Review of Tampopo

I recall thinking this movie was awesome when I first saw it. So I'm disappointed to say I only liked it this time. The movie follows a spaghetti-Westernish story of a woman learning to become a master noodle chef in a world where it seems people think about little else but noodles, interwoven with various quirky episodes portraying food obsession. I recall this movie being very funny, but this time I find it more odd than funny. It is a fascinating way to look at the world and some of it is very clever. On the other hand, some episodes seem dumb or pointless to me and the director is a little too willing to commit to a long shot of something not especially interesting, like people eating noodles in real time.

While I didn't like it as much this time around, it is a fascinating portrayal of Japanese cultural via food. It's also a movie that made me very curious to try that sort of noodle dish. I only have once. Oddly enough it was at some food place at an airport in the Midwest, but I quite enjoyed it.