Another film this summer where Leo Woodall plays a character working under a mentor who’s portrayed by a noteworthy actor.
Unlike “Tuner,” though, where Woodall played opposite Dustin Hoffman, “Tony” has him acting as a cook working under the direction of a chef (Antonio Banderas) at a New England seafood restaurant. Woodall is also in a side role this time, whereas main character duties are with Dominic Sessa, who’s portraying the titular character.
Before he went by Anthony Bourdain while running restaurants and traveling the world as a documentarian, the late chef went simply by Tony, and was a bit lost in life. However, he found some direction when in a summer job at the seafood spot, where he works and learns the trade, while at the same time pursuing a relationship.
Anthony Bourdain was a person with a big personality, and sadly left this world too soon. Even in a small cameo in “The Big Short,” my No. 2 film of 2015, Bourdain commanded the screen when explaining how collateralized debt obligation works. He’s the type of person who has a life story certainly worth exploring in a biopic.
However, one wishes the biopic presented to audiences wasn’t so paint-by-numbers. Bourdain is the type of individual who calls for a more creative approach. One that’s bold and pushes boundaries. In that sense, “Tony” feels entirely too generic in its design. It uses an overly simple coming-of-age format to tell the story of one summer in Bourdain’s life.
Now, the coming-of-age storytelling method certainly isn’t a bad thing overall. In the case of “Tony,” it does manage to capture the youth in revolt period Bourdain was going through at that time, to an extent. However, the way it plays out in such a straightforward way ultimately makes the entire cinematic experience underwhelming.
On top of feeling too straightforward in its plot, the way the story rolls out is also disappointing. According to production details, “Tony” uses multiple stories from Bourdain’s books and mixes them together for the narrative. It’s easy to tell, because the movie comes across as a handful of life experiences stitched together in rather Hollywoodized fashion. There’s a lot of things that are too convenient or contrived.
With all that said, the film is still a perfectly fine, breezy dramatic comedy with some genuinely good human moments. Scenes of Bourdain cutting his teeth in the kitchen, learning the ropes of cooking and surviving the mayhem that is the restaurant industry, is enjoyable, especially with a group of lively characters.
The picture also benefits from a really committed performance from Banderas who excels in portraying the tough, but fair, mentor. It’s certainly his best work since 2019’s “Pain & Glory.” Sessa, who was spectacular in 2023’s “The Holdovers,” also does a fine job as the ambitious young character.
However, while he is good in portraying a young man still seeking his own path, the writing doesn’t quite succeed in convincing an audience that this individual is the same person as the world-renowned chef. As a coming-of-age protagonist, the character is fine. But the script tells us a lot that this person is Anthony Bourdain, but it doesn’t quite show it.
The women in the film are rather let down by the creative team, too. Tony’s mother, Gladys, played by Dagmara Dominczyk, appears to have some disdain or negative feelings toward her son. But this is never really explored, so she just comes off as a shallow, negative character.
Emilia Jones, meanwhile, gives a performance that feels largely wasted on a standard-written love interest. It doesn’t help that the relationship her character has with Bourdain never reaches the levels of charming or endearing.
“Tony” is a movie that, for better and for worse, takes a well-traveled road. Its stock coming-of-age blueprint for storytelling constrain the film to a rather by-the-books format, limiting true insight into the central figure’s mind, and the narrative is built by pulling together a mix of stories in an artificial way.
However, as a movie about a young adult blazing a trail their way, it’s OK, thanks to largely good acting and a compelling look into the hustle and bustle of restaurants. 3 out of 5.
Photos courtesy A24
