Tony
Anthony Bourdain (Dominic Sessa, "The Holdovers") is thoroughly convinced he's hornswoggled his professors at Vassar into giving him a writing fellowship, a situation he hopes to use to head out of his parents' New Jersey home for New York, but when he's turned down, a chance run-in with his crush, fellow student Nancy (Emilia Jones, "CODA"), redirects him to Provincetown, Massachusetts, where she's spending the summer. While he continues to tell everyone he's on a writing fellowship, he actually gets by sleeping in the outdoor hammock of the chef/owner of the Flagship Restaurant (Antonio Banderas), where he washes dishes and tells everyone to call him "Tony."
Laura's Review: B+
After being discovered in the drama class of the prep school where "The Holdovers" was shot, Dominic Sessa thoroughly convinces in his first lead role as the future chef, Kitchen Confidential author and television star. Sessa's take on the nineteen year-old Bourdain is of an angry young man with a chip on his shoulder, someone overly confident in his abilities needing to be knocked down a few pegs, yet with an undeniable, surly charm and the curiosity that would propel him forward.
Unable to accept rejection, Tony evades his suspicious mother Gladys (Dagmara Dominczyk, "Priscilla") and blindly accepting dad Pierre (Rich Sommer, TV's 'Mad Men') only to land in Provincetown, actually find Nancy working in a pizzeria window, then witness 'Pizza Guy' (Joe Burns, "Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1") possessively kissing her. After drowning himself in six beers at a bar, Tony's behavior towards Mary (Monica Raymund, "Bros") provokes the owner into asking him to leave, but when Tony gets combative, he's tossed, bruised and bloodied, to the curb by Sal (Leo Woodall, "Tuner"). But it will be that same owner (Banderos) who takes pity on him and soon Leo is friend and coworker along with Stavros (Stavros Halkias, "Bugonia") and Tyrone (Michael Jibrin, "American Fiction").
If at first Leo appears to take Tony under his wing, Leo's luck with the ladies doesn't help Tony's ego and his cocaine use in the kitchen eventually introduces Bourdain to heroin, even if he doesn't indulge until years later. When Leo's partying ways cause him to blow chef's strict lateness rule, Tony is placed in his oyster shucking position and Leo's aggression when he arrives gets him fired. Now Tony turns his attentions more to chef, using the man to reel in Nancy with gourmet food while developing a genuine culinary interest.
Cowriter (with Todd Bartels, Lou Howe and Matthew Miller)/director Matt Johnson ("Blackberry," "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie") wisely present Bourdain warts and all, his soulfulness and genuine interest in a wide variety of subjects going a long way to atone for his shortcomings. Take, for example, Tony's experience with chef when the call 'Stripers!' is heard by the shore at night, locals quickly dragging boats out to catch the teeming fish, then feasting over open fires on the beach. This is where Tony learns about the clambakes that used to be routine, knowledge he will use to his advantage (one problem is that it is never made clear whether Leo's dishonesty citing their gambit as charity for the Flagship after Tony exacerbates a serious kitchen fire is made right or not, although we do see the restaurant operational again). Tony's dishonesty with Nancy is eventually corrected to his immediate disadvantage, but longer term finds her looking more kindly towardds him.
"Tony" is a coming-of-age story that illustrates just how Bourdain found his life's passion (Alan Ripert makes a cameo when Tony follows in his mentor's footsteps, applying to the Culinary Institute of America). Unfortunately, there are also echoes, intentional or not, of his demise in his obsession with a woman, but "Tony" is an uplifting film, Sessa presenting a mature character study within the nineteen year-old liberally seasoned by Banderas, Woodall and Jones. Michael Bauman's ("One Battle After Another") straightforward location lensing and an unobtrusive but period effective piano and guitar score from Jay McCarrol ("Blackberry") add flavor.
And yes, when asked his name at C.I.A., once again Tony takes his mentor's advice, responding 'Anthony Bourdain.' "Tony" is the type of mid-level adult entertainment that's been disappearing from theaters. Welcome back.
A24 releases "Tony" in select theaters on 8/7/26, expanding on 8/14/26.
