Too Many Cooks
Tribeca Festival
MOVIE REVIEW
Nobu (2025)
“Nobu,” Matt Tyrnauer’s documentary on celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa, credits the autobiography “Nobu: A Memoir” as its source material, but for the most part the film looks like a corporate video for the namesake luxury hospitality empire that boasts a portfolio of some 57 restaurants and 21 hotels around the world. The use of A.I. for dialogue enhancement, as indicated by end credits, does not help blunt the corporate video charges.
The documentary’s New York premiere at the Tribeca Festival feels like a foregone conclusion, given Robert De Niro’s involvement in both organizations. Besides, he apparently has a lot more to say on the topic of Nobu, of which he is a founding partner, than he did during the “Rendez-vous With . . . Robert De Niro” at Cannes and “ ‘Casino’ 30th Anniversary Screening With Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese” at Tribeca combined.
Parts of the documentary actually based on Mr. Matsuhisa’s autobiography are well done and edifying, maybe even for those who’ve read it. If a picture is worth a thousand words, seeing some of these places with your own eyes is indeed hard to beat. His food journey began in earnest at around age 12 or 13, when his oldest brother took him to a sushi restaurant for the first time, and the vinegar left such a strong impression that he resolved to become a sushi chef. After causing an accident as an unlicensed driver, he got expelled from school and was pushed into the job market early.
In pivotal moments of his career, Mr. Matsuhisa embraced change and hardship without compromising his craft. At age 23, he partnered with Don Lucho to open Matsuei in Peru, where he was exposed to ceviche and catered to the local clientele by adopting domestic flavors and ingredients. He quit three years later when Mr. Lucho wanted to use lower quality fish. Upon returning to Japan, Mr. Matsuhisa discovered there were few people he could turn to. He then jumped at the chance to partner at Kioi restaurant in Anchorage, Alaska, which unfortunately caught fire mere months into its existence.
Opening the 38-seat Matsuhisa on then-faded La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills, Calif., was his last shot. It was barely breaking even, with Mr. Matsuhisa’s wife, Yoko, multitasking as server, busser and bookkeeper. Finally, his persistence paid off. Word of mouth began to spread among food critics, turning the restaurant into a magnet for celebrities. Wishing to protect his place in Beverly Hills, Mr. Matsuhisa initially rebuffed Mr. De Niro’s overture for partnership. But the rest is history. It’s inspiring to see that it’s possible to work your way up from a dishwasher and delivery person, a culture Mr. Matsuhisa tries to preserve for his own employees.
The film casts Mr. Matsuhisa both as a genteel team leader who encourages his staff to perform tasks from the heart, and as a stern perfectionist who orders his executive chefs to make the same dish over and over until they get it right. But the corporate video part also separates the man from the brand, which involves input from partners Mr. De Niro and Meir Teper. In a business meeting, the two were seemingly at odds over whether a deal with Blackstone truly benefitted Nobu. Mr. De Niro seemed concerned enough about the brand to veto Mr. Teper’s money grab. Mr. Matsuhisa had little say, but he must know that there’s no way to quality control a sprawling chain, right?
Mr. Matsuhisa has a sushi bar installed in each one of his homes. The film shows him entertaining guests, admitting that he hadn’t made sushi for a while, and joking about charging $1,000 per head. Indeed, he’s busy traveling around the world taking business meetings, while patrons of Nobu pay hundreds of dollars for sushi not prepared by him. One hopes it’s prepped by those he trained. The only people who get to enjoy his personal touch get to do it for free. Oh, and he makes pasta at home when there is no one to entertain. Even as a corporate video, absurdity abounds.
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