Cinema history is riddled with both coming-of-age tales and biopics aplenty. Tony, the new feature by Matt Johnson (BlackBerry, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie), lies at the intersection of these well-worn traditions. Based on Anthony Bourdain’s chronicles of his early journey into the chef’s life in Kitchen Confidential, Tony isn’t as much about the kid who became Bourdain as it is a look at the kid who became that kid. It’s an engaging tale brought to life by an immersive treatment of its setting and a strong central performance from Dominic Sessa.
Tony follows “Tony” Bourdain (Sessa), an edgy 19-year-old young man with dreams of being a writer. His journey is animated by two events. First, he doesn’t get the writer’s fellowship he applied to… a fact he lies to his family about. Second, he meets Nancy (Emilia Jones) at a party: an intelligent young woman who is heading soon to Provincetown. He heads to Provincetown with lies in his mouth and lust in his heart, and tumbles into employ at local seafood spot The Flagship, owned by Antonio Banderas’ “Chef” and staffed by Sal (Leo Woodall), Dimitri (Stavros Halkias), and Mary (Monica Raymund).
Dominic Sessa Shines As An Aimless Young Man in Parts Unknown
Tony Bourdain is a far cry from the globetrotting chef we’ve all come to know and love. He’s a young curmudgeon, a trait we saw continue into his real-life counterpart, but without the good-natured foundations he’d come to embrace: a love of the culinary arts, an open, personable demeanor, or a strong sense of self. Dominic Sessa plays this proto-Bourdain version of the man well, with a rebellious youthful cynicism and bravado that entertains onscreen.
Antonio Banderas is excellent as “Chef,” an uncompromising culinary star who founded an out-of-the-way seafood joint in Cape Cod. He’s keen to take neophytes under his wing and a stickler for his rules, but there’s a warmth and brilliance underscoring Banderas’ performance behind the character’s light misanthropy. Leo Woodall is electric as Sal, the hedonistic ‘bad boy’ of the kitchen who is engaging to watch and takes Tony under his unreliable wing. Emilia Jones is also well cast as Nancy, a lovely young woman with a good head on her shoulders who becomes enamored by Tony’s charms.
Tony is at Its Best In Front of a Stove
Tony is at its best with Tony in the kitchen in front of a stove. It’s the core of the changes to his character and a monumental component of his journey, while also putting Sessa in close proximity to a fine cast of players. Sessa’s great as the unmoored young man, and it’s easy to become enveloped by the era-accurate worldbuilding. Sessa also has strong chemistry with Emilia Jones, but one’s perception of the value of those scenes hinges largely on how much the viewer has bought into the project on its own.
It may leave Bourdain fans anchoring for a reminder of the person he was instead of the one he used to be, but when the film’s in the kitchen, Johnson’s really cooking
Tony is a bit of a complicated sell to follow a famous, tragically deceased figure before he was on the path that made him beloved and famous. It’s a perfectly valid project to chronicle how his train got on that track, but it’s also a bit like a film following Luke Skywalker’s time on the moisture farm… It’s complicated to make a figure interesting before they were interesting.
Sessa’s performance and inherent edgy-youngster charm mostly carry the day, and the majority of the cast have strong on-screen presences and interplay with Sessa. There are still stretches of time that feel a bit long, and time outside the kitchen has mileage that varies. It’s best when anchored by Woodall. Nonetheless, Tony largely shines thanks in large margin to a talented cast and strong commitment to worldbuilding. It may leave Bourdain fans anchoring for a reminder of the person he was instead of the one he used to be, but when the film’s in the kitchen, Johnson’s really cooking.
Tony heads to theaters August 7, 2026.
For more Reviews, make sure to check back to That Hollywood Show.
Reviews