The film stops just as Tony’s life is about to take off. It is an interesting choice for an origin story, but it also leaves the film feeling oddly incomplete.

You might expect a film about Anthony Bourdain to have tragedy looming over it. And while Tony occasionally lets the future creep into frame...Johnson largely leaves them as intimations.

[Johnson’s] focus is on transporting us into this world with immediacy, scattering pertinent story details with a playful sense of spontaneity. However, everything is intentionally, precisely placed.

Tony's vibes are never less than intoxicating... The coastal period setting is gorgeous and tactile... the kitchen-set scenes hum with... energy, humour and specificity.