Tony biopic explores the early life of Anthony Bourdain

The film ‘Tony’ is a coming-of-age biopic directed by Matt Johnson that explores the early life of Anthony Bourdain. Rather than focusing on his eventual status as a culinary legend, the story centers on a nineteen-year-old Bourdain in a Massachusetts seaside town during the summer of 1975.

Set during his time working as a dishwasher, the film portrays Bourdain as a loudmouthed and insecure young man who mistakes his own sense of exceptionalism for actual talent. The narrative draws from early experiences found in his memoirs but does not claim to be a strictly historical reconstruction of every event.

The film features a central cast including Dominic Sessa, Antonio Banderas, and Leo Woodall. Sessa portrays the abrasive and unpolished edges of the young Bourdain before his literary and culinary fame was established through works like ‘Kitchen Confidential’.