Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

A documentary on 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his renowned Tokyo restaurant, and his relationship with his son and eventual heir, Yoshikazu.

Director:

David Gelb

Stars:

Jiro Ono, Yoshikazu Ono, Masuhiro Yamamoto

3 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jiro Ono	...	Self
Yoshikazu Ono	...	Self
Masuhiro Yamamoto	...	Self
Daisuke Nakazama	...	Self
Hachiro Mizutani	...	Self
Harutaki Takahashi	...	Self
Hiroki Fujita	...	Self
Tsunenori Ida	...	Self
Toichiro Iida	...	Self
Akihiro Oyama	...	Self
Shizuo Oyama	...	Self
Hiroshi Okuda	...	Self
Yukio Watanabe	...	Self
Kazunori Kumakawa	...	Self
Kazuo Fukaya	...	Self

Storyline

In the basement of a Tokyo office building, 85 year old sushi master Jiro Ono works tirelessly in his world renowned restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. As his son Yoshikazu faces the pressures of stepping into his father's shoes and taking over the legendary restaurant, Jiro relentlessly pursues his lifelong quest to create the perfect piece of sushi.

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Plot Keywords:

sushi | master | tuna | fish market | sushi bar | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief smoking

Did You Know?

Trivia

The word "sushi" refers to the way the rice is prepared, not the fish or other toppings. Sushi rice is prepared with a mixture of vinegar, sugar, salt, and occasionally kombu (a type of seaweed) and sake (rice liquor.)

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Quotes

Jiro Ono: I've never once hated this job. I fell in love with my work and gave my life to it. Even though I'm eighty five years old, I don't feel like retiring. That's how I feel.

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Crazy Credits

In the Special Thanks section, "The Tsukiji Fish Market" is listed twice.

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Connections

Referenced in Orange Is the New Black: WAC Pack (2013)

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Soundtracks

Gertrude Leave the Summer House
Written by Philip Glass

User Reviews

You'll dream of Jiro.

Sushi lovers will be hypnotized by the 85 year old subject of the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Jiro has spent his life seeking perfection in sushi preparation, and Michelin agrees that he has come close by awarding him three stars, unprecedented for an octogenarian.

Jiro's restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro in a Tokyo office building basement has reservations available a month away. He and his heir, Yoshikazu labor all day to buy the best raw fish at the market and sell the best sushi. Nothing less.

The film does a good job tracking the preparation, from picking one out of ten fish at any time to delicately shaping tuna around rice or massaging octopi for 20 minutes before preparation. Buying the best rice is another ritual that has its own rules, and Jiro rules.

Although the documentary can be repetitious, moments of beauty accompany the process such as likening serving sushi to a concert with different moods and tempos.

It might be best to see this film on a full stomach. Otherwise you'll be racing to the nearest Asian bistro. Not a bad thing.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

15 March 2012 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Filming Locations:

Sukibayashi Jiro - Tsukamoto Sogyo Building Basement 1st Floor, 4-2-15, Ginza, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$42,035, 11 March 2012

Gross USA:

$2,552,478

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,692,864

Company Credits

Production Co:

Preferred Content, Sundial Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1