‘Tony’ Review: A24 Explores Anthony Bourdain’s Formative Years

Long before he became known for carving lamb on television or exchanging witty remarks with world leaders over noodle soup, Anthony Bourdain was simply a broke, aimless teenager with a chip on his shoulder and a girl he couldn’t stop thinking about. This is the starting point chosen by Matt Johnson for ‘Tony’, a snapshot of the summer of 1975 that places a nineteen-year-old Bourdain in Provincetown, Massachusetts, well before ‘Kitchen Confidential’ made him a household name. Dominic Sessa portrays him, fresh off his breakout role in a boarding school drama, and the film quickly immerses him in a restaurant kitchen alongside Antonio Banderas, Leo Woodall, and Emilia Jones.

There exists a version of this film that plays it safe, relying on nostalgia and hero worship to breeze through ninety minutes of vague biographical hints. However, ‘Tony’ is not that film, and I appreciate it for taking risks, even when it falters.

Johnson and his four credited screenwriters focus more on Bourdain the mess than Bourdain the myth. The opening title card, featuring a self-flagellating quote from his own memoir about being a spoiled and thoughtless youth, sets the tone right away. This film is primarily a coming-of-age story, with Bourdain’s narrative taking a backseat, a choice that serves as both the film’s boldest move and its most significant flaw. Sessa captures the duality of selfishness and charm surprisingly well, portraying a young man who steals from his father and pursues a girl across state lines without fully becoming unlikable.

The film truly shines in its texture. Cape Cod in the summer feels authentic rather than staged, filled with salt air, cheap beer, and the low-grade panic of a restaurant kitchen just before dinner service. Johnson clearly understands the sensory chaos of that environment—the ticket printers, the shouted orders, the way grease and adrenaline blend together—and he stages it with more confidence and specificity than most food dramas attempt.

However, my enthusiasm wanes when it comes to the love story. Emilia Jones does her best with a character that is primarily written as an object of pursuit rather than a fully realized person. The film’s insistence on making the romance its central focus detracts from the more compelling material unfolding in the kitchen. Banderas, on the other hand, serves as a wonderful anchor as a gruff but generous chef figure, and I found myself wishing the film placed more trust in his relationship with Sessa’s character than in the will-they-won’t-they subplot.

Structurally, ‘Tony’ unfolds in loose, episodic bursts rather than adhering to a tight narrative arc, which suits the memoir it draws from but occasionally leaves individual scenes feeling like vignettes lacking a cohesive spine. It never quite decides whether it wants to be a hangout movie or a portrait of a young man on the brink of discovering his purpose, and this tension prevents it from fully achieving greatness, even as it remains consistently entertaining. Woodall deserves special mention as Bourdain’s kitchen partner in crime, bringing a vibrant energy that makes their shared scenes the film’s most enjoyable moments.

What lingers after the credits roll is not the romance or even the restaurant chaos, but the experience of watching someone inadvertently discover what he is truly good at. Bourdain would not become the iconic figure we know for decades after this particular summer, and the film wisely avoids winking at the audience about where this all leads. It trusts in the moment it depicts, flaws and all, and that restraint is more commendable than a dozen prestige biopics that lay everything out in bold letters.

I left ‘Tony’ feeling entertained, occasionally moved, and somewhat frustrated by a script that continually chases a love story it never fully earns. Sessa is a genuine talent, Banderas brings warmth, and the kitchen sequences alone make this film worth watching, even if it never delves as deeply into its subject as its opening quote suggests. I’m giving it 8 out of 10, a solid summer watch that falls just short of the classic it aspires to be.

Have you seen ‘Tony’ yet, and did Sessa’s performance resonate with you as it did with me? Share your thoughts in the comments below.