Review: Anthony Bourdain Pic TONY Is An Expertly Crafted Gem of A Film
On the surface, an Anthony Bourdain biopic based on a summer he spent washing pots in Provincetown, Massachusetts might not sound like the most captivating of films, but somehow Matt Johnson’s Tony manages to be a fascinating coming-of-age story filled with heart and humour. At the centre of the film is Dominic Sessa’s turn as Bourdain – a young man best described by Bourdain himself in his memoir Kitchen Confidential – “I was a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless young lout, badly in need of a good ass-kicking.” He’s not wrong, but Sessa’s turn, is very much like his performance in Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers – loaded with many unlikeable character traits, while also being charismatic and eminently watchable. He’s aided by top-tier supporting work from the great Antonio Banderas, Emilia Jones and Leo Woodall (delivering another cracking turn after Tuner earlier this year).
Johnson’s film follows a pompous young Bourdain (Tony to everyone but his mother) as he absconds to Massachusetts hot on the heels of Nancy (Jones) a fellow student who wants very little (if anything) to do with him. Tony’s life is in upheaval after his sure-thing writing scholarship failed to materialise. Strutting his stuff like a would-be Bukowski, he finds himself down and out in Provincetown and working in the kitchen for Banderas’ restaurant owner. Tony slowly discovers a love of food, while also learning how to be less spoiled, less miserable, less narcissistic, less self-destructive and a little less thoughtless. Along the way he even manages to get a good ass-kicking.
A dramatic comedy, Tony captures the power of great cinema – it offers up expertly crafted characters, note-perfect writing and excellent performances. This film is many things, but it stands as a testament to great casting. Sessa, just 23 years old, manages to show that his breakthrough turn in The Holdovers was no fluke. He’s the real deal – an old soul in a young body and he has the potential to hit serious heights as an actor. Same with Leo Woodall – another actor who has the chops to become a big star and hopefully his travels to Middle Earth don’t derail that trajectory. Emilia Jones could have been handed a very one-note role, but she makes every scene count – while also delivering (in my opinion) the funniest line in the film. As for Antonio Banderas… well if you’re looking for a mysterious and charismatic mentor with a Spanish accent, then there’s only one man to call. Where the hell is that Zorro reboot with Banderas passing the whip to a younger actor? He’s purely wonderful, as always.
Thoroughly engaging, monumentally entertaining and perfectly balanced, Tony is a real gem of a film. Every element works, offering up a real crowd-pleasing experience. The film ends on a high and while the upbeat ending might somewhat be soured by knowing that Anthony Bourdain is no longer with us, Tony is a great way of honouring his legacy as a cook, writer and a man who played by his own rules and brought rock ‘n roll style to everything he did.
