Tony Tells the Tale of Anthony Bourdain's Teenage Years as the Famed Chef Winds Up on a Journey of Culinary Discovery
- On Friday, August 7, A24 will release 'Tony,' starring Dominic Sessa as a young Anthony Bourdain during a formative 1975 summer working in a Provincetown, Massachusetts, seafood kitchen.
- Based on chapters from Bourdain's 2000 memoir 'Kitchen Confidential,' the narrative follows a restless Vassar College student who fabricates a writing fellowship to pursue a classmate to Cape Cod.
- Antonio Banderas plays Chef, the restaurant head who mentors the abrasive protagonist through dishwashing work. The film captures 1970s aesthetics with nostalgic energy balanced against gritty kitchen realism.
- Sessa's performance captures the 'spoiled, miserable, narcissistic' young man Bourdain described in his memoir. Director Matt Johnson frames the film as a prologue to Bourdain's later fame rather than a traditional biopic.
- Critics describe the film's tone as 'briny and bittersweet,' exploring Bourdain's early search for purpose before his rise to culinary stardom. The coming-of-age drama arrives August 7 across theaters.
37 Articles
37 Articles
Critics Say 'Strange' Anthony Bourdain Biopic Tony Has An Unavoidable Hurdle
A24’s Anthony Bourdain film, Tony, is set to come out of 14 August in the UK.But the biopic, starring Dominic Sassa as a young Tony, Antonio Banderas as his Chef, Emilia Jones as love interest Nancy, and Leo Woodall as fellow restaurant worker Sal, has already received verdicts from multiple critics.“A 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that will …
On the Podcast: Dominic Sessa on Creativity, Cooking, and Becoming a Young Bourdain in ‘Tony’
“Every day I believed I was living some version of what this person really experienced,” actor Dominic Sessa tells guest hosts Marley Marius and Hannah Jackson of playing Anthony Bourdain in Matt Johnson’s “Tony.”
Tony: Anthony Bourdain A24 Movie Scores Rare Rotten Tomatoes Feat After Glowing Reviews
Photo Credit: A24 A24’s upcoming Anthony Bourdain biopic, Tony, has earned a rare Rotten Tomatoes score. The movie, based on a book by the late American celebrity chef and television documentarian, has gained exceptional reviews after a limited early screening. At the time of this article’s publication, Tony has a 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score with 27 reviews. The movie is directed by Matt Johnson, popularly known for Hulu’s Nirv…
Matt Johnson Says Making ‘Tony’ Was A Difficult Collision With The American Studio System: “Complete And Total Dread”; Calls ‘Heat 2’ A “Huge Mistake”
Reviews for “Tony,” Matt Johnson’s new A24 film about a 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain (played by Dominic Sessa) stumbling into the chaotic world of a Provincetown restaurant kitchen, are out, and they’re excellent so far. The film currently sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, from 24 reviews, a strong early response for Johnson’s first movie produced within the American studio system. And that must come as some relief to Johnson. Continue reading Ma…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 64% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
