Tampopo (2016)

Expected more

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Simply the best film about food I've ever seen; peppered with homages and nods to great westerns, this lovely comedy is just a pure joy to watch. Just don't watch it on an empty stomach - you'll be craving noodles within minutes. A timeless Asian classic. 8 stars out of 10.In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites:imdb.com/list/ls070242495

I can't count the number of times I've watched this wonder, discovered one night when I rented it from the local video store in 1993. I believe that like a great recipe, you need to practice it at least a dozen times to start to get a grip on it. Every time I watch it I take more pleasure as I get older (and hopefully wiser). This film is without a doubt one of the most sensual, generous masterly realized movie of all times. It is to be hold close to Fritz Lang and Kubrik masterpieces, but obviously in a completely different register. It would take me all night to decipher the various reasons why this pure marvel is so good. But this is not required. It is simply a tale about life and death, and the ongoing process of sex and food in between the two. Epicurism was never thought to be a Japanese value, until we Westerners with all our believes and convictions, realized that Japanese culture encompasses much more that our restrained field of philosophy. This ode to life touches all aspects of our arrogant human society in so many FUNNY and touching ways that I could hardly compare it to anything else watched anywhere else. In a way it is an encyclopedia of human traits. Maybe "La Grande Bouffe" would be the closest contender on SOME aspects only. But Tampopo goes much further in my opinion. And above all the marvelous acting makes it SO FUNNY!! Every time I watch it I laugh more... To have managed to put all these traits of human behavior in only one such great movie is truly an ASTONISHING work in terms of scripting, directing and editing. But even the way it is filmed is perfection itself. Above all keep in mind this NOT a serious boring movie at all but a funny piece of cake to watch... A bit crazy too!! Be aware you'll never look at your bowl of noodles the same way after watching this movie!! "Bon appetite!!"

It was sold as the world's first 'noodle western', but this deadpan, mock-hysterical Japanese import is more than just another genre parody. Director Juzo Itami blends equal parts Sergio Leone and Luis Buñuel (circa 'The Phantom of Liberty') to cook up a near plot less satire on a common theme: food, in all its various shapes, forms, and obsessions. Episodic gags and aimless digressions overlap each other with little logic and often no clear punchline: a bereaved father orders his children to finish their mother's last meal after she collapses dead in the kitchen; an etiquette class learns modern table manners from an eavesdropper noisily slurping up his dinner; a dapper gangster and his girlfriend practice (with the aid of a raw egg yolk) the art of epicurean sex. Eventually each loose end leads back to the central story, about an eager but inept proprietress of a mediocre noodle shop guided by a benevolent truck driver towards culinary enlightenment in pursuit of the ultimate bowl of ramen: a process involving rigorous exercise, total mental discipline, Zen philosophy, industrial espionage, and smart interior decorating.

1st watched 11/15/2009 - 7 out of 10 (Dir-Juzo Itami): Funny, perverted yet touching movie about a group of food critics that help a woman become a master noodle cook and start a restaurant. The story doesn't always follow this basic storyline which is kind of interesting but confusing as well at times. The movie is really about food and the way that the Japanese culture views it. They throw in mini-stories that revolve around food obsessions including a couple that begin the movie talking to us(the audience) and are shown at various times using food in their sexual encounters and their other normal activities of life and death. The main storyline starts with a couple of truck-driving noodle soup enthusiasts visiting a restaurant then helping the woman named Tampopo and becoming her coach. There is a sweetness in the relationships between her and her teachers, especially the main character that likes to wear a cowboy hat(which they use to spoof westerns a couple of times). The extra stories that the filmmakers throw in are a little more vulgar which makes for an interesting contrast of styles. The movie is funny and fun to watch for the most part and gives you a good idea of how the Japanese like their Ramen!! Some of the mini stories don't make a lot of sense except they revolve around food --- so overall this feel good movie is very enjoyable despite it's imperfections.