The Ramen Girl (2008/Image Entertainment DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C Film: C+
Brittany
Murphy is an underrated actress and in particular, one with good comic
timing. Hollywood has not figures this
out, but it is easy to see, even in a film as simple and formulaic as Robert
Allan Ackerman’s The Ramen Girl
(2008) about a young lady who goes to Japan and can only find herself and
future by mastering the art of making ramen noodles in a way so great, it is
like a work of art.
Since we have
been thorough this “East helps West” formula before all the way to the recent Kung-Fu Panda, the story is nothing new
and has been played out. What does make
this work is that the actors are still playing it like it is fresh material
with some unexpected energy and a few chuckles along the way. It is Murphy who shows she can carry this
surprisingly easy 102 minutes, but don’t expect much more. For all the junk we have suffered through of
late, this is not bad. It may even make
some viewers hungry.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 is a bit soft and poor in places, holding back
the quality overall, but it is nicely shot and makes good use of the scenery,
while the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is dialogue-heavy and mostly towards the screen
despite ambiance. Extras include deleted
scenes, an amusing alternate ending and trailers.
- Nicholas Sheffo
