Sunday, 1 August 2.46pm
Noodle
  •  
  • Movie Info
  • Session Times
  • Add Review
    •  

    At thirty-seven, Miri is a twice-widowed, El Al flight attendant. Her well-regulated existence is suddenly turned upside down by an abandoned Chinese boy whose migrant-worker mother has been summarily deported from Israel. The film is a touching comic-drama in which two human beings - as different from each other as Tel Aviv is from Beijing - accompany each other on a remarkable journey, one that takes them both back to a meaningful life.

    Rated: [ PG ] Mild Course Language
    Cinema release: 18 Jun 2009
    Director: Ayelet Menahemi
    Running time: 100 mins
    Stars: Mili Avital, BaoQi Chen
    Links: IMDb
    Rotten Tomatoes

    What we say
    Impractical but endearing

    Paul Stock, MovieFix  
    2.5 star rating
    If you end up sitting in the cinema feeling a little disorientated by the dialogue switching between Hebrew, Mandarin and a tiny bit of English, spare a thought for the film's namesake, Noodle (BaoQi Chen). The young boy's Chinese mother has just been deported from Israel, leaving him in the care of the flight attendant whose house she cleaned.

    "Noodle" speaks little more than a couple of Hebrew phrases and the flight attendant, Miri (Mili Avital), speaks no Mandarin. Clearly, finding out exactly what's happened to Noodle's mother is going to be a struggle, but it's a struggle worth watching if you have a high tolerance for melodrama.

    If you don't have any such tolerance, "Noodle" is likely to frustrate you. All at once Miri tries to learn what's become of her illegal immigrant housekeeper and return her son; negotiate the complexities of Noodle's non-citizen status; maintain a civil relationship with her grumpy, jealous sister; and jet about the world on airliners with uncharacteristically lax Israeli security.

    There are plenty of quaint, charming moments peppering the film, and the maternal relationship that the twice-widowed Miri develops for the abandoned "Noodle" is sincerely touching. But the subplot that dominates much of the dialogue is less subplot and more distraction.

    As amusing as the resulting banter is, the bizarre "love" quadrangle involving Miri, her sister Gila, Gila's husband and Mati, their former neighbour, comprises too much of the film.

    The saving grace of director Ayelet Menahemi's "Noodle" is the sentiment of a stranger's potential to love a child in need and the lengths they might go to find a safe home for that child (without the aid of the appropriate authorities or American pop stars).

    Sure, the language barrier is confusing in spite of the subtitles (that's part of the point), but the efforts the characters make to understand and help the boy are endearing. Entirely impractical, but endearing.

    Find more info on Noodle with Bing Search
    What you say

     
    Add a review
    What you say
    Be the first to add a review for this movie


    Please read our user review guidlines and tips before writing a review
    Add review for
    'Noodle'
    Summary/Title
    Comment
    Rating
    Email (This will not appear on the site)
    Name (leave blank for anonymous)
    City
    State
    Enter the word sport42 below

    Select Your State
    NSW VIC QLD WA SA TAS ACT NT TAS WA SA NT QLD VIC NSW ACT

     MOVIEFIX Tools

    Get a snapshot of this week's movies straight to your inbox.  Delivered each Thursday, the newsletter includes:

    • New releases
    • Film festivals
    • Latest reviews
    • News and gossip
    • Competitions

    If you have not already registered with yourMovies, sign up now to receive our weekly newsletter.

    More Entertainment
    Watch now: full trailer for the Facebook movieWatch now: full trailer for the Facebook movieJustin Timberlake sheds his pop star persona in The Social Network.

    Click here.         Stan Walker performs his new singleStan Walker performs his new singleThe Australian Idol winner gives MusicFIX an exclusive filmed performance of 'Choose You'.

    Watch now.     Slideshow: The greatest TV master chefsSlideshow: The greatest TV master chefsCeleb chefs not only whip up mouth-watering dishes, but pour their own personalities into their culinary creations.

    Read more     Celeb's first acting jobs!Celeb's first acting jobs!Everybody starts somewhere...

    The dodgy TV ads they never wanted you to see!

    View gallery     Play at ninemsn gamesPlay at ninemsn gamesPew pew pew! Demo tonnes of free games on your computer. Warning: may suck up serious amounts of your life.

    Watch now
    Hundreds of hours of FREE TV shows
    Walking With DinosaursUK | DocumentaryWATCH NOW Sea PatrolSeasons 2,3,4
    Australia | DramaWATCH NOW         Rescue Special OpsSeason 2
    Australia | DramaWATCH NOW         TorchwoodSeason 1
    UK| DramaWATCH NOW
    VIEW ALL OUR FREE SHOWS
     
     
    What's on
    Sydney's Best CoffeeSydney's Best CoffeeSome call it the latest trend in coffee couture, some the Third Wave, but whatever label you favour, the growing number of boutique roasters doing their thing in Sydney is definitely on the rise. Ultimate Winter BarsUltimate Winter BarsDon't put your social life on hold during the chilly months - there's a whole list of cosy contenders to defrost in over winter.