Brittany Murphy in Ramen Girl

Hubby and I were shocked to hear that actress Brittany Murphy died over the weekend. Just a week ago we rented a movie in which she starred -- The Ramen Girl.

We picked it up on a whim at Blockbuster. It sounded quirky and fun and we were both surprised by how much we liked it.

In it, Murphy moves to Tokyo. She goes to the city because she's following her boyfriend who is working there. Except as soon as she arrives, he decides he's feeling crowded, packs his things and leaves her there alone in his apartment.

After wallowing in self pity for a few days, she eventually plucks herself up and explores her neighborhood. She ends up in a local ramen shop eating what she thinks is the best bowl of ramen she's ever had.

Soon, she is deciding that her goal in life is to learn how to make the perfect bowl of ramen. She convinces the grumpy ramen chef to take her on as an apprentice and the movie unfolds from there.

We both agreed The Ramen Girl was more entertaining than the other movie (a Renee Zellweger flick) we'd rented along side it.

As winter sets in, perhaps you'll find yourself looking for a movie to help pass a cold Friday night. The Ramen Girl will give you several laughs and a taste of another culture to boot. Plus, you'll pause to realize the bright, smiley woman who starred in it is no longer with us.