Tampopo
- This article is about a Japanese film. For the J-pop group, see Tanpopo.
| Tampopo | |
|---|---|
| File:Tampopo cover.jpg Pamphlet cover | |
| Directed by | Juzo Itami |
| Written by | Juzo Itami |
| Produced by | Seigo Hosogoe Juzo Itami Yasushi Tamaoki |
| Starring | Tsutomu Yamazaki Nobuko Miyamoto Ken Watanabe Koji Yakusho |
| Cinematography | Masaki Tamura |
| Edited by | Akira Suzuki |
| Music by | Kunihiko Murai |
Production company | Itami Productions |
| Distributed by | Toho |
Release date | November 23, 1985 |
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Tampopo (タンポポ, Tanpopo, literally "dandelion") is a 1985 Japanese comedy film by director Juzo Itami, starring Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Koji Yakusho and Ken Watanabe. The publicity for the film calls it the first ramen western, a play on the term Spaghetti Western (films about the American Old West made by Italian production studios).
Plot
A pair of truck drivers, the experienced Goro (Tsutomu Yamazaki) and a young sidekick named Gun (Ken Watanabe), stop at a decrepit roadside ramen (noodle) shop. Outside, Goro rescues a boy who is being beaten up by three schoolmates. The boy, Tabo, turns out to be the son of the widowed owner of the struggling business, Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto). When a customer called Pisken (Rikiya Yasuoka) harasses Tampopo, Goro invites him and his men to step outside. Goro puts up a good fight, but is knocked out and wakes up the next morning in Tampopo's home.
When Tampopo asks their opinion of her noodles, Goro and Gun tell her they are not very good. After Goro gives her some advice, she asks him to become her teacher. They decide to turn her establishment into a paragon of the "art of noodle soup making". Goro takes her around and points out the strengths and weaknesses of her competitors. She still cannot get the broth just right, so Goro brings in the "old master" (Yoshi Katō) and his superlative expertise. When they rescue a wealthy elderly man from choking on his food, he lends her his chauffeur Shohei, who has a masterful way with noodles. They also steal the best recipes from their competitors. During the transition, the group agrees to have the restaurant's name changed from Lai Lai to "Tampopo".
Pisken feels bad for being too drunk to tell his men to stay out of the fight, so he offers Goro another chance one on one. After the rematch ends in a draw, Pisken reveals he is a contractor, and offers to make over the shop's interior. Tampopo's latest effort still comes up short, so Pisken teaches her his own secret recipe. When the five men consume her latest creation down to the last drop, Tampopo knows she has won. (Tabo also triumphs, beating all three of his tormentors). As customers fill her newly redecorated shop, the men file out one by one.
The main narrative is interspersed with stories involving food, etiquette and satire on Japanese culture on several levels. The primary subplot involves a young gangster in a white suit (Koji Yakusho) and his lover (Fukumi Kuroda), who find erotically inventive ways to use food. Other satirical vignettes involve a lowly worker who upstages his superiors and totally breaks Japanese etiquette by displaying his vast culinary knowledge while ordering at a gourmet French restaurant; a housewife who rises from her deathbed to cook one last meal for her family; and a women's etiquette class (held by Mariko Okada) on how to eat spaghetti properly the western way (silently), while a Westener tries to eat according to perceived Asian customs by slurping them audibly. Another subplot involves a corner store clerk who has to deal with an older woman (Sen Hara) obsessed with squeezing food. The clerk's scene segues into a restaurant involving an investment scam and the intended victim, who turns out to be a conman himself. The man in the white suit is shot several times by an unknown assailant, to his lover's horror.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Tsutomu Yamazaki | Goro |
| Ken Watanabe | Gun |
| Koji Yakusho | White-suit man |
| Rikiya Yasuoka | Pisken |
| Nobuko Miyamoto | Tampopo |
| Sen Hara | Cheese-squeezing pensioner |
| Mariko Okada | Etiquette guide in restaurant |
| Yoshi Katō | Noodle professor |
| Hideji Otaki | Rich old man |
Reception
Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars, commenting that "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."[1]
Hal Hinson of The Washington Post wrote, "The movie, which Itami calls a 'noodle western,' is a rambunctious mixture of the bawdy and the sublime."[2] "'Tampopo' is perhaps the funniest movie about the connection between food and sex ever made."[2]
Vincent Canby provided a somewhat dissenting, though still positive, opinion in his New York Times review, stating, "Though it's not consistently funny ... 'Tampopo' is one of the more engaging films to be shown in this year's [New Directors/New Films] series."[3] "Mr. Itami often strains after comic effects that remain elusive. The most appealing thing about 'Tampopo' is that he never stops trying."[3]
Tampopo has received unanimous praise from critics, with a 100% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes, based on 12 reviews.[4]
References
- ^ Ebert, Roger (1987-09-11). "Tampopo Review". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ^ a b Hal Hinson (June 17, 1987). "'Tampopo' (NR)". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b Vincent Canby (March 26, 1987). "New Directors/New Films; 'Tampopo,' A Comedy from Japan". The New York Times.
- ^ Tampopo at Rotten Tomatoes
Further reading
- Ashkenazi, Michael. "Food, Play, Business, and the Image of Japan in Itami Juzo's Tampopo". In Anne Bower, ed., Reel Food: Essays on Food and Film (New York: Routledge, 2004).