Before Adolescence, Stephen Graham Led A British Restaurant Drama More Intense Than The Bear

Just a year before Christopher Storer's superb "The Bear" — a must-watch for anyone who creates for a living — had taken television by storm, Philip Barantini had made an even more intense and stress-inducing restaurant drama, "Boiling Point," starring England's national treasure and co-creator of Netflix's second most-watched series, "Adolescence," Stephen Graham. Based on his own 2019 short of the same name, Barantini's 2021 feature is a suffocating, high-octane kitchen thriller that feels like one giant panic attack waiting to happen. The one-shot movie follows Andy Jones (Graham), the head chef of a prestigious London restaurant, and his staff during one disastrous night where everything and everyone unravels in rapid succession.

Kicking off with the joint's food hygiene downgrade by an inspector and continuing with vicious conflicts, heated beratings, and personal meltdowns, "Boiling Point" is a fascinating (if emotionally taxing) rollercoaster ride that simply can't end without claiming casualties. Graham delivers a visceral performance riding on a deeply emotional (and oftentimes physical) self-destruction, which the rest of the cast (including Vinette Robinson, Alice Feetham, Ray Panthaki, Hannah Walters, and Jason Flemyng) assist with just as sublime portrayals. "Boiling Point" is a mesmerizing runaway train of a film that unsurprisingly went on to win numerous awards and the praise of both critics and viewers (currently standing at a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes). It also spawned a TV show two years after its release (with the same title) that chronicled the aftermath of the movie's ending after a six-month time jump.

Held by Philip Barantini as co-creator and co-director, the four-episode "Boiling Point" series was a standalone sequel with most of the original actors reprising their roles alongside a few newcomers. The main difference plot-wise was that Stephen Graham's Andy took the backseat, and Vinette Robinson's Carly stepped forward to run the restaurant in his former boss' absence indefinitely. Stylistically, the show also took a more conventional route instead of opting for the one-take that made the film so relentless. Yet, its tone, depth, and emotional sensitivity remained the same.

The 2023 sequel came on the coattails of the unexpected yet skyrocketing success of "The Bear," which kicked off in 2022, likely influencing the decision to continue "Boiling Point" on TV. Given the overwhelmingly positive response to the Jeremy Allen White-led FX drama (whose Carmy Berzatto was inspired by a real-life chef), it made sense for Barantini and his crew to double down. And it's kind of kismet that Graham and White ended up working together a few years later in Scott Cooper's 2025 music biopic, "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere," as father and son.

Funnily enough, when the two stars were on The Chris Moyles Show, White pointed out that when he first watched "Boiling Point," before the debut season of "The Bear" was released, he panicked a little due to the similarities between the movie and the show, in regards to the show and its seventh episode that was also shot in one continuous take. He said, "I was sort of like, 'Oh, no! Have we just recycled something, and we didn't even understand what we were doing because we'd just finished it and hadn't come out yet?'" Bottom line is, if you're a fan of either title, you should really watch the other since they are excellent in their own right.