I always find it fascinating when well-known artists, like actors and musicians, mention in interviews that they never intended to end up in their current careers. Whether it’s due to an injury, unexpected life events, or simply a change of heart, at some point, they shifted to the profession they’re now recognized for. This was true for the renowned chef Anthony Bourdain, who passed away in June 2018 at the age of 61.
We first got to know Bourdain as a cocky 19-year-old trying to persuade Vassar’s literary fellowship committee to support his novel, which felt like a blend of Jack Kerouac and George Orwell. Young Tony, as he liked to be called, saw himself as a daring writer, and Dominic Sessa captured him as a brash yet clearly insecure young man who’s a bit adrift.
“I was—to be frank—a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless young lout, badly in need of a good ass-kicking.”
The quote is from his hit memoir Kitchen Confidential, and it sets the stage for the film as a glimpse into the summer of 1975 when Bourdain stumbled upon his true passion. Canadian filmmaker Matt Johnson co-wrote the script with Todd Bartels and Lou Howe. They took Bourdain’s memoir and turned it into more of a “spiritual memory” of his younger years, focusing on a key moment instead of a full-on biopic.
When things don’t go as planned with the fellowship, Tony makes an impulsive decision to hop on a boat to Provincetown to track down Nancy (Emilia Jones, who’s a bit underutilized here), the girl he had a crush on. What catches my attention is his description of his book concept as a bildungsroman, a German term that denotes a literary genre focused on an individual’s moral and emotional evolution. It’s appropriate that we observe Tony’s development during that summer.
Three years after his breakout role in The Holdovers, Sessa returns to the lead role once more. This character seems perfect for him since he hails from New Jersey just like Bourdain, and he shares that lanky build and big curly hair. There’s a rockstar essence to him even before Bourdain hit the big time, complete with that devil-may-care attitude that might rub some people the wrong way at first.
You could say it’s fate, as a night of heavy drinking lands him a job at a local seafood joint, The Flagship, where he starts off as a dishwasher. Antonio Banderas takes on the role of the enigmatic restaurant owner known simply as Chef. He’s a kind-hearted loner who allows Tony to crash on his hammock at his beachside home and even drags the godless Tony to Sunday mass. Soon enough, Tony finds himself immersed in the chaotic, heroin-infused atmosphere of kitchen gregariousness. It’s like The Bear on steroids. The kitchen moments are both hectic and mesmerizing, even for someone who isn’t into seafood like me. The wild night-fishing adventure where Chef takes down a tuna with a shotgun is one I won’t soon forget.
While Chef is a good influence on Tony, the oyster-shucking line cook Sal is the opposite. The quintessential bad boy of the culinary scene, Sal leads Tony down a dark path with his sociopathic and violent tendencies, stealing, beating people to a pulp, and casually sleeping with any woman who crosses his path. Interesting to see Leo Woodall in the role, but the Brit brings a believable edge to the character, while Stavros Halkias is memorable as the fast-talking, foul-mouthed lobster roll guy who initially gives Tony a tough time in the kitchen.
Johnson’s film serves as a compelling character study of a gifted young man on the brink of greatness, provided he chooses the right path. The journey can be tough to watch at times, but it’s consistently involving and emotional. In the third act, Tony hits a crossroads where he must decide between the hedonistic lifestyle with Sal or the virtuous path alongside the saintly Chef. It really shows the lasting power of mentorship.
Although the film doesn’t touch on Bourdain’s tragic end, there’s a chilling moment that made the audience gasp when Chef shares a story about a tragic painting on his wall depicting a historical chef. I won’t give away the details of that painting, but it serves as a stark warning about the brutal, consuming nature of the culinary world, illustrating how the kitchen can completely absorb a man’s identity, to the point where even a minor professional obstacle feels like an existential crisis.
While many aspects of the narrative are fictionalized and the characters blend real individuals that Bourdain wrote about, the film undeniably feels authentic, and I found myself immersed in Tony’s early journey to find purpose. Shot on location in Provincetown, cinematographer Michael Bauman beautifully captures the genuine vibe, sights, and sounds of the mid-70s. At one point, there’s even a scene featuring a drive-in theater screening JAWS. Jay McCarrol’s score blends a melancholic tone with the decade’s lively, upbeat soundtrack. The use of an accordion adds a maritime aesthetic that perfectly complements the coastal ambiance.
Whether or not TONY honors Bourdain’s legacy is debatable, but this is an edgy, propulsive, and heartfelt tribute to him. I appreciate that the movie refrains from sanitizing or glorifying him. Instead, it embraces his humanity, warts and all, with unflinching honesty.
I do hope this film does the story of Bourdain justice instead of that doc that used AI in the narration as I really do not like AI at all. Plus, I don’t think Bourdain would’ve liked it either. I do miss the guy as he was just cool.
I don’t think I’ve seen even a trailer of the Bourdain doc you’re referring to. This one is loosely adapted from his memoir and nope, no AI narration on this one.
I’m not a big culinary follower but there are three “chefs” that I like, they are Rex Hunt the fisherman chef from Australia, Martin Yan famous for his five minute dishes and catchphrase “If Yan can then you can too!” And last but not least there was Anthony Bourdain. I got to watch his (probably) final work on TV with his CNN series, That was an amazing show as he took you behind the serving counter and showed us a deep dive into the food and recipes…and the people/culture responsible for them. But he didn’t do it as the shouting, swearing chefs that we sometimes see, he presented it in a way to make us love it too.
Thanks, I’ll look to streaming this when I can.
Hi FT! I’m not a big culinary follower either, but Bourdain certainly stood out. The only other celebrity chef I sometimes watch is Gordon Ramsey as he seems curious about cuisines from other cultures, like Bourdain. Yep, I think showing the people from different countries was unique and inclusive. It’s just too bad that he was so depressed, I think there was so much pressure in maintaining a hit tv series.
