Tony
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The End of Oak Street is playin gin theaters at the time of review. Rated PG-13. Common Sense says 14+
A 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain (Dominic Sessa) travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that will shape the course of his life.
STORY: C-
This one’s for the fans.
Covering the entirety of Anthony Bourdain’s life in a single film would be foolhardy. The filmmakers make a smart choice to focus on one slice: the pivotal summer Bourdain spent in Provincetown where he realized his destiny’s road traveled through a kitchen.
That summer may be the inciting incident of Bourdain’s powerful life story, but that summer itself isn’t an actual story. Or perhaps it is, but it’s not presented that way here. The summer reels by like a captain’s log instead of a narrative. Events don’t build on one another. There’s no true climax.
Folks not deeply aware of the man’s work have no story to pull them in. Fans won’t necessarily mind the lack of context since they already possess it. But that quality gives the film the taste of fan-service instead of a movie.
PEOPLE: C-
Sessa’s scowl stays the same.
If the film’s plot isn’t going to show Bourdain’s epiphany externally, then you need an actor who can show it happening internally by subtle changes in his body language, line readings, and his eyes. That’s not an easy ask, and the screenplay shouldn’t force the actor to do that much heavy lifting.
Sessa—who caught everybody’s eye in The Holdovers—doesn’t communicate those subtle changes throughout the film. Whether he’s struggling shucking oysters or he’s left beaten and bruised and broke on the sidewalk, his scowl stays set at the same temperature. There’s no differentiation externally (and as mentioned before, no significant changes throughout the screenplay) which makes it impossible to see the huge change that happens in his heart.
Anyone who saw Sessa go toe-to-toe with Paul Giamatti and Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph would agree that Sessa seemed perfect for this role. His moody Angus is at the same stage of life Bourdain is during his Provincetown visit: moody and angry with a soul simmering beneath the fury that wants nothing more than to be accepted and understood.
FILM NERD STUFF: C
Over-the-shoulder shots make things cramped.
The over-the-shoulder shot is a cinematography staple. As two characters converse, the camera is positioned behind one person’s shoulder while it holds the other’s face in frame.
The amount of shoulder that’s shown is not just a matter of taste. Cinematographer Michael Bauman increases it during a conversation between Bourdain and his mother. Most of the shoulder and much of the nearer character’s head is placed in the frame, creating a small, cramped space for the character facing us. It dramatizes the way his mother makes Tony feel: trapped and small.
ONE BIG LESSON: B
The life you want may not be the one you need.
Much of Bourdain’s angst stemmed from the fact that he was constantly running scams and lying in order to get the life he believed he wanted. Once he put on the apron, the life he should be living—one he had never considered—found him. By keeping that antenna open to the universe, the correct path often finds us. The film would have been much better if we could have actually seen this epiphany.
FINAL COMMENTS:
Do you know Anthony Bourdain? Are you a fan of his prolific, legendary work?
If so, you’ll love seeing the seminal summer that spawned his one-of-a-kind career. If not, you may feel like you’re out with your significant other and their work friends, one of those times where the stories fly, names drop, laughs bellow, and meaningful secrets are shared with hushed tones and winking eyes. It’s all so interesting to everyone except you, the person who has no background.
Does every film need to be for everyone? No, it doesn’t. But I have a hard time calling films that aren’t great ones. I find fault with its inability (or unwiilingness?) to communicate what made him special to so many people. I didn’t leave the theater wanting to know anything more about the man (although the many podcasts I’ve listened to about him recently do).
But Bourdain fans? They'll love this dish. Bon appetit.