Tony (dir. Matthew Johnson)

By: Nick Zednik 

A24’s first attempt in this year's awards pool has arrived in the form of Tony. The kind of biopic that understands its subject is far more interesting than a conventional cradle-to-grave treatment could ever be and wisely understands there isn’t a need to tell an entire life story to capture the essence of its subject. Directed by Matthew Johnson (Blackberry), the film zeroes in on a formative mid-seventies chapter in the life of Anthony Bourdain, following a restless 19-year-old who travels to Provincetown, Massachusetts and stumbles into the chaotic, unforgiving world of a restaurant kitchen. Rather than rushing through decades of accomplishments, the movie focuses on the experiences, relationships, mistakes, and influences that began to shape the man Bourdain would eventually become. The film works as both a slice of life and a surprisingly intimate coming-of-age story that feels less interested in creating a conventional icon and more fascinated by the flawed young man underneath the legend. There is plenty of humor, messiness, and youthful arrogance, but also an underlying sense that this pivotal summer could become something much bigger.

Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) disappears into the role of Anthony Bourdain, capturing the subject’s intelligence, insecurity, arrogance, curiosity, and restless energy without turning the performance into a mockered impression. Sessa gives the film an appealingly rough-around-the-edges quality, allowing the character’s contradictions to exist naturally rather than sanding them down for audiences. Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro) is equally excellent as the chef of an underwhelming beachside eatery who becomes an important mentor, bringing warmth, authority, humor, and complexity to a role that could easily have become a stock father figure. Emilia Jones (Coda) and Leo Woodall (Tuner) also make strong impressions. The restaurant and the unpredictable chaotic personalities operating the space also offer a lived-in, kinetic energy to the fold. No character or plot point feels like checking boxes in a predetermined origin story. Instead, the characters feel more like people who existed before Anthony Bourdain arrived and will continue existing long after.

While the film plays its cards very close to its chest, by following a very conventionally standard filmmaking format, the relationships aren’t entirely fleshed out for audience leisure but, director Matthew Johnson clearly distincts from a very specific point in Anthony Bourdain’s life as opposed to show casting the entirety of Bourdain’s life story. The loose, tactile nature perfectly complements the story, blending the sweaty intensity of a working kitchen boasted by the sun-soaked atmosphere of a formative summer. Most importantly, the film recognizes that Bourdain’s journey was never simply about becoming a famous chef more than it was about purpose, finding a community, and realizing that life is filled with many curveballs, but, sometimes the journey rewards the destination. As a self portrait of a young man on the cusp of discovering his calling, the end result is fairly safe yet funny, heartfelt, and deeply engaging.

Nick’s Pick 7/10 Tony is a conventional yet entertaining biopic filled with captivating performances making the end result a worthwhile flavorful winner.