Chef Rene Redzepi is many things in the world of gastronomy--a master craftsman, creative genius, famously disciplined, a generational talent and visionary. David Attenborough he is not.
Whoever decided to give Redzepi narration responsibilities for this series should forever be second guessed on any and all creative matters. Any moments of visual brilliance or stirring storyline are instantly deflated by the insipid voice that overlays them. Redzepi is at his best, and his dry Nordic charisma most appreciated, when speaking off the cuff. In Omnivore it's clear that while he may have contributed in some way to the writing, they are not his words, and the AI-like delivery only emphasizes this.
In truth, the whole production fails to live up the subject matter. What's more, the first episode revolving around chilies was possibly the most uninspiring of the lot with the direction and cinematography failing to deliver what an amateur could provide with a cellphone on a gimbal. There's no doubt that the crew was high-fiving and chest bumping after wrapping a shot of the Thai chef resting on, and being showered by, bird dropping chilies like he was Mena Suvari. I wasn't expecting to get second-hand embarrassment from my viewing, but this scene nonetheless provided it.
Anthony Bourdain famously said he would rather fail miserably than to make competent television. If only the creators of Omnivore had taken the same advice.
