Tampopo

Name: Tampopo
Genre: Comedy
Released: May 22, 1987
Duration: 114 min
Rating: 87
Cast: Ken Watanabe, Nobuko Miyamoto, Tsutomu Yamazaki

1987

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 18 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 9 Ratings

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8.3

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8.3	User Score Universal acclaim based on 9 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

New Yorker Films | Release Date: May 22, 1987 | Not Rated

Starring: Ken Watanabe, Nobuko Miyamoto, Tsutomu Yamazaki

Summary: The tale of an enigmatic band of ramen ronin who guide the widow of a noodle shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, Tampopo serves up a savory broth of culinary adventure seasoned with offbeat comedy sketches and the erotic exploits of a gastronome gangster. Sweet, sexy, surreal, and mouthwatering, Tampopo remains one of the mostThe tale of an enigmatic band of ramen ronin who guide the widow of a noodle shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, Tampopo serves up a savory broth of culinary adventure seasoned with offbeat comedy sketches and the erotic exploits of a gastronome gangster. Sweet, sexy, surreal, and mouthwatering, Tampopo remains one of the most delectable examples of food on film. [Janus Films]… Expand

Director: Jûzô Itami

Genre(s): Comedy

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 114 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Joe Morgenstern

Lacking space for a proper review, let me say first that Tampopo is right up there with “Ratatouille” and “Big Night” when it comes to peerless movies about food. Read full review

100

Roger Ebert

Tampopo is one of those utterly original movies that seems to exist in no known category. Like the French comedies of Jacques Tati, it's a bemused meditation on human nature in which one humorous situation flows into another offhandedly, as if life were a series of smiles. Read full review

IndieWire David Ehrlich

Like all of the best comfort food, Tampopo tastes familiar but not derivative, something more than the sum of its ingredients. If Tampopo resonates with you in ways you might not expect or be able to name, it’s because Itami also engenders the same respect for everything that goes into the making of a movie. Read full review

Christopher Machell

Through a series of vignettes hung together by the widow of a noodle chef, this ramen-western explores how the pleasure and meaning we derive from food are vital and enriching components in the human experience. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

A thoroughly offbeat but most enjoyable comedy on the subject of food. Read full review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

The often unorthodox inventiveness of Tampopo registers like the dividend of a filmmaker who has found his ideal subject. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Spasmodically effective rather than bitingly funny. Read full review

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User Reviews

IntakeCinema

Jul 5, 2022

I think I'm in love. In love with Itami. This is only the second that I've seen from him, the first being The Last Dance, which I also loved. Itami manages flawless flourishes without going overboard with visuals that might otherwise distract from what we are seeing on the screen. So muchI think I'm in love. In love with Itami. This is only the second that I've seen from him, the first being The Last Dance, which I also loved. Itami manages flawless flourishes without going overboard with visuals that might otherwise distract from what we are seeing on the screen. So much happens in Tampopo that it's almost overwhelming, but even if the current vignette unfolding on the screen doesn't seem to have anything to do with the main storyline - it's always about food.

It amazes me that there aren't more films pretty much entirely surrounding food. Whether it's an infant suckling his mother's breast, a couple that indulges in mixing sex and food, an elderly lady who must fondle any food she can get her hands on, or a humble ramen shop owner; if there is one thing that all of mankind must do, it's eat and drink and most of us highly value that necessity.… Expand

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