A One Mann’s Movies review of “Boiling Point” (2022).
I made a poor start in covering the BAFTA nominations for film awards. But with “Boiling Point” I’m now within one film of covering all the BAFTA Best Film and Best British Film nominees. (Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll get to see “There’s Something About Jamie” before tomorrow night). “Boiling Point” is up for Best British Film, Best Actor (Stephen Graham), Debut – British Writer, Director or Producer (for James Cummings (writer) and Hester Ruoff (producer)) and Best Casting.
And this is a 90 minute marvel of a film, based on the 2019 short of the same name and by the same team. It is warfare of a culinary nature. Like “1917” but without the cheeky cuts.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Andy Jones (Stephen Graham) is a man on the edge. An expert chef, he has to try to keep his shit together during a hellishly busy shift in a London restaurant in the run-up to Christmas.
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Stephen Graham, Vinette Robinson, Jason Flemyng, Alice Feetham, Ray Panthaki.
Directed by: Philip Barantini.
Written by: Philip Barantini and James Cummings.
Twitter Handle: #Boilingpointfilm.
“Boiling Point” Review:
Positives:
- It really takes a lot of balls to make a single shot feature film like this. And it really was single take. As this Metro interview reveals, they actually filmed four full versions of the movie, with this third effort being the one to be released. I’m not sure what was more stressful for me: watching the characters on screen or worrying about whether the cameraman would trip; whether the camera would run out of battery or all the thousand-and-one other things that could have gone wrong! It reminded me of that James Webb telescope, with its hundreds of mechanisms that had to all work in exactly the right sequence for the ship to unfold. A beautiful 92-minute dance, with dozens of performers and perfect choreography. I’m sure cinematographer Matthew Lewis needed a lie-down and a strong glass of something after each take!
- The film is up for a casting award and the casting is absolutely spot on. This is the brilliant Stephen Graham’s first BAFTA nomination for movies, and although I suspect he will lose this time to either Benedict Cumberbatch or Will Smith, I would put it as a very close run thing. I personally wouldn’t be in the least bit disappointed if they announced his name.
- The entire ensemble cast does a fabulous job, with Vinette Robinson standing out in particular as Carly, Andy’s right hand woman who is also approaching the end of her tether. I remember her playing Rosa Parks in Dr Who and she was also in the (disappointing) “Frankie“. But here she absolutely shines. A tirade against the restaurant manager Beth (Alice Feetham) is a superb moment and her anger, supressed behind a forced professional facade, is beautifully portrayed as simmering just below the surface. She won the Best Supporting Actress from the British Independent Film Award for this, so it’s disappointing that she didn’t make BAFTA’s list.
- Apparently the story was laid out as a framework, but the cast left to improvise the script during rehearsals. The result is that the movie FEELS utterly authentic throughout.
Negatives:
- This might be a personal opinion. But I thought the addition of the TV chef Alastair Skye (Jason Flemyng) to the mix slightly over-egged the pudding (pun intended). I like Flemyng as an actor. But I’m not sure the plot needed all the added complexity of the financial dealings (which I must admit, I didn’t fully ‘get’).
Summary Thoughts on “Boiling Point”
This gorging on BAFTA and Oscar nominated movies is doing the average of my “Star” ratings no good at all this month! Here though is another “must see” film. It’s far from being a relaxing watch. In fact it’s almost an edge of the seat thrill-ride, but I have to thoroughly recommend it.
Trailer for “Boiling Point”
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBUfCL_tvro .
