Synopsis: A 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that will shape the course of his life.
What We Thought:
I was impressed with Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers and with Tony, he enters leading man territory. As young Anthony Bourdain, Sessa doesn’t need to be the rock-n-roll chef persona we remember from the deceased celebrity chef/author/world traveler. Instead he gets to play a coming-of-age kid experiencing life for the first time and he nails it.
The movie isn’t a full biopic of Bourdain, instead it’s an amalgamation of his time in Provincetown (Cape Cod, Massachusetts). Bourdain had no interest in ever being a chef, he was a college student/wannabe writer who when he’s not awarded a fellowship, follows a girl he likes to The Cape which itself is the perfect environment for the story. She’s unaware that he’s there for her and soon he finds himself sleeping in a hammock and doing dishes in a restaurant to survive.
Sessa is fantastic as young Tony. He captures that puppy love struggle effortlessly and makes the coming-of-age story much more bearable. I’m usually not a fan of that genre, but Sessa gives you enough humanity to root for Tony. Plus the film is filled with fantastic side characters. Leo Woodall has been in a bunch of things, but I’m not that familiar with him. Emilia Jones (best known for another Massachusetts film, CODA) is adorable and easy to understand why a 19 year old would follow her out of state. She continues to impress. But the absolute film stealer is Antonio Banderas. I’ve always liked him as an actor, but there are times he comes in and just dominates movies. As the impromptu mentor to a young Bourdain, Banderas helps shape the boy into the man and he’s just incredible in the role. I’m sure by the end of the year the movie might be forgotten, but I hope his performance isn’t. He’s funny, charming and full of life and you understand how he could easily shape a young man out on his own for the first time.
Even if you know nothing about Anthony Bourdain, Tony is still a solid flick. I’m not sure how accurate it is or how close of an adaption to Kitchen Confidential it is, but it doesn’t matter. It’s a well acted film that jumps right in and never wanders. Every person in it feels authentic and necessary to push Tony towards Anthony. If Sessa keeps his run rolling along, he’ll easily be a multiple nominated actor. Banderas shines as well as does The Cape. A24 adds another coming-of-age gem to their filmography.
The Nerds Templar 