There are plenty of biopics that try to cover an entire life. Tony, the latest film from A24, takes a different approach. Directed by Matt Johnson (BlackBerry), the film narrows its focus to one specific summer in 1975, when a 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain traveled to Provincetown, Massachusetts, and took a job washing dishes in a restaurant kitchen. Rather than telling the complete story of the man we came to know, Tony explores the experiences that helped shape him.
Starring Dominic Sessa as Anthony Bourdain, alongside Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall, and Antonio Banderas, the film is based on Bourdain’s memoir Kitchen Confidential. I haven’t read the book, so I can’t speak to how closely the screenplay follows his own words, but as a standalone film, the story works.
This isn’t a version of Anthony Bourdain who has everything figured out. He’s 19 years old, restless, and searching for purpose. Like a lot of people at that age, he’s trying to figure out who he wants to become. The difference is that Anthony often gets in his own way. He habitually lies because he’s so determined to become a writer that he sees working in a kitchen as something beneath him. Watching him wrestle with his own expectations while gradually discovering that the kitchen may be exactly where he belongs makes for a compelling character study.
The film also briefly explores his introduction to drugs. It’s important to know that this isn’t a story about the addiction struggles that would come later in his life. Instead, it quietly shows how he was first exposed to that world, allowing those moments to become part of the larger picture without overshadowing everything else.
One of the things I appreciated most was how authentic the kitchen environment feels. If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, or even spent time around a professional kitchen, you’re going to recognize a lot of what happens here. Yes, the film is set in 1975, but the personalities, the nonstop chaos, the pressure, and the conversations all feel remarkably familiar. That authenticity helps immerse you in Anthony’s world.
Dominic Sessa has the difficult task of portraying someone audiences already feel they know, and he does an impressive job. Anthony isn’t always likable here. He’s immature, impulsive, and often frustrating. At the same time, Sessa finds the humanity underneath those flaws, making it easy to understand why this young man is struggling instead of simply judging him. It’s a nuanced performance that never tries to make Anthony into something he wasn’t.
The supporting cast is equally solid, with everyone contributing to the atmosphere of this formative period in Anthony’s life. The characters feel lived in, which helps the relationships develop naturally despite the relatively condensed timeline.
The pacing occasionally shifts between frantic, high-energy kitchen scenes and quieter, more reflective moments. There were a few points where those transitions felt a little uneven, but it never distracted me from the story. If anything, those slower moments give both Anthony and the audience room to breathe before the chaos starts all over again.
By the end, I found myself appreciating the decision to tell such a focused chapter of Anthony Bourdain’s life rather than attempting to summarize everything that came after. There were moments that made me laugh, moments that made me anxious, and several scenes that reminded me why Anthony Bourdain resonated with so many people. Seeing this glimpse into the beginning of his journey was both fascinating and surprisingly emotional.
Tony is a thoughtful character study anchored by a strong performance from Dominic Sessa and another confident film from Matt Johnson. Whether you’re a longtime Anthony Bourdain fan or simply enjoy well-crafted character-driven dramas, this is a film worth checking out.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Tony opens exclusively in theaters on August 21.
