Tampopo main backdrop
Tampopo main poster

7.9/10 • 373

1985-11-231h 55m

Comedy

The first Japanese Noodle Western.

In this humorous paean to the joys of food, a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside shop selling ramen noodles. The widowed owner, Tampopo, begs them to help her turn her establishment into a paragon of the "art of noodle-soup making". Interspersed are satirical vignettes about the importance of food to different aspects of human life.

Directors
Jūzō Itami
Editors
Akira Suzuki

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Tsutomu Yamazaki

    Tsutomu Yamazaki

    Goro

  2. Nobuko Miyamoto

    Nobuko Miyamoto

    Tampopo

  3. Ken Watanabe

    Ken Watanabe

    Gun

  4. Koji Yakusho

    Koji Yakusho

    White Suit Man

  5. Rikiya Yasuoka

    Rikiya Yasuoka

    Pisken

  6. Kinzō Sakura

    Kinzō Sakura

    Shohei

  7. Hyōe Enoki

    Hyōe Enoki

    Pisken's Henchman

  8. Gō Awazu

    Gō Awazu

    Pisken's Henchman

  9. Mario Abe

    Mario Abe

    Restaurant Owner

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jul 17, 2023

7/10

Nobuko Miyamoto is the eponymous lady who runs her small noodle bar always with the same regulars and... well it's all just a bit routine. That is until "Gorô" (Tsutomu Yamazaki) and his young sidekick "Gun" (Ken Watanabe) arrive and decide they are going to help her realise her dream to improve her shop. Her emporium also serves as the lynch pin for a few tangential stories that focus around her customers and their need for food - and not only for nourishment, either! My favourite has to be the old woman who insists of squishing the life out of his produce then not buying anything - much to the chagrin of the poor shopkeeper. There is also quite a fun tale of an housewife on her deathbed who rises, just before the end, to cook her family a delicious dinner; and of a gangster - clad in a white suit, who finds quite an erotic way to use his dinner, too. It is funny and quirky, this film, with some really engaging performances and the two hours it takes just flies by.

Media

  • Tampopo poster
  • Tampopo poster
  • Tampopo poster
  • Tampopo poster
  • Tampopo poster
  • Tampopo poster
  • Tampopo poster
  • Tampopo poster
  • Tampopo poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
Japanese
Budget
$1,500,000.00
Revenue
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Keywords
widowrestaurantbusiness womanrestaurant ownerbullyingsenseifoodtruck drivererotic vignetteshoodlumfoodiestealing recipeseastern philosophyramenfood culturesmall town cookgastronomiarecipes and preparation detailshelping peoplechef female leadjapanese restaurantramen noodles