance are very subtle, while humor pops up when you least expect it. As such, humor is manifested in scenes similar to when The Bride first meets the legendary sword craftsman Hattori Hanzō, in "Kill Bill: vol 1". This is clearly due to the language barrier, yet scripting is such that when the lead actors blurt out insults and abuse in their native language, the message goes across through visual disgust from sheer body language. Dialogue in this regard gives an authentic touch to the setting, even though subtitles interpret most Japanese conversations. Acting on the other hand, could have been better coming from Brittany Murphy as Abbey. Murphy's usual melodramatic style of acting complete with weird facial expressions are repeated, but somehow seems unfitting in her role here as an American struggling to understand the instructions of a Japanese cook. However, it is Toshiyuki Nishida who steals the show as the ramen cook turned master. Even with English subtitles, Nishida's portrayal of a tyrannical sensei is fascinating and his persona as a charismatic actor is evidently clear in all his scenes. Once Again, Japanese perfection.Speaking of Japan, director Robert Allan Ackerman has skillfully presented Far-Eastern culture and traditions through genuine locations, props and background music. This is not just a film on how to cook noodles, rather, rendering of the human spirit into anything that celebrates life, love and people, no matter where we come from. Considering his transition from TV movies to this debut theatrical release, Ackerman not only delivers a creative and original story fusing Eastern and Western way of thinking, but in the process announces his arrival in feel-good cinema. All in all, a decent film that takes a clever stab at cross-cultural communication and triumph against all odds. As in the end, when push comes to shove, each one of us really has what it to takes to make a difference, rise above stereotypical thinking, and achieve apparently complex goals with nothing but inner strength and an honest will to succeed.And, for what its worth, there a few easy to pick up Japanese phrases thrown in, just in case Arigatou (Thank you).

edward-brough If you said "The Karate Kid" but with soup and noodles, you'd probably pull the same face I did after watching this movie. That said, it not because the idea is flawed or the movie was badly done. Far from it.The story was okay, well paced and the Acting was okay. The cinematography was beautiful and the concept, whilst odd at first left me quite pleased. The Major Let Down for this film was Brittany Murphy who seemed to have been out acted by the noodles themselves.Dry and uninspired, the film promised so much, and without Brittany Murphy could potentially have delivered but your left with that cold empty feeling inside. Murphy seems to act as if she'd only learnt the concept of emotion 3 minutes before she had to act the scene and I whilst I love the rest of the cast, she herself just made me want to switch the movie off every time she appeared. I just wish they'd cast it better.

nardellig The Ramen girl is an inspirational movie, which teaches that life sometimes or often when needed, brings us trough strange and unwelcomed roads to reach our true destiny and discover our nature. The protagonist in the movie is a girl, an under-achiever who has never completed anything in her life and has a clingy relationship with her boyfriend who is a software developer in Japan. When he abandons her she fall in pieces but she resist to the temptation to go back to the USA and find solace in a ramen shop located near her flat. She is so lonely that ask the shop owner to be his apprentice. The owner, who does not speak English, is tough Japanese man who in his hearth is missing his young son who has left for Europe deciding not too follow the father's footsteps. The girl has to endure shouting and abuse and being ridiculed, until she gets the respect of the owner and his clients. Interesting is that the girl is trying to learn to cook ramen in the western way, thinking with the conscious mind, while the owner tries to make her understand that for the perfect ramen broth you need to use your feeling and emotions which will influence the customer's experience. Finally the girls become a ramen chief, open her own shop and find the love of her life