‘Tony’ Review: Do You Know The Meaning Of The Word Providence?

Anthony Bourdain was one of the greatest journalistic personalities of all time; from his honest, cynical worldview to his extraordinary vocabulary, he knew how to craft an engaging narrative around whatever dish or destination he covered. Bourdain gained massive popularity in the culinary world and beyond after the publication of his iconic tell-all, “Kitchen Confidential”, in 2000. From a sitcom series sharing the book’s name, starring Bradley Cooper, to the wildly successful travel/food shows Bourdain hosted, No Reservations & Parts Unknown, fans of the lanky chef had plenty of opportunities to get even closer to the writer through his engaging body of work covering and honoring various cultures. After Bourdain’s tragic suicide in June of 2018, it seemed like in only a matter of time a biopic would be made about the famous cook due to Hollywood trends over the past decade. Thankfully, Matt Johnson’s Tony, while taking a lot of creative liberties in its narrative, perfectly captures the feeling of reading the early chapters of that iconic book, feeling all of the passion and excitement a young Bourdain was experiencing as his eyes were opening up to a whole new world of possibility. 

Tony follows a 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain (Dominic Sessa) as he chases after who would eventually become his first wife, Nancy Putkoski (Emilia Jones), to the coastal town of Provincetown, Massachusetts. After an unsuccessful first night in town, he soon ends up working as a dishwasher in a kitchen under a charismatic Chef (Antonio Banderas) as we see the experiences he faced in his culinary infancy that made him into the world-renowned chef he was known to be. Before I get into the film any deeper, I do want to admit I have a bit of a bias when it comes to Bourdain; as a child, his shows were the only cooking programs family members would have on that would actually engage me beyond making me hungry, and quite frankly, as I write this, “Kitchen Confidential” is my favorite book ever, so to see Matt Johnson directly adapt little stories from the earlier chapters and insert them into moments in the narrative that fit the context of the sequence in a natural way made me very pleased. Seeing the bond a young Bourdain would forge with Banderas’ Chef (who seemed to be loosely based on the character Bigfoot from “Kitchen Confidential”) and his older coworkers like Sal (Leo Woodall) and Dmitry (Stavros Halkias), who worked with Anthony extensively, made me feel like an MCU fan seeing these people I’ve read so much about interact just like how I imagined on the page. There are also plenty of references for book fans to be happy about, like one of Bourdain’s coworkers having sex with a bride on the night of her wedding, picking up a broiler pan and asking for burn cream, the François Vatel painting, and saying oysters straight from their habitats taste like the future.

Everyone who worked on this film had an immense amount of respect and understanding for Anthony Bourdain, which in a 2020s biopic feels like a breath of fresh air, as the stories audiences are given about some of their favorite celebrities these days are as sanitized as a fresh bar of soap and utterly fail to capture any of the essence of their subject. Luckily, this is not the case for Tony, as Johnson and his crew were able to craft an incredibly intimate story that feels like you’re cozied up on your favorite chair turning the pages of a beat-up paperback. The screenplay by Johnson, Matthew Miller, Todd Bartels, and Lou Howe is filled to the brim with engaging and snappy dialogue; Michael Bauman’s cinematography is about as intimate as one can get to their subject; Jay McCarrol’s score knows the perfect moment to break your heart, and the production design from Ryan Warren Smith feels ripped straight from a 70s indie. All of these aspects work in tandem to create easily one of the most pleasant experiences I’ve had watching a film in quite some time. 

Tony is a remarkable slice-of-life biopic into the world of a chef; hell, even if this wasn’t a movie based on a famous chef turned writer, it’d still work just as well as it does. Johnson directs his main ensemble so well that the chemistry between each character felt so natural to the point where I was in tears multiple times in my two viewings of the film. Sessa leads the cast with such confidence as an arrogant young adult finding himself, while Emilia Jones and Antonio Banderas’ characters are the beating heart of the story, with great supporting performances from Leo Woodall and Stavros Halkias as well, bringing the right amount of intensity and humor. Each actor brings a sense of warmth to their characters, where audiences will feel like they’ve met countless people reminiscent of our protagonists. Tony captures the feeling of talking to people and learning their perspective on life by either going to their church, sharing a meal, or doing debaucherous acts with them, and how that will change how you see the world, which was arguably the most valuable lesson Bourdain shared in his work.

“If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.” – Anthony Bourdain (1956-2018)

Tony was directed by Matt Johnson and written by Johnson, Matthew Miller, Todd Bartels, and Lou Howe. The film stars Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, Antonio Banderas, Leo Woodall, Stavros Halkias, Michael Jibrin, Monica Raymund, Rich Sommer, and Dagmara Dominczyk. 

Tony was released by A24 in NYC/LA on August 7th before expanding nationwide on August 21st.

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