Jiro Dreams of Sushi

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  May 12, 2012

  c0up

  'Jiro Dreams of Sushi'. A portrait of one man's absolute dedication, passion and never ending quest for perfection.
  
  I'm in complete admiration at the drive of Jiro, and the world of sushi that has so wholly consumed his life. He knows of nothing else, and time spent not making s... read moreushi is wasted time to him. Doing something for 75 years and still getting the level of enjoyment he does is an inspiration to anyone that goes to work thinking of it as just that.

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  April 20, 2012

  366weirdmovies

  Documentary profiling 85-year old master sushi chef Jiro Ono, a perfectionist who's almost more sushi-making machine than man. It's more interesting than a sushi documentary has any right to be, but it's essentially a well-made adaptation of one of those articles you'd read in th... read moree "Lifestyles" section of the Sunday paper.

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  April 13, 2012

  fb1038944442

  Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a mouth watering, passionate documentary about the worlds' most acclaimed Sushi chef, and I'm not sure whether to recommend eating first, or going to the film hungry. No sushi that you have at your local $6.99 lunch special could possibly live up to the i... read moredeals (just by looking at his creations) that the obsessive compulsive Jiro reveals on director Gelb's HD camera. No sushi at your $100 per person with Sake will live up to it either.
  
  The quiet reverence in which Jiro is held by all the characters in the film, (a food critic, his sushi chef sons - terrified of letting down their fathers exacting legacy, the fish market and rice vendors) eventually rubs off on any viewer of this film. The man's obsessive compulsion and striving for excellence, even in his 85th year are truly humbling, especially for those of us who feel like we are too easy going and need to work on our attention to detail.
  
  The film delves into Jiro's early life. He was born poor and abandoned by his parents, yet possessed an inexorable inner drive that carried him to the height of sushi making. The film implies that this inner drive is innate, and makes me wish I had more of it myself. However, the film doesn't quite reveal how Jiro became Jiro. This much is clear - the man simply will not settle for anything less than full blown excellence, from the tunas he buys for his shop, to the work of his revolving door of apprentices and most emotionally, his terrified yet proud sons. He has no interests in life, except for making better and better sushi, and as in the title, this is what he sees in his dreams. Therefore, I'm not sure he'd be the most delightful company at a party but he's great company in this film.
  
  The film opens up at the fish market with Jiro's son shopping for the days ingredients, and a strange, mostly unexplained trip that Jiro makes to meet his childhood friends in his home village (that where the above mentioned grave scene takes place). He is like a hometown boy made good and everyone gets their picture taken with the maestro.
  
  Gelb uses a very simple storytelling technique by letting the players tell their own stories as pertaining to Jiro. Jiro himself is open and self critical, and answers all questions honestly, but he is not a poetic man with any kind of Freudian insight to his inner workings. We can see him at the grave of his parents, dutifully honoring them, then under his breath he says 'I don't know why I take care of them. They never took care of me.' A staggering and deep insight, one of the only ones in the film, but that's all you get.
  
  As for style, it effective but not very arty or pretentious. Gelb lets the HD sushi in close ups tell their own delicious story. As for people, we are mostly in close ups, and close quarters at Jiro's joint. Amazingly, Jiro does not have a lavish restaurant, but a hole in the wall in the lobby of an office building where he serves her creations at a 10 seat establishment that is reserved at least a month in advance.
  
  The film is very narrowly focused, and it does not hold interest for its entire 81 minute running time. It would been a more effective piece at about an hour or less, but I recommend it most highly, though it may not appeal much to non-foodies.

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  April 8, 2012

  gator681

  As "2 Broke Girls" put it in its own wacky way, there is a huge difference between awful sushi and great sushi. And with the winning documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," we are at the awesome end of the spectrum in a ten seat restaurant, located underground in a Tokyo train stati... read moreon. As many shots of him walking through the streets attest to, Jiro, the proprietor, is as unassuming as his restaurant, not caring that much for the money. In any case, the price for a meal there starts at 30,000 yen, depending on the catch of the day but only sushi is served. If you're wondering(and I know you are), that comes out to about $367. According to a local restaurant critic and the Michelin Guide, it is worth every cent.
  
  Jiro has a simple secret to his success. He is one of those blessed few who love his job and with every waking and sleeping moment, he thinks of ways to improve the product. In lovingly detailed fashion, the documentary goes through the preparation of the dish from the selection of the fish and rice to the actual cooking in the kitchen, where it takes 10 years to train someone to make egg sushi. So much so, I am left wondering if there was any concern about any secrets that competitors might learn from watching this.
  
  Jiro, now 85, also has no plans to retire.(Only a health crisis at the age of 70 looked like it might derail him. It did stop his smoking, though.) He is also one of those people who if they ever stopped working, that might be it. He has two sons; the younger one with a restaurant that is literally a mirror image of his father's while the older one works at his father's. Since as Jiro frankly admits this is a group effort, it insures that the show will go on, even if the customers would miss Jiro once he is no longer there.(As one very satisfied customer puts it, Jiro watches the customers more than the customers watch him.) Now, the main cause for concern for this or any other sushi restaurant is the overfishing of the oceans.

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  April 20, 2012

  fb531466024

  NOT a movie about Sushi! Rather an amazing film about passion, the pursuit of excellence and the dynamics of family. As good as it was, I'm still not eating raw fish.

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  January 16, 2012

  fb645492669

  If you love sushi, and better yet, consider yourself a sushi snob, this is food porn at it's BEST with close up after close up of fish and sushi preparation!! A very good documentary about the man behind the myth and the art of sushi creating. In accordance with traditional asia... read moren culture, I felt it lacked in showcasing a balance - both good AND bad traits - of Chef Jiro. If a movie could make anyone a national demigod, then this is it!

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• Jiro Dreams Of Sushi