Movie: Tony

In July 2021, the documentary film "Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain" was released and was an impressive film with actual film footage about the later life and suicide of Anthony Bourdain, who passed in June 2018 at 61. It was suggested during many of the later scenes that Bourdain might have killed himself over the Italian actress and filmmaker, Asia Argento, after they broke up a year earlier and she was with another man, although this reason for his suicide has never been verified. Perhaps another reason could have been the exhausting demands of his TV show, “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”, in which Bourdain travelled the world non-stop for years, visiting some of the world's poorest countries.

The new movie "Tony" is about Bourdain's (Dominic Sessa) extremely unlikely start at 18. He wanted to be a writer and applied for a writers' fellowship at Vassar College, which he did not get. What followed was Bourdain falling into a life-threatening depression and getting a desperate job as a dishwasher at a run-down restaurant in Provincetown, Massachusetts, so he could sleep on a hammock on the restaurant owner's (Antonio Banderas) porch. This one unlikely event, which was caused by a series of insane circumstances in the life of a homeless, depressed, and desperate young man, led to Bourdain becoming one of the most well-known chefs in the world. Bourdain also wrote the book "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly", which sold millions of copies.

This story also has a sub-story about a love interest with Bourdain moving to Provincetown to follow Nancy (Emilia Jones), who he later discovers has a boyfriend. Emilia Jones was the star of the outstanding movie CODA, which won the Academy Award in 2022. There are numerous conflicts and fights mainly stemming from another co-worker, Sal (Leo Woodall), and his drinking and drug use.

The best part of this movie is the scenes where Bourdain slowly starts to appreciate the art that comes with being a great chef with the help of the owner of the restaurant, who becomes his mentor. Eventually, Tony Bourdain gives up his ambitions of becoming a writer to become a great chef, later changing his first name to Anthony.

Tony is a very good biographical movie about life, and how directions can change, based on the most unlikely circumstances. Tony is getting very high 95% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, with my rating at 90% and a solid recommendation.