Tampopo a Ramen Western

Where do you begin on a movie like this? These’s so much going on it’s hard to start.

The main plot of the movie follows A widowed owner of a struggling noodle shop called Tampopo. After two men (one older and one younger) enter her noodle shop and defend her from a group of thugs. Tampopo asks the older man (a sort of Japanese Clint Eastwood character) to train her to become the best noodle maker in town! What qualifications dose he have in making noodles you might ask? Well none as far as I can see. They steal secret noodle and soup recipes from all there neighbouring restaurants. And when that doesn’t help they get the old master (a leather faced vagabond) to come help them with the soup. This still doesn’t help though, so after rescuing an old wealthy man from choking on his noodles he lends them his chauffeur as he’s an expert noodle maker! The ring leader of the group of men that the Clint Eastwood guy fought at the beginning of the film decides to fight him one on one this time. The fight ends in a draw and the two guy becoming friends. He offers to help tampopo by redecorating her shop and giving her a snazzy new outfit and dress! This sparks an love interest between the older guy and Tampopo but nothing really comes of it. By this time Tampopo is still struggling to make the perfect noodles and soup so the guy renovating her shop shows her his secret recipe as well so she try’s again. This time she wins! Her shop get renovated and they all live happily ever after!

There are also a lot of short scenes in this film that have no relevance to the main plot but they are all based around food in a comical way. They are mainly separated from each other except for the gangster and his lover who gets shot several times in the end but manages to tell his lover about his secret sausage recipe with his last breath!

Some other highlights are the scene where a group of businessmen go to what I think is a french restaurant. They don’t really understand the menu so they all order the same dish with the exception of the younger (I think apprentice), who shows them all up with his culinary knowledge much to the annoyance of the guy sat next to him.

And of course the scene where the wife in her death bed is forced into the kitchen to make one last meal for her family by her husband.

This film is mad but brilliant at the same time I was thoroughly entertained by it. I could easily watch it again and still have no idea what the hell is going on!

5 shrimps drowning in vinegar on top of a naked lady’s bell out of 5