Good movie but grossly overrated

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I had to look up ramen and see how it is made and what it is made up, outside of pork and ready made instant noodlesIf U want a pretty intense well acted dark comedy with drama and romance you will probably like this movie. If U want this movie to deliver on its synopses, U will be disappointed like me.I can recommend a movie which is all of the above and focuses on food preparation , it was made in south Korea and is called 'Doenjang {later titled - the recipe}', its much better than this in all categories except for acting.

This movie while watchable did not do justice to the theme of "student becomes master" films. The writers obviously knew but could not allow the lessons being taught to the main protagonist be fully recognized by the student which could have taken this story to a fresh satisfying conclusion. The two western characters added nothing to progress the story and served as a distraction and to show a gaudy western ethos. More time should have been spent on fleshing out the main characters especially the Sensei that on these two.It was great to see Tsutomu Yamazaki, the Sensei in Tampopo. I highly recommend seeing Tampopo which demonstrates a masterful telling of this type of story.

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.

The Ramen girl is an inspirational movie, which teaches that life sometimes or often when needed, brings us trough strange and unwelcomed roads to reach our true destiny and discover our nature. The protagonist in the movie is a girl, an under-achiever who has never completed anything in her life and has a clingy relationship with her boyfriend who is a software developer in Japan. When he abandon her she fall in pieces but she resist to the temptation to go back to the USA and find solace in a ramen shoo located near her flat. She is so lonely that ask the shop owner to be his apprentice. The owner, who does not speak English, is a tough Japanese man who in his hearth is missing his young son who has left for Europe deciding not too follow the father footsteps. The girl has to endure shouting and abuse and being ridiculed, until she gets the respect of the owner and his clients. Interesting is that the girl is trying to learn to cook ramen in the western way, thinking with the mind, while the owner tries to make her understand that for the perfect ramen broth you need to use your feeling and emotions which are the ingredients that the customer ultimately is buying. Finally the girls become a ramen chief, open her own shop and find the love of her life