--- title: "Tampopo: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/tampopo/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/tampopo" critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Tampopo (1985): what the critics said Critics' score 80 from 11 reviews: 9 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics are won over, and the praise lands in the same two places. The first is the food itself: the noodles, the broth, the care taken over every dish, which reviewers find sensuous enough to revive the appetite. The second is the structure. Itami keeps leaving his noodle-shop story for comic and surreal vignettes, and the majority read these detours as the point rather than padding, with the scene of two lovers passing an egg yolk between their mouths singled out as the boldest of them. The reservations are of degree, not kind. Variety finds the film a little too long, and The Guardian warns that the shifts from gangster film to romantic melodrama to cookery lesson may baffle viewers who came for only one of them. The Los Angeles Times, otherwise delighted, notes that Tampopo’s training amounts to an hour of men explaining things to a woman. Nobody dislikes it; the spread runs from warm to rapturous, and the two mixed scores are mild. ## Little White Lies — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). Bitel presents the film as an exuberant, deeply pleasurable celebration of food. He particularly praises how its playful genre-mixing and comic vignettes complement the central story. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/home-ents/tampopo-blu-ray-review-ramen-western) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 October 2016. Chang gives the restored film an exuberant, strongly positive review, calling it a scintillating vision that still revivifies the senses. He especially praises its sensuous food imagery and playful genre-hopping, while noting that Tampopo’s quest involves an hour of group mansplaining. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-tampopo-review-20161023-snap-story.html) ## Slant Magazine — Budd Wilkins Rating 4.5/5. 26 April 2017. Wilkins praises the film as an inventive, satisfying blend of communal warmth and darker, surreal digressions. He singles out its anarchic food-related vignettes, especially the outrageous scene of lovers passing an egg yolk between their mouths. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/tampopo/) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 1987. Canby gives the film a strongly positive verdict, celebrating its playful approach to food and storytelling. He singles out its inventive blend of comic episodes and noodle-making quest. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/22/movies/film-japan-s-tampopo.html) ## Film Comment — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 79/100 (inferred from the text). The standfirst presents Itami’s film as a sensual, savory classic returning in a new restoration. The available text does not reveal what the critic specifically praises beyond that description. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/deep-focus-tampopo/) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Parkinson finds the film charming, touching, and an enduring cult favorite. He praises its playful movie pastiches and sumptuous food, while highlighting its defense of Japanese culinary traditions. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/tampopo-review/) ## The Guardian — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 30 April 2017. Lodge finds Tampopo a thrilling, delightfully unconventional film, though its genre shifts may leave viewers baffled. He praises its playful mix of gangster film, romantic melodrama and exuberant food imagery. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/apr/30/casting-jonbenet-why-him-tampopo-review-dvds) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1985. The review calls it an offbeat, enjoyable comedy, though it finds the film a bit too long. It praises the filmcraft and its cheerfully loony obsession with food. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1985/film/reviews/tampopo-1200426785/) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 1987. The issue lists Pauline Kael’s “Noodles” as a review of Tampopo and Ishtar, but the review text is not shown. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be established from this page. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1987/06/01) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 1 May 2017. Kermode finds the film a joyful, playful celebration of food and love. She especially praises its beautifully observed details and the care taken with the food. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/tampopo-1985-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## /Film — Slashfilmcast Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 2020. The page identifies this episode’s feature as a review but does not disclose the critics’ verdict. It says the discussion considers the joy of food, without specifying what the hosts praise or criticize about the film. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/574510/filmcast-ep-569-tampopo/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/tampopo.md