Food Rack! Food Luck (2020)

Food porn with a touching storyline, what more can you ask for?

I was initially expecting a lot of food porn, and yes, there is a LOT of it. It really is a love letter to all the small yakiniku restaurants who cannot compete with the big boys. Every time I eat yakiniku, I'm going to hear drums beating in the background (an inside joke you will get once you watch the movie).
But more than that, this is a story of a son trying to reconnect with his estranged mother, who meets other restaurateurs who were influenced by his mother's skill and kindness. A journey made harder by his own demons he never forgave himself for. Naoto's performance is convincing enough, although he won't be winning any awards with this one.
And then there's Tao, who I admit I have a bias for. She seems to make any movie or show so much better. Her food reactions are priceless! What makes her performance stand out is that she isn't trying to stand out. While she is a main character, she's more of a main supporting character, where she helps the protagonist through his difficult journey.
All in all this is a nice touching movie you definitely don't want to watch on an empty stomach!

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those movies that make you feel great

You love Tsuchiya Tao? Watch this.
You love food? Watch this.
You love those "special place in your heart" movies? Watch this.

Relatively subtle, underhyped film befitting of the movie itself; reconnecting with one's family while making new connections. As you follow the main character, Yoshito, and food writer, Shizuka, you're drawn into the geniune food, stories and connections they build in the rebuilding of Negishi-en.

I was entertained by the modern editing of Yoshito and Tatsuya's rambles. There was edited text on what each thought was best for meat. Really illustrates the ideas in each characters' head and their respective passions in their monologues. Doesn't take too long to notice that they have the same magnitude of passion, just different directions.

For a movie about food, it reaches into universal human experiences, grievances we had with our parents, reconciliation, humility in learning and enjoying the present from the ordinary yet impactful food we have. This is where the movie fares better; because of how it value adds. Ultimately the main message of the movie is this realisation; what's important for meat and life, is the chef's wish for it to "be delicious". Not the fanciness, the origin or the grandiose. Simply decent love and strive.

I watched this movie while running. Usually, I find it hard to follow along movies for their lack of appeal or lustre. For a slow-paced movie, this was a solid watch. Something I'll find myself rewatching and not immediately deleting from my downloads.

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