Dominic Sessa assembles the right ingredients as a young, troubled Anthony Bourdain.
Five years ago, we got a great documentary on the late chef Anthony Bourdain called: “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain.” It showed us what went down in the kitchen, how his fame took off, and what lead to his depression.
The new A24 biopic “Tony” almost likes to enter “The Bear” territory as it stars Dominic Sessa (in his best performance since his break-out role in “The Holdovers”) as a young Tony, who is seen as a 19-year-old ambitious writer until he discovers a passion for cooking in the kitchen. It’s chaotic, funny, emotional, and dangerous, and that’s really how this biopic cooks on the stove.
The time is 1975, and as the film begins, he is rejected a fellowship at a college and reunites with a high school crush of his, Nancy (Emilia Jones), who is spending the summer in Provincetown. Sneaking out of his New Jersey home, he takes a bus and ferry ride to Provincetown to find her, but she is already in a relationship. After finding out about that, he drinks his sorrows at a seafood joint, where he makes a pass at the waitress (Monica Raymund) and is booted to the streets by the owner and head chef (Antonio Banderas).
However, that same chef takes pity on the kid, and allows him to sleep on his hammock, on condition that he works in his restaurant as a dishwasher. The staff also includes the tough junkie Sal (Leo Woodall) and the fat and slobby Stavros (Stavros Halkias), although I’m not too sure Carmy would hire them. Sal, however, is a ladies man who takes Tony under his wing, especially when he’s trying to connect with Nancy. And he sure knows how to cut wood pieces off the doors of the women he’s slept with and collects them.
Throughout the summer, Tony continues to lie about writing a book and working in a kitchen, and spends some time learning about the chef’s wisdom and soon connecting with Nancy. And he eventually learns to be a better chef than he would be as a writer at this point in his youth.
“Tony” was directed by Matt Johnson, who has already proven his worth with “BlackBerry” and “Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie,” and writes it with some angry, hungry, and consistent vibes with Todd Bartels, Lou Howe, and Matthew Miller. It could have been a little longer, but it does deliver those qualities with a reminder on what Anthony Bourdain has contained in his career. These are just the early stages, and they’re not as easy as they should be. In fact, his life wasn’t as easy as his cooking was. But that doesn’t mean “Tony” or “Roadrunner” are depressing films, because, despite the subject matters, they aren’t.
As a person who travels to seafood restaurants on trips, I appreciate the ambiance and images of the seafood restaurant and location of Cape Cod. The cinematographer for this movie was done by Michael Bauman, who was nominated an Oscar for “One Battle After Another.” And therefore, he makes the fish and chips, and lobster special look delicious.
I meant it when I said this was Sessa’s best performance since “The Holdovers,” because he has that similar youth and attitude and displays them inside the young Bourdain. I like how he makes a distinction that only his mother (Dagmara Dominczyk) calls him “Anthony,” and how he displays some bad behaviors that are tainted by the people trying to set him straight. He also shares some laughs, dialogue, and timing with Banderas, Jones, and Woodall. And on their respective turns, they know how to deliver the great acting under the direction of Johnson.
Take it from a film critic who bakes a delicious bolognese lasagna and knows how many jalepenos to put in the nachos. “Tony” is another delicious film version of Anthony Bourdain’s story, and you should make a reservation.
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