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| JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI
(director/writer: David Gelb;
cinematographer: David Gelb; editor: Brandon
Driscoll-Luttringer; cast: Jiro Ono, Yoshikazu
Ono, akashi Ono, Yamamoto Masuhiro;
Runtime: 82; MPAA Rating: PG; producers: Tom
Pelligrini/Kevin Iwashina;
Magnolia Pictures; 2012) "The no-nonsense documentary about a compulsive sushi chef wet my appetite even though I never liked sushi and wasn't tempted by the beautiful looking dishes prepared to give it another try." Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz David
Gelb directs, in his feature film debut, this
absorbing documentary about the 85-year-old Jiro Ono,
a Tokyo based sushi chef whose 10-seat Tokyo
restaurant received a three star rating from Michelin
making him the oldest to get such a rating. The
no-nonsense documentary about a compulsive
sushi chef wet my appetite even though I never
liked sushi and wasn't tempted by the beautiful
looking dishes prepared to give it another try. The
master chef tells us the key to success is devote your
life to mastering your career skill and be relentless
at pursuing excellence. Jiro
recalls he was a bad student in school and did not
enjoy a happy childhood. He tells of how at an early
age he knew his mission in life would be as a sushi
chef and worked hard to master that skill. Over the
years his small restaurant earned a rep as the best
sushi restaurant in the world. The stern-faced serious
chef enjoys telling us he was driven to make the best
sushi possible and do it consistently. His oldest
50-year-old son Yoshikazu is second-in-command in the
original restaurant, while his younger son Takashi
has opened on his own a second restaurant in another
location. Restaurant
critic Yamamoto Masuhiro is a good guide in filling us
in on the details that make Jiro so exceptional in his
chosen field and conveys to us that by being so
self-critical, so demanding for perfection and so
self-disciplined the engaging chef stands alone at the
top of the mountain in his field. Though
there's nothing fancy about the documentary. like
Jiro's restaurant,, it was nevertheless quite tasty.
There are many appetizing closeups of Jiro's
creations, a few trips to the fish market and scenes
of appreciative diners enjoying their meal. Enough is
covered to leave the viewer's hunger sated for
knowledge about what makes a sushi chef great. The
film's only glaring flaw was that it dragged at times
over material repeated. REVIEWED ON 11/23/2012 GRADE: B+ Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews" © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ |