Toshiyuki Nishida and Brittany Murphy... together? In "The Ramen Girl"?

by Chris MaGee

What's this? Brittany Murphy cooking up ramen in Tokyo? Her career kind of jumped the shark after "Uptown Girls" [shudder] and now word that she's starring in a film by TV director Robert Allan Ackerman called "The Ramen Girl" with the tagline "In food as in life, sometimes the missing ingredient is love." [shudder again]. But wait. Ackerman helmed the 2001 TV movie "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows" starring Judy Davis which I really quite liked, and Murphy is starring opposite none other than veteran actor Toshiyuki Nishida of "Tsuribaka nisshi (Free and Easy)" fame. Could it be all bad? Here's the plot: Abby (Murphy), a young woman recently arrived in Tokyo is dumped by her boyfriend. Alone and confused she decides to become the apprentice of the gruff old ramen chef (Nishida) who runs the restaurant across from her apartment.

Check out the trailer below, but beware such lines as "Begin by putting tears in your broth." [shudder on last time] Thanks to Cinema Today for the still from the film.