The Ramen Girl (2008)

After moving to Japan to be near her boyfriend (Gabriel Mann), an American girl (Brittany Murphy) finds herself abandoned when after a short time he splits for Shanghai. After finding comfort from a bowl of ramen soup, she becomes determined to make the perfect bowl of ramen. To this end, she asks an ill tempered tyrant (Toshiyuki Nishida) who takes abuse to new levels to be her teacher. It's the kind of film one wants to like and while it's likable, it's also rather mundane. The kind of film where there's a montage of the heroine dancing alone around her apartment to pop music. It's frustrating because much of the misunderstanding between Murphy and Nishida is because neither speaks the other's language. Of course, if Murphy learned Japanese much of the film's conflict would evaporate. The film is fairly predictable but there are a couple of nice scenes that stand out, the reaction when the ramen shop's customers taste Murphy's ramen for the first time and later, a surprising twist when you think you know what's coming. Credit to the director Robert Allan Ackerman (if, indeed, it was his decision) letting the Japanese actors speak in their native language with English subtitles. With Tammy Blanchard as Murphy's hard drinking party girl friend, Kimiko Yo and Sohee Park. And is there really a ramen museum in Yokohama?