Tampopo
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Movie Reviews of Tampopo
Movie Review: the best introduction to Japanese sensibility ever
Summary: 5 Stars
I first saw this film in college, in a theatre, back in 1987, I think, and in spite of knowing only a little Japanese then, and only a little of Japanese culture, I fell in love with Japan even more deeply after seeing this. If your idea of Japanese movies is Akira Kurosawa and/or anime, then you have to see Itami's movies, and you have to start with this one.
I actually fell onto the floor laughing when I saw this, and it makes me laugh even now. And this is the film (together, now, with Water Boys, Shall We Dance, anything else with Takenaka Naoto, and After Life) I show friends when I want to share Japan (where I lived for ten years) with them.
The wonderful aspect of this movie is the way Itami intercuts the main story, of a woman named Tampopo (Japanese for dandelion, by the way), trying to run a ramen shop and raise a boy on her own, and the two truck drivers who end up helping her recreate that business and teach her son to stand up to bullies, with many of the different ways that Japanese obsess about food. From shopping, to macrobiotic mothers, to ordering in restaurants, to learning how to eat Western food... And Itami's cast, a group of actors he works with time and again, rise to the challenge brilliantly.
If you decide you need to see only one Japanese film, make it this one. And if you're a fan of Japanese film, but have never seen this, then do so immediately!
Movie Review: You will laugh till you choke...
Summary: 5 Stars
No, really, I was eating food at the time and had to stop the DVD so I could get air. One of the tags is that this movie is a spaghetti western which, in one scene, is true. It is funny, heart warming and makes you hungry!
The plot - woman owns a noodle bar and her cooking sucks. Two milk truck drivers decide to help her become a better noodle cook. Sounds simple. It is - but it is also full of stories dealing with and centered around food. Everything from a business meeting to sex to family to breast feeding is linked to our knowledge, enjoyment and want for food. Not just plain food, not just our need for food, but our love of food. We want to eat good food. Great food! No culture can just toss the food on the table. There are rituals. Traditions. Things that must be done and things that can't be done. Is maybe there are no barriers, no limits? Maybe we should just enjoy it. Because you never know when the last film may play, when the last bowl of noodles may be finished, when that big noodle bar in the sky will have a seat for you.
Or maybe I'm taking it too seriously? Just pop it into the DVD player, get a hot bowl of noodles, some chopsticks and ENJOY! Oh, and slurp your noodles in Japan. It is good manners AND helps cool off the noodles which will burn your mouth if you are not careful!
Movie Review: "Food Porn" at it's finest
Summary: 5 Stars
I was so happy to see that Amazon was offering this DVD. After listening to a David Chang interview and hearing his recommendation for this movie, I had to see what all the ruckus was about. This film is awesome. I was a little bit naive and didn't think to read any content reviews for it despite the NR rating, so when the first of many instances of bare breasts were seen in a particular scene I was a bit shocked, so be warned. Luckily that scene is conveniently skippable without missing anything else and there isn't any nudity after that until the credits roll at the end, and even then, it's a long focus on a baby breast feeding, if you consider that nudity. This movie is all about the Japanese love/obsession with food. The film is slightly quirky and after certain scenes I was a bit stunned, not knowing if I should be laughing or taking it serious, but it actually is really funny. The acting was great and the film's pacing was excellent as well, despite being sort of a montage that jumps back and forth with the characters. If you are passionate about food, you need to see this film. And don't forget to affectionately stroke the pork in your bowl.
The DVD doesn't come with anything but the disc and the case. I watched (and probably only will watch) the subbed version.
Movie Review: If you love food and Alton Brown...
Summary: 5 Stars
...you will love this movie for it explores (with hysterical results) why food becomes such an important touchstone in life.
Truck driver Goro and Gun are in search of some good eats and run into a widow who is trying to run a ramen shop. Unfortunately, she's not doing too well so Goro and some unlikely guides offer her some sage advice and help her on her way to becoming a true ramenista. The story is punctuated with some vignettes about the "social aspects" of eating and our behavior with food.
THIS EDITION NOTES: This is a "no-frills" deal with the bear minimum of subtitle options and the movie's original trailer. Although Amazon is listing the zone playability as "unknown" the jacket lists it as ALL ZONES. It played on our ancient Zenith DVD player which can only handle zone 1 DVDs and nothing else. Picture is good, but sound quality is poor. However, its definitely worth the price to see this wonderful movie once again!
Movie Review: a classic
Summary: 5 Stars
Japanese comedy in all its glorious complexity, Tampopo irreverently combines sex and food in a search for the Holy Grail: the perfect soup! I don't know one person who has not enjoyed this film. Meet the hero: a cowboy/samurai truck driver type. Meet the damsel in distress: Tampopo, a single mom trying to make her lunch bar succeed. And the bad guy? A yakusa-type bad boy wannabe who unveils his very tasteful interior decorating skills and pitches in to help the pretty widow. Then there is the unforgettable "professor", the con man, the dying mother who manages to get up from her death bed to make one last meal for her family, the dentist (and a sexy dentist assistant). They are all intertwined, inexplicitly, with a fedora-wearing gangster in search of the perfect meal.