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Ken Watanabe, Nobuko Miyamoto, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Koji Yakusho, Rikiya Yasuoka ... see more see more... , Kinzo Sakura , Akira Kubo , Masahiko Tsugawa , Shuji Otake , Choei Takahashi

The sophomore directorial effort from ill-fated Japanese filmmaker Juzo Itami, Tampopo is an off-beat comedy featuring several intersecting stories all related to food. Tsutomu Yamazaki plays Goro, a ... read more read more...truck driver who helps a young widow named Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto) improve her noodle restaurant. Over the course of the film, the story drifts around, not only following the stories of Tampopo, her son, and Goro, but also a number of customers who come through the diner, including an old woman (Izumi Hara) who insists on squeezing the cheese at a market and a criminal (Ken Watanabe) with a food-based kink. Tampopo was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 1988 Independent Spirit Awards. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Flixster Users

93% liked it

7,640 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

12 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 54 min.

Directed by: Juzo Itami

Release Date: November 23, 1985

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DVD Release Date: July 5, 2000

Stats: 770 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (770)

  • fb223580
    October 24, 2011
    fb223580
    A timeless feast for the senses, saw it twice in college with friends. We ate ramen before watching it, but still left in the middle of the movie to go get more. It will taunt your appetite and wrap your salivating imagination around its chopsticks until your craving can't hold... read more out any more. Hilarious and very Asian vignettes about the cultural importance of food in a Japan that's trying to Westernize without losing its Nippon identity. (The beggar foodies especially reminded me of Chinese wuxia stories.) And a sweet, understated chivalry between Goro and Tampopo.
  • skactopus
    March 18, 2009
    skactopus
    Juzo Itami creates one piece of work in Tampopo, a film that centers around ramen. This movie will make you hungry for noodles. I don't care if you are sick or you just ate. You will be hungry for noodles.

    When it comes down to it, this film is about a group of people

    ... read more that help turn a middle aged woman's cheap ramen shop into the best one in town. However, there is much more in this movie than just that. Why? I do not know. The beginning starts off with a man talking to the audience (you) about manners while watching a movie. The opening credits is then in black and white and finally we are under way.

    The story is interesting and there is sort of a childish tone to it, which keeps things fun. Speaking of fun, throughout this film there are scenes that have just no meaning in here. There are a few love scenes, an old woman in a grocery store, a man rushing home to his dying wife, etc. The ONLY thing these scenes have in common is food. The love scenes involve food as an aphrodisiac. There is nudity and all. The old woman in the grocery store is smashing food with her fingers. The man rushes home to his dying wife so she can cook her last meal. Why are these scenes there? To make the movie longer? To make the story more entertaining? No matter the reason, they are there and they will get people laughing.

    Nobuko Miyamoto and Tsutomu Yamazaki both carry this movie nicely and the supporting cast follow their leaders.

    Tampopo is one film that is hard to pass up. Also, what is up with the end credits?
  • binky013
    January 4, 2007
    binky013
    Dandelion

    You cannot watch this movie and not want to eat noodles. I couldn't wait until after it was over; I had to pause it half way through this time and cook up a bowl for myself. It's the same problem I have watching a good cook on the Food Network. Noth

    ... read moreing like ushering out the old and welcoming in the new year with great homemade ramen. Very fulfilling fare.
  • simeondeutsch1
    August 27, 2010
    simeondeutsch1
    A two hour comedy about a widow and a trucker trying to make the perfect noodle. I'm still asking myself how this managed to be so entertaining. It's indescribable; don't try to describe it to your friends. Just say it's Monty Python meets The Good the Bad and the Ugly in Japanes... read moree. Random and hilarious, and with some expected misfires, this is a funny satire on Japanese culture that's worth the watch because of some memorable movie scenes and good acting. 95/100
  • Jossepi
    June 1, 2009
    Jossepi
    This movie will make you HUNGRY for NOODLES and all sorts of crazy food fantasies. XD The film has so many comical surprises and side stories. It will make you HUNGRY and HUNGRIER. It will make you burst out laughter while your stomach is praying this movie is over. THAT'S HOW GO... read moreOD THIS MOVIE IS! The shots were great and the actors were excellent as Ken Wakanabe performed one of his proudest. GOSH. I bet those people who watched it in the theatre couldn't wait the movie is over and RUSH to a noodle shop and EAT. The point of this movie is about what's the best food and how to eat them. The ending was profoundly deep.
  • reberscott
    April 12, 2012
    reberscott
    I loved it! Japanese humor at its best. It did remind me of Monty Python's Flying Circus at times with all the jumping to random things, and that was odd at times. But the food experience was impressive, made me hungry, and also eager to experience Japan and the many different fo... read moreods they showed. I love Ramen, but to have it in Japan would be ideal! Great movie!
  • catlyst
    March 7, 2011
    catlyst
    a disjointed semi-ridiculous movie on food, and mostly, perfecting the art of noodle-making. The main storyline would've been adequate as a commendable, moral, short (~1hr) movie, but the director chose to insert unrelated snippets of dubious value, peppered at random timings, th... read moreroughout the show, to stir up feelings of distaste, arousal, disgust, and ickiness.

    Nonetheless, I have to admit I enjoyed the well-groomed gangster's 5-min long Bollywood-style dying scene in which he describes his ultimate meal to his lady love (after 10 gunshot wounds or so).... fire-roasted yam sausages... That sequence alone probably bumped it up by 1.5 stars for me. :)
  • NobleKnight
    March 20, 2010
    NobleKnight
    Hilarious cooking movie for the far east.
    There is one major story, a woman who is trying to get her restaurant back into shape, and a lone truck driver teaches her the secret of cooking.
    Otherwise you see different snippets of other people and their life of food.
    Give it a chanc... read moree to watch, and you might find the humor within it!
  • driftingarrow
    February 3, 2009
    driftingarrow
    An odd movie with a bizarre love scene involving food. Best described as a comedic Japanese Western centered on food. FOOD!
  • Bancho
    January 5, 2009
    Bancho
    With odd characters and multiple sub-plots connected only by the single common thread of Japanese food culture, Tampopo will keep you entertained and hungry.

    Aw, what a cute turtle! Wait, what's he doing... oh, Hell no.

View All Tampopo Reviews

Critic Reviews

Jay Antani
September 5, 2010
Jay Antani, Cinema Writer

a pleasant enough time-passer Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 19, 2007
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Playful and self-reflexive, Itami's delightful shaggy-dog tale makes allusions to Samurai, American Westerns, Spielberg, but above all it's about the power of food, specifically the art of preparing a... Full Review

Gary Brown
November 28, 2002
Gary Brown, Houston Community Newspapers

A fan favorite for college foreign film series.

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
August 30, 2004
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Thomas Delapa
November 4, 2005
Thomas Delapa, Boulder Weekly

No review available.

Jules Brenner
October 26, 2005
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Tampopo Trivia

  • Tampopo (1985) is a Japanese film centered on a woman's search for ...  Answer »
  • What is the title of the movie where a truck driver and his companion help a struggling noodle cook become a sublime chef by exploring the world of food together.  Answer »
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