Anthony Bourdain Biopic: Tony Star Dominic Sessa Reveals Biggest Surprise He Learned About Late Chef
The biopic follows a 19-year-old Bourdain as he learns kitchen discipline and excess in a summer that helped shape his career, critics said.
- A24 released the biopic Tony in limited theaters on Friday, August 7, 2026, starring Dominic Sessa as a young Anthony Bourdain in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Director Matt Johnson's film focuses on a formative 1975 summer rather than a full life account.
- Bourdain's 2000 bestseller Kitchen Confidential detailed a pivotal summer in Provincetown that served as the primary inspiration for the screenplay co-written by Johnson, Matthew Miller, Todd Bartels, and Lou Howe.
- Antonio Banderas portrays the Flagship restaurant's unnamed chef, a mentor guiding Sessa's character through kitchen work. Sessa noted the chaotic filming style involved actors performing real tasks like cleaning dishes to capture authenticity.
- Unlike traditional biopics, the film adopts a slice-of-life approach, avoiding a cradle-to-grave structure. Sessa admitted initial skepticism, though the final product offers an earnest portrayal that intentionally sidesteps Bourdain's later struggles.
- The film expands nationwide on August 21, 2026 after its limited run. Reviewers noted the movie captures a vibrant 1970s counterculture atmosphere, offering what one critic called a "nice first taste" of a life that would reshape global cuisine.
11 Articles
11 Articles
‘Tony’ Star Dominic Sessa on How Being a ‘Liar’ Helped Him Portray Anthony Bourdain and How the Film Foreshadows His Later Struggles
For most actors, playing a real person in a biopic comes with an unrealistic amount of pressure. But because Matt Johnson decided to focus on just one summer in 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain’s life — long before the famed chef-turned-writer ever wrote “Kitchen Confidential” or became a household name — “Tony” star Dominic Sessa had a […]
'Tony' isn’t the Anthony Bourdain biopic I expected — and that’s exactly why it works
I’m pretty much the opposite of what one would call a foodie, so my knowledge of Anthony Bourdain comes entirely from the renowned chef’s pop-culture reputation, rather than any regular viewing of his multiple culinary and travel documentary series or reading any of his books. That turns out to be a perfectly solid perspective for viewing “Tony,” director and co-writer Matt Johnson’s biopic that follows the young Bourdain during a summer he spen…
Film review: Anthony Bourdain biopic ‘Tony’ is just an early nibble at a culinary giant
Tony, the Anthony Bourdain biopic, is a coming-of-age tale for a modern culinary giant. Set over just a summer, it’s also clearly an appetizer. And like all first courses, it leaves you with a nice first taste — but still hungry.Director and co-writer Matt Johnson has frustratingly taken liberties w
Los Angeles Times
recorderonline.comReview: In 'Tony,' a surly, snobby teenaged Anthony Bourdain learns the recipe for becoming a man
Matt Johnson's funny, biting biopic of the future star chef is stuffed with the teen wastrel's blood and vomit. It still goes down like a smooth treat.
‘Tony’ Review: Dominic Sessa Is A Teenage Anthony Bourdain In Splendid Origin Story Of The Food Guru The Man Would Become
Author,TV host, food genius Anthony Bourdain was a master in and out of the kitchen, a genuine star, and a man who seemed to have it all until his life took a tragic turn at age 61 and resulted in his suicide. Certainly that is the stuff of a highly dramatic biopic, but not at […]
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