The Ramen Girl

The Ramen Girl
Theatrical film poster
Directed by	Robert Allan Ackerman
Produced by	Robert Allan Ackerman Stewart Hall Kimio Kataoka Brittany Murphy † Yoko Narahashi
Screenplay by	Becca Topol
Starring	Brittany Murphy † Sohee Park Toshiyuki Nishida Tammy Blanchard Kimiko Yo Renji Ishibashi
Music by	Carlo Siliotto
Cinematography	Yoshitaka Sakamoto
Edited by	Rick Shaine
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	October 23, 2008 (Russia) May 26, 2009 (United States; DVD premiere)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United States Japan
Language	English Japanese
Budget	$32 million

The Ramen Girl is a 2008 American–Japanese comedy–drama film starring Brittany Murphy about a girl who goes to Japan and decides to learn how to cook ramen. Murphy is also listed in the production credits as one of the producers.

Abby (Brittany Murphy) is an American girl who goes to Tokyo to be with her boyfriend, Ethan (Gabriel Mann). Ethan tells her that he has to go to Osaka on a business trip and may not be back for a while. Abby asks to go with him but Ethan refuses and breaks up with her. Abby goes to a ramen shop afterward, and the chef Maezumi (Toshiyuki Nishida) and his wife Reiko (Kimiko Yo) tell her that they are closed. Abby does not understand them as she does not speak Japanese. She starts to cry, so the chef conveys to her to sit down. He brings her a bowl of ramen, and she loves it. A small distance away, she hallucinates that the lucky cat, known as the Maneki Neko, or Beckoning Cat, gestures to her to come over. She offers to pay for her meal, but the chef and his wife refuse.

The next day she comes back and sits down at the counter. He gives her another bowl of ramen and she eats. As she eats, she breaks into uncontrollable giggles, as does another patron. The following day she returns, but is told they are out of ramen. Seeing the wife's swollen ankles, she insists on helping instead. After the night is through, she is passed out asleep in the back. They shoo her out, but as she is walking away she realizes she wants to cook ramen. Rushing back into the store, she begs him to teach her how to cook ramen. He argues, but finally gives in and tells her to come the next day at 5. She shows up late, in high heels and a dress, and is put to work scrubbing the toilet and cleaning pots and pans. In the following weeks Maezumi only gives her cleaning work in the hopes that she quits, but she comes back. After she is given work as a waitress, she wins the hearts of all who come in, including two older women who are regular customers, and a 20-ish male laborer regular who develops a crush on her.

On a rare night off, she heads to a night club with a British man named Charlie and an American woman named Gretchen whom she met earlier. The three meet Toshi Iwamoto (Sohee Park) and his friends. Abby and Toshi fall in love. But soon, Toshi has to go to Shanghai, China for three years. He asks Abby to come with him, but she declines, saying she can't. They share their last kiss.