“Nobu”

Director Matt Tyrnauer‘s documentary “Nobu” is most interesting when it stays focused on the food and the craft of being a chef. Watching Nobu Matsuhisa work with an unparalleled and globally celebrated precision, discipline, and creativity is easily the best part of the film. Tyrnauerm does a good job tracing the renowned chef’s journey from Japan to Peru to the United States, showing how those experiences shaped the style of cooking that made him so famous. There’s a real sense of artistry in the way Matsuhisa approaches food, and those moments are genuinely engaging.

The early parts of the film are especially strong because they show the struggles and setbacks behind Matsuhisa’s success, painting a complete picture of the subject’s life history. He comes across as thoughtful, hardworking, and completely dedicated to his craft, which makes it easy to understand why he became such an influential figure in modern Japanese cuisine.

At the same time, though, the documentary often feels more like a glossy advertisement for the Nobu brand than a truly revealing portrait of the man himself. There’s so much focus on luxury hotels, celebrity friends, wealthy customers, and the global empire he built that it starts to feel a little off-putting. The constant praise from people like Robert De Niro, Cindy Crawford, Wolfgang Puck, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten makes the film feel less like a documentary and more like a calculated and polished corporate public relations piece (which, let’s admit it, the film totally is).

That’s what ultimately holds it back from being truly great. Other chef documentaries usually dig deeper into the pressures, sacrifices, and contradictions of restaurant life. “Nobu” touches on some of that early on, but mostly stays in celebration mode. It’s beautifully shot and the food looks incredible, but the movie rarely steps back to examine the world of extreme luxury surrounding the brand.

If you’re interested in food, sushi, or culinary innovation, there’s enough here to enjoy. The sections about technique, inspiration, and Nobu’s evolution as a chef are fascinating. I just wish the film spent less time selling the lifestyle and more time exploring the reality of being a chef.

By: Louisa Moore