A Review of The Ramen Girl by in2it.sg

What comes to your mind when you think of ramen?

Noodle, broth, dried seaweed, sliced pork, kamaboko (a type of Japanese processed seafood product), green onions, maybe even spinach (to give it an American taste)... Nope, these are not enough to make the most succulent bowl of ramen that will satisfy your stomach and bright up your day - The Ramen Girl tells you that an abundance of love can sometimes just be the missing ingredient.

The romcom is about an American woman, Abby (Brittany Murphy), who is stranded in Tokyo with a heart broken by her boyfriend and no direction in life. A distraught Abby aimlessly ends up in a neighbourhood ramen shop owned by a tyrannical chef Maezumi (Toshiyuki Nishida). Though the shop is closed, he and his wife feed her a bowl of ramen (topped with spinach) just to get Abby out of the shop.

But, Abby finds solace in that bowl of ramen, which turns to become a want to make her own bowl of ramen. A reluctant Maezumi accepts her as his student and soon the story unfolds how Abby and Maezumi at first "lost in translation" begins to understand each other, and Abby realises that cooking ramen is not only about adding the right ingredient.

Ramen Girl didn't fail as a comedy movie, as the script is packed with hilarity, especially during scenes when Maezumi and Abby squabble and mock each other. Toshiyuki Nishida makes a superb comedian, even with his grumpy frontage.

However, Ramen Girl fails in its attempt to infuse romance, The focus of the story stays on Abby's quest in learning the art of ramen, even when her date brings her to the International Ramen Museum on their first date. But, the date scene and various other Japanese festival scenes sure are a visual treat into the Japanese culture - a thumb-up to the art direction.

The biggest letdown of the film has to be the direction. At times the story seems to be moving faster than necessary, making you feel as though some of the important parts have been left out or cut short. One perfect example is its abrupt ending, which left many moviegoers in the lurch (and wanting for more as they sat through the closing credits).

Ramen Girl makes an excellent movie to watch if you need a good laugh.

P.S. Expect lots of subtitles as, Ramen Girl is almost half the time in Japanese.
Photo credit: Shaw

The Ramen Girl opens islandwide on May 7. Click here to win tickets to Ramen Girl and more!

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