Jiro Dreams of Sushi

PG

Released Mar 9, 2012

1h 21m

Documentary

List

99%

95 Reviews

Tomatometer

91%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Revered sushi chef Jiro Ono strives for perfection in his work, while his eldest son, Yoshikazu, has trouble living up to his father's legacy.

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Critics Consensus

Beautiful, thoughtful, and engrossing, Jiro Dreams of Sushi should prove satisfying even for filmgoers who don't care for the cuisine.

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Anupama Chopra

Film Companion

Director David Gelb gives us a portrait of a man with a passion. It's about what it takes to find your ambition and work relentlessly at it day after day, year after year. And what is the price of that perfection?

May 18, 2020

Full Review

Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

metro.co.uk

At 81 minutes it could do with being still more bite-sized but it's a must-see morsel for foodies. Eat first - it'll make you ravenous.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 1, 2017

Full Review

Chris Chang

Film Comment Magazine

Ono may be the center of this universe, but the real star of the film is the sushi, and the exquisite yet frustrating beauty with which the camera has captured it.

Jun 17, 2013

Full Review

Jack Fleischer

Battleship Pretension

Sushi fans, food fans, and people who just like a complex family story, rolled up into an uplifting mildly biographical documentary will be rewarded with Jiro...

Mar 24, 2021

Full Review

David Harris

Spectrum Culture

An artful look at the preparation of one of Japan's most famous exports.

Rated: 3.8/5

Nov 8, 2019

Full Review

Patrick Gamble

CineVue

This sumptuous study of art, creation and inner happiness is a taste we should all try to acquire.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 8, 2019

Full Review

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darai62

This is a truly inspirational movie. I must see for those fascinated see pure perfection!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/18/23

Full Review

James B

great movie i love suishi and its interesting learning about the food and the meaning of the restuarant and characters in this film great film i recommend it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/10/23

Full Review

Kevin

Insanely interesting documentary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

ma'ark t

Jiro isn't this amazing hero from my point of view but he is easy to respect. A great case study of what it can take to be the very best in your field. Lovers of Japan and sushi will enjoy this.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Nawt W

You just have to be there to understand. This is the sentence that this documentary inwardly tries to screw into your brain. It's just not convincing. Jiro and his craft are just a popular image of high-class Nippon art that no sweaty gaijin can ever dream of understanding. To understand why this particular Saba course costs $400, you'd have to meditate on a sea bed surrounded by mackerel for a decade. There is no elaboration. All the experts just say the same thing. You have to taste it, and Michelin just can't be wrong. The runtime's much longer than it really should be, as Jiro comes to a conclusion about how his craft is going to pass on after his death, yet the movie still meanders for 30 minutes. Regardless of how beautiful most shots are, it really feels like it's compensating for the lack of an actual narrative.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/27/22

Full Review

Ample T

Just watch this movie. It's a breath of fresh air. Breathe it in. Please. You won't NOT like this documentary because it does what documentaries are supposed do. It tells a story in an interesting way that goes beyond our expectations and teaches us something about who we are as humans and why we think what we think. It's only partially about sushi- and still has everything to do with sushi. It's about failure and reprisal and validation and hope and grief and triviality and detail, and it does it all with equal parts restraint and vigor. There's a reason everyone loves this movie. It's thankfully transcendental and still deeply grounded in earthly humanity.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/09/22

Full Review

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David Gelb

Director

Jiro Ono

Self

Yoshikazu Ono

Self

Masuhiro Yamamoto

Self

Yukio Watanabe

Self

Joey Carey

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

Revered sushi chef Jiro Ono strives for perfection in his work, while his eldest son, Yoshikazu, has trouble living up to his father's legacy.

Director: David Gelb
Producer: Joey Carey, Kevin Iwashina, Stefan Nowicki, Ross M. Dinerstein, Chris Kelly
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Preferred Content, Sundial Pictures
Rating: PG (Mild Thematic Elements|Brief Smoking)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 9, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 31, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.6M
Runtime: 1h 21m

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