Hello Ruth, ah yes Gordon…he was the shouty chef I was referring too in my comment! But the pressure you mention is phenomenal just to be a chef, as I know. My brother was a restaurant chef for a few years and even got to cook a meal for one of the UK royal family once, but the hours and bad eating/sleeping patterns nearly killed him (he gave himself food poisoning by just picking at food off plates and not eating proper full regular meals). He went on to become a tree-surgeon of all things!
Ahah yeah, Gordon was the shouty chef, but I like him; he also loves different cuisines from all over the world. I still remember seeing his video making Rendang and Nasi Goreng in my homeland Indonesia.
That’s so cool about your brother; cooking for the Royal Family is quite an honor, but yeah, it’s not worth his health and overall well-being so he made the right call.
When I saw the trailer of this one a while back, I wanted to see it! But I’ll wait till it comes out on streaming. I’ve followed Bourdain‘s career from the early 2000s, so his death hit me hard. He was the first food and travel influencer, his shows launched so many copycats throughout the years. Also, on YouTube, there are countless channels of influencers that copied his shows.
Watching his shows when I was younger made me wanted to see the world and he’s the reason why I love traveling and foods so much! I remember writing down all the places that he ate at in big cities so when I make enough money, I can travel to those places. But if he was still alive, he probably trash this film. Lol!
I don’t typically follow culinary shows or icons, so I wasn’t that familiar with Bourdain though of course I know who he was. I can see how lots of people tried to copy his show as it was very popular.
The Bourdain Estate actually endorsed this film and it was loosely adapted from his memoir. They praised the decision to focus strictly on his transformative summer in Provincetown and it’s fascinating to see his early journey when he wasn’t even sure he wanted to be a chef.
You know, I take that back. If Bourdain was still alive, he might not trash this film since it got good reviews from other critics too. He actually liked a short lived TV series based on his book called Kitchen Confidential. It starred a then unknown Bradley Cooper who played Bourdain and it was a great show! It came out a few years before Cooper became a super star. I was very upset when Fox cancelled the show after only 10 episodes. Shows about restaurants wasn’t a big thing yet back in the 2000s. It was still a niche market. I still have hopes that Netflix, Apple TV or Amazon will do a remake of the show someday. The Bear is doing well, so I’m sure a show about a young Bourdain in the kitchen will be a big hit.
Yeah, I think cooking shows were still a niche market back then, but I think Bourdain would still stand out even today, as he’s got a strong personality.
I didn’t know Cooper played Bourdain before; interesting! I’m gonna see if any of the episodes are on Youtube. I quite like him in the movie Burnt, but I don’t think it was well-received. It’s true that The Bear’s popularity might lead to more cooking shows.
I’m hoping to catch this! Sessa was so good in The Holdovers, I’m super interested in what he does here.
Yeah, he was excellent in The Holdovers, but it’s good that he also got to play supporting roles after being nominated for an Oscar.
“Chef movies” often pack a lot of energy and drama, fictional or otherwise. I’ve enjoyed most of them thus far and sounds like Tony will add to the list. Good to see Dominic Sessa back in a meaty role after his superb debut in The Holdovers.
If you like chef movies, this is definitely one for you. Yeah, Sessa is good here and surrounded by a great supporting cast, too!
Excellent reviews as always Ruth. “Tony” is an anticipated movie that I am looking forward to seeing soon. I have always taken a keen interest in the lives of chefs and their professions. Anthony Bourdain is a legendary chef that has always fascinated me. I also love the lead actor Dominic Sessa. He truly blew me away with his performance in “The Holdovers”. “Tony” seems to fall into the same category of coming-of-age movies about rebellious youth. So, for these reasons, I will definitely check out this film soon playing in theatres here in Canada.
Here’s my thoughts on “The Holdovers”:
https://huilahimovie.reviews/2026/07/22/the-holdovers-2023-alexander-paynes-touching-teachers-drama-17/
This sounds like a must watch.
I enjoyed Bourdain’s show on CNN – “Parts Unknown”, and have wanted to read his book for quite awhile. Like most, I was shocked when he took his life.
Great review Ruth, thank you!
* ★ ꧁~ ❦༻🌹༺❦ ~꧂ ★ *
Hey Resa! If you like Bourdain’s show, you’ll enjoy this one. I love Antonio Banderas’ character here too, a kindhearted mentor who had to deal with a rambunctious group of employees!
Yeah, it’s so sad that gifted people like Bourdain were plagued with depression.
⊹₊˚‧꧁⎝ 𓆩𓌉◯👨🍳🍳🥘👩🍳𓎩☕︎𓆪 ⎠꧂‧˚₊⊹
Excellent reviews as always Ruth. “Tony” is definitely one of my most anticipated movies of the year I am looking forward to seeing soon. I have always taken a keen interest in movies that focus on the lives of chefs and the culinary profession. I am also a huge fan of Dominic Sessa. He is a fantastic actor with such a strong screen presence. I loved his emotional performance in “The Holdovers”. So, for these reasons, I will be definitely sure to check out “Tony” this weekend in the theaters. It sounds like the type of movie I will love.
Here’s my thoughts on “The Holdovers”:
https://huilahimovie.reviews/2026/07/22/the-holdovers-2023-alexander-paynes-touching-teachers-drama-16/
Hey Hasan, sorry for some reason your comments end up in Spam… not sure why! I just found both comments when my friend told me her comment end up in Spam as well, then I saw yours.
Yeah, Dominic Sessa is a good young actor. I love The Holdovers as well, but I think he’s even better here, though it’s sad when you realize how Bourdain ended up.