Title: Raoul’s, a New York Story
Director: Karim Raoul, Greg Oliver
Starring: Alison Price Becker, Christopher Bonanos, Daniel Boulud
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

What It Is: A unique portrait of New York’s iconic Raoul’s Restaurant – told through the eyes of a filmmaker-turned-accidental-restaurateur who was trying to make a film about his father who is also a filmmaker-turned-accidental-restaurateur.

What We Think: Never has the phrase “it runs in the family” felt more fitting than in this documentary. For those familiar—and even for those unfamiliar, as I was—with the history of Raoul’s, the film uncovers much more than just the story of the restaurant itself. Reaching back into the past, Karim Raoul and Greg Oliver weave together the Raoul family’s history with interviews from acclaimed restaurateurs, chefs, patrons, and of course, members of the family.

The film takes us across continents and cultures, each slice of family legacy adding another dimension to what might otherwise be a straightforward retrospective. What Karim Raoul incorporates into the narrative—almost a film within the film—becomes an exploration of generational awareness and the radical changes of the modern world, brilliantly complementing the tender (though unapologetic) journey of Raoul’s restaurant. In one moment, the restaurant is even compared to a film set, with the chef as the cinematographer and the bartender as the main actor. It’s a metaphor that reflects the men who built the locale while subtly nodding to the parallels between the two industries.

Beyond that, the film carries a resonant outcry for the need to preserve iconic places like Raoul’s. Its pacing is finely tuned, while a palpable fear of the industrial new age seeps in as memories of the past remain frozen in Polaroids and analog video. What may surprise many is that the answers to this fear emerge in the film’s moments set far from New York—sometimes even far from America. Yet if New York’s unique cultural heartbeat risks infection, this documentary positions the preservation of Raoul’s as both the cure and a vital artery keeping that heart alive.

Our Grade: A; After watching this documentary, you won’t just want to pay Raoul’s a visit—you’ll also be reminded of the importance of preserving the memory of such a cultured and vibrant establishment, while questioning how best to do so—something the filmmakers execute admirably and ultimately leave in our hands.