Books don’t always make the best translation from print to screen, but “Tony,” directed by Matt Johnson and based on Anthony Bourdain’s memoir “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,” is *chef’s kiss.*
The biopic follows 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain, Tony (played by Dominic Sessa), in the mid-1970’s as he gets his start in the food industry. Bourdain, who became well known for his skills as a chef and then as a travel show host, died in 2018.
He longs to be a writer, but when his fellowship doesn’t work out, he ends up working as a chef in The Flagship, a seaside restaurant in Provincetown, MA.
“I love Anthony Bourdain and the director Matt Johnson. I’m a huge fan of the stuff he’s been releasing recently,” OH senior Ben Altschul said. “Once I saw the cast, I kind of had a feeling I was going to like it a lot.”
Tony is illustrated as a brash but insecure teen who is trying to impress his high school crush, Nancy. He shows multiple sides of himself, masking his insecurities with confidence.
“I feel like as someone who likes writing a lot, I did sympathize with Tony in the beginning,” OH senior Ethan Thomas said. “He’s just like a teenager.”
Tony received his cooking job by lying to a man known as Chef (played by Antonio Banderas) that he knows how to work in the kitchen. He would sleep in his hammock at night, and would work as a dishwasher during the day. This job brought him stress but was the easiest way for him to make money.
During this experience, Tony becomes friends with another cook named Sal (Leo Woodall) who is your typical coming-of-age-movie bad-boy character. He influences Tony into attending parties and going down a darker path. Sal ends up getting fired from his job after a violent encounter, and Tony gets promoted to take his place.
He also gets to know other people, like Dimitri (played by Stavros Halkias) the sous chef. He’s definitely the comedic relief character in the film, but is also a helping hand to Bourdain.
“I kind of liked all the characters in ‘Tony,’” Altschul said. “I thought Stavros was really funny. …. Antonio Banderas was [also] really good as Chef.”
Nancy (Emilia Jones) is Tony’s love interest, who he chases into Cape Cod, landing him in his culinary paradise. He lies to her, claiming that he is writing a book about his life and hiding that he works in a kitchen. Jones plays a tough and beautiful role all at the same time, working at a local spot called Spiritus Pizza and dating a delivery driver. Her character is based on Nancy Putkoski, Anthony Bourdain’s first wife whom he married in 1985.
In one scene, Tony asks Nancy to do his portrait for his book. When she asks why, he replies with, “I want you to take my photo because I like the way I feel when you look at me.” This earnest gesture adds a romantic, warm feeling to the film.
When Nancy discovers Tony working in the kitchen, he finally confesses the truth. He tells her that he was never writing a book, that he came to Provincetown to see her, and that he was really working in a kitchen as a dishwasher and cook for the summer.
“That was so…real,” Thomas said. “It was really uncomfortable too which made it better because I’ve definitely been in that type of scenario.”
Towards the end, a grease fire occurs in The Flagship, the restaurant suffering a lot of damage, leaving Tony feeling guilty and Chef mourning the destruction of his business. Tony later throws a clam bake event on the beach to pay for the repair of the flagship. He was originally going to use the expenses to leave for New York, but he had a change of heart.
The film ends with Tony back in New York and attending culinary school. This is the first and only time in the movie where Tony is introduced as Anthony Bourdain.
“Tony” is an excellent example of how life can bring you down a path you never expected. Through his trip to Provincetown, Tony finds his love for cooking, allowing him to become the famously-documented Anthony Bourdain we know today.
Viewers can now watch “Tony” on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Fandango at Home.
