Film: The ramen Girl

Director- Robert Allan Ackerman
Writer- Becca Topol
Stars- Brittany Murphy, Toshiyuki Nishida
Supporting- Tammy Blanchard, Sohee Park, Kimiko Yo, Renji Ishibashi
some language, adult situations and themes

-- Legit --

Okay, before you laugh too much, let me explain. Somehow, this showed up on the sidebar of my Netflix - Watch Instantly page. It seemed like something I'd enjoy, at the time, so I clicked it. The film surprised me in a couple of ways and I want to share it with you.

First, the opening segments led me down the romantic-comedy road. As it turns out, The ramen Girl isnt one. For folks who liked Tortilla Soup (or the original Eat, Drink, Man, Woman), this one will work well.

What set me up for the r-c, was a sequence of events in which Abby (Brittany Murphy) meets her boyfriend at a local club, makes out with him in the cab home and joins him between the sheets, then is surprised when he dumps her the next morning. In many movies, this is the sequence that sends the girl back home, where she meets some chump she cant stand, who turns out to be her soul-mate (see Hope Floats or Sweet Home Alabama). Not so here.

In some way, I suppose, you could call Maezumi (Toshiyuki Nishida) a soul-mate. He is the ramen chef who agrees to tutor her in the art of ramen. I didnt realize that it was a specialized field, requiring special training and blessing by a ramen master. Although they dont share a common spoken language, Maezumi slowly shares his technique, but Abby somehow cant get the thing right. That's where his mother comes in. Abby cooks for her and the old matriarch is able to articulate the solution in a way that Abby understands. (Evidently, she's learned enough Japanese to get the drift.)

So, this is a journey film. It's about the illumination of a young woman. She discovers what is important in life as she works in a "dirty little ramen shop" and shares her days and nights with Maezumi and his wife.

I suppose you might call this film a Pygmalion. There is a maturation that occurs in Abby under the imposing tutelage of Maezumi. He is the anti-Henry Higgins. He's drunk by nine o'clock in the morning. He never lacks for insulting things to say. One of the first jobs he gives his glamorous new student is to clean the big ol' toilet, on her knees, in a dress, with a sponge and no gloves.

One thing that worked for me, is that Brittany Murphy is one of the few actresses who (in this film, at least) is even more beautiful when she's crying. She already has those big eyes out of a Margaret Keane or Lu Cong painting. Then the tears start and she's almost ethereal.

Something else that probably contributes to my enjoyment of this piece is the time I spent working in restaurants. If you havent done that, there are parts of this film that wont connect for you. If you have, you'll get it. There is nothing like working in the food industry. It's grueling. The hours are horrendous and the pay is almost non-existent. Without fail, though, people who work together in this industry become closer and more involved in each other's lives than in any other place I've ever worked.

So, dont get me wrong. This isnt Babette's Feast. It just is what it is. The ending is predictable, which let me down, and I'd love to have seen a different one. Overall, though, The ramen Girl is one I enjoyed. Usually, I'd show you a trailer, but I think this one gives away too much of the movie. I think the first time you see it, there should be no expectations. Dont try to find depth. This isnt that kind of film. It's like a good bowl of ramen. It isnt very deep, but it's full of flavor.