SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

califachica I came across this movie while cruising through the cable movie channels and chose it out of curiosity, not knowing more than that (the late) Brittany Murphy was in "Clueless." What a wonderful treat it turned out to be. The movie poster/DVD cover attached to this film is ridiculous. Obviously, the marketing department didn't know how to handle the story. Despite how Murphy's character, "Abby," is portrayed in the art, she never wears a red, sexy kimono and heels. And, she never has that submissive, come-hither expression on her face. Instead, this is the story of an overly attached girlfriend who, upon being dumped and left alone in Tokyo, decides to dig into herself and find her own strength. She fights through obstacles and challenges to be true to her own path. She grows into a self-determined character who defies typical "romance" storyline expectations. The supporting characters are intriguing and it's a shame we don't learn more about them, but the film still works. Murphy portrays "Abby" naturally, with quirky sweetness and unexpected strength. Too bad the marketing department did such an injustice to this film. It's a rare story about a strong, young woman. Shame on the marketers for trying to hide a positive story behind that silly packaging.

dst-thomas My first awareness of Brittany Murphy was at her untimely passing. I had seen "Clueless", but really didn't remember it too well. I recently became curious about her and wanted to see something in which she had played the lead. This film was the most positively-rated of her films available on NF streaming at that time. I was somewhat leery - everything about it looked slightly unwatchable, somehow. I had previous positive experience with ramen-centric cinema. As I added "The Ramen Girl" to my NF queue, I fondly recalled one of my all-time very favorites: "Tampopo" (1985). The casting, screenplay, and production values in "The Ramen Girl" are all really very good. What really surprised me is that the film contains an actual connection to Tampopo!Tampopo has at its core a story that also chronicles ramen apprenticeship. The lead in Tampopo is played by Tsutomu Yamazaki, a trucker who happens upon a widow trying to run her late husband's ramen shop. He is tasked to bring her along to mastery in the art of ramen. Grand adventure ensues. (That is the major thread in the film, there are also a few other stories woven into it about food and the way food sits at the center of our lives...)In "The Ramen Girl", the Grand Master (of ramen) eventually comes to town. That part is played by none other than Tsutomu Yamazaki!!! This was a wonderful touchstone for me and made "The Ramen Girl" even more enjoyable. Whether or not you enjoyed "The Ramen Girl", if you have not see "Tampopo" please consider it. (Japanese with English subtitles.) It's absolutely glorious in every way!

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).

Chismchick1 It wasn't at all as bad as some have made it out to be. I'm glad I saw it. I've never even heard of it before this morning, as it started I gave it ten minutes to catch me or I was gonna turn on mr. poppers penguins..but I fell right into it n set the DVr to record poppers penguins. It was good n heartwarming. Through the language barrier she gave off that "u can push me,but will never break me""girl with a heart of gold" feeling. She always had that in her acting. She'll be missed :( Oh! N the Japanese love interest- smokin hot! Hot damn! I guess I have to add two extra lines :/ hmm, the movie made me a little hungry for soup! :D I've said all I wanted to say,n by saying that there's my last line! Lol