I never watched Anthony Bourdain’s shows. There was a time when everyone I knew watched his shows like No Reservations or Parts Unknown. Bourdain pretty much canonized the modern idea of the travel show where an interesting host travels around the world sampling different cultures through food. The charismatic chef whose personality is at times bigger than the platform he’s on. His fame and television programs all stemmed from his landmark book Kitchen Confidential, which showed the world of restaurants, chefs, and cooks in a light no one has ever seen before.
Now, after his tragic passing, we’re getting our first dramatic interpretation of his life with Tony, a film by Matt Johnson and starring Dominic Sessa as a young Anthony Bourdain just starting to figure out his life. Taking place in 1975, we follow Anthony Bourdain as he travels to Cape Cod for the summer to follow his crush Nancy (Emilia Jones), and ends up working in a local seafood restaurant and staying with the chef/owner played by Antonio Banderas.
For the most part, the film is a pretty standard coming-of-age story. Sessa plays Tony as an arrogant college kid who yearns be a writer. It’s worth nothing that Sessa played a similar character in The Holdovers in 2023, and once again shines in Tony.
There is a fantastic scene with Tony at the dinner table that showcases Bourdain’s relationship with his mother Gladys, played wonderfully by Dagmara Domińczyk, who drove him to succeed by hook or by crook yet could seemingly never be impressed. It’s one of the scenes that stuck with me weeks after seeing the film. Rich Sommer portrays his supportive father Pierre, and for the most part it was nice to see him play a decent person and not a scumbag. This early setting really sets the tone for the suburban unease and desire for more that Sessa brings in his performance.
A real standout in this film, though, is Leo Woodall as Sal, a cool bad-boy toughie who works on the line in the restaurant. Sal instantly captivating for Tony and for the audience. Woodall completely takes over the movie. Here, this character ends up being where Tony learns a lot of bad habits from, but he’s also the type of guy he wants to be in the world, a guy that I feel a lot of people see him as in real life during his height of fame.
Banderas does a solid job as a mentor who helps guide Tony through example to what Tony really wants to do. I do like that we get a little glimpse of Tony drawing in a book. With his love and work in comics, it was cool that they spotlighted that a tiny bit. Tony is a great coming-of-age film that can be enjoyed by a large audience of different age groups. Even if you don’t know anything about Anthony Bourdain, it’s a very good movie with solid directing, editing, color, and performances. It’s a film that can pique the interest of those who might want to know more and those who are already huge fans of the man. The film succeeds because it isn’t interested in the legend of Bourdain; it shows the empathetic young everyman he was before becoming the legend.
