Tampopo

Written and directed by Juzo Itami

Starring Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Koji Yakusho and Ken Watanabe

My review: 4/5 stars

Unlike Julie & Julia, this movie is populated with characters who really care about food. I mean, they REALLY care about it. To the point of literal life and death sometimes.

The main story follows Goro, a lone cowboy-type, as he leads our heroine Tampopo in the quest to make the perfect bowl of ramen. (The noodle theme is a play on the idea of a spaghetti western.) It's quite a journey, involving calisthenics with stock pots, espionage, bribery, a makeover and renovation, and countless rounds of practice and taste-testing. They call in various experts to consult; my favorite was the leader of a band of foodie hobos.

The story often meanders away from the main plot to a series of unrelated episodes, many involving a gangster in a white suit and his mistress, all centered around food. Every moment is novel and unexpected. The underling in the French restaurant was great, the etiquette class was hilarious, and oh my god - that little old lady in the grocery store. Fantastic.

The film felt very foreign and weird to me but I certainly wasn't bored.