Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What if the best way to tell Anthony Bourdain's story isn't to show us the legend he eventually became—but the lost 19-year-old who had absolutely no idea what he wanted to do with his life?
A24's TONY is here, and I found this movie to be such a sincere, heartfelt love letter to Anthony Bourdain, chefs, creatives, and the people who unknowingly help us discover what we're meant to do with our lives.
In my TONY movie review, I'm diving into Matt Johnson's new Anthony Bourdain film starring Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall, Antonio Banderas, and Stavros Halkias.
And what I really love about this movie is how SMALL the story actually is.
Rather than attempting to squeeze Anthony Bourdain's entire life into two hours, Tony focuses on one incredibly formative period.
He's 19 years old.
He's in Provincetown.
He doesn't know what he's doing with his life.
And then he stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen during a summer that ultimately helps determine the course of his future.
That's the movie.
And that's why I think it works.
This isn't really about watching Anthony Bourdain become Anthony Bourdain.
It's about watching a young person discover that first spark.
That moment when something unexpectedly clicks and you start thinking:
Maybe THIS is what I'm supposed to be doing.
And I think that's something almost every creative can connect with.
Whether you're a chef, filmmaker, writer, artist, content creator—or anyone who has spent years trying to figure out exactly where you belong—there's something incredibly relatable about watching someone stumble into the thing that eventually defines their life.
That's why I see Tony as such a beautiful love letter to creatives and the people who create our meals.
There's an appreciation for the chaos of the kitchen.
The personalities.
The camaraderie.
The pressure.
The mentors.
The mistakes.
And those people who enter your life for seemingly no reason, only for you to realize years later that they completely changed your direction.
And Dominic Sessa is fantastic as young Anthony Bourdain.
The movie doesn't try to make young Tony some fully formed version of the man we eventually knew. In fact, part of Matt Johnson's approach is showing Bourdain as restless, arrogant, flawed and desperately searching for direction.
That's important.
Because the interesting part isn't seeing someone who already knows they're destined for greatness.
It's seeing someone who DOESN'T.
Sessa brings the charisma and attitude you need, but he also brings this uncertainty underneath everything that made me understand why this particular summer mattered so much.
And then there's Antonio Banderas.
I loved him in this.
His character becomes an accidental mentor to young Tony after bringing him into the restaurant kitchen, and that relationship gives the film so much of its heart.
There's something incredibly powerful about looking back at your life and realizing that someone who may have only been there for a chapter ended up helping write the rest of your story.
And knowing where Anthony Bourdain eventually goes makes those little moments even more meaningful.
That's what surprised me about Tony.
It's straightforward.
It's not trying to reinvent cinema.
It's not attempting to cover every famous moment from Bourdain's life.
Instead, it's a coming-of-age story about finding your passion before you even realize you've found it.
And I found that incredibly sincere.
In this TONY movie review and movie commentary, I discuss Dominic Sessa's performance as Anthony Bourdain, Antonio Banderas, Matt Johnson's direction, the Provincetown setting, the chaotic restaurant kitchen, the film's coming-of-age story, and why this ended up being such a heartfelt celebration of chefs, creatives, mentors, and finding the thing that gives your life direction.
Did TONY capture what you loved about Anthony Bourdain?
Make sure to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE for more A24 movie reviews, Anthony Bourdain discussions, new movie reviews, and film commentary.
#Tony #tonymovie #anthonybourdain
Find Me!
Instagram: instagram.com/zachhpope/?hl=en
Twitter(X): twitter.com/popetheking
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@zachhpope?lang=en
Business Inquires: Zachpopereviews@gmail.com
What if the best way to tell Anthony Bourdain's story isn't to show us the legend he eventually became—but the lost 19-year-old who had absolutely no idea what he wanted to do with his life?
A24's TONY is here, and I found this movie to be such a sincere, heartfelt love letter to Anthony Bourdain, chefs, creatives, and the people who unknowingly help us discover what we're meant to do with our lives.
In my TONY movie review, I'm diving into Matt Johnson's new Anthony Bourdain film starring Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall, Antonio Banderas, and Stavros Halkias.
And what I really love about this movie is how SMALL the story actually is.
Rather than attempting to squeeze Anthony Bourdain's entire life into two hours, Tony focuses on one incredibly formative period.
He's 19 years old.
He's in Provincetown.
He doesn't know what he's doing with his life.
And then he stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen during a summer that ultimately helps determine the course of his future.
That's the movie.
And that's why I think it works.
This isn't really about watching Anthony Bourdain become Anthony Bourdain.
It's about watching a young person discover that first spark.
That moment when something unexpectedly clicks and you start thinking:
Maybe THIS is what I'm supposed to be doing.
And I think that's something almost every creative can connect with.
Whether you're a chef, filmmaker, writer, artist, content creator—or anyone who has spent years trying to figure out exactly where you belong—there's something incredibly relatable about watching someone stumble into the thing that eventually defines their life.
That's why I see Tony as such a beautiful love letter to creatives and the people who create our meals.
There's an appreciation for the chaos of the kitchen.
The personalities.
The camaraderie.
The pressure.
The mentors.
The mistakes.
And those people who enter your life for seemingly no reason, only for you to realize years later that they completely changed your direction.
And Dominic Sessa is fantastic as young Anthony Bourdain.
The movie doesn't try to make young Tony some fully formed version of the man we eventually knew. In fact, part of Matt Johnson's approach is showing Bourdain as restless, arrogant, flawed and desperately searching for direction.
That's important.
Because the interesting part isn't seeing someone who already knows they're destined for greatness.
It's seeing someone who DOESN'T.
Sessa brings the charisma and attitude you need, but he also brings this uncertainty underneath everything that made me understand why this particular summer mattered so much.
And then there's Antonio Banderas.
I loved him in this.
His character becomes an accidental mentor to young Tony after bringing him into the restaurant kitchen, and that relationship gives the film so much of its heart.
There's something incredibly powerful about looking back at your life and realizing that someone who may have only been there for a chapter ended up helping write the rest of your story.
And knowing where Anthony Bourdain eventually goes makes those little moments even more meaningful.
That's what surprised me about Tony.
It's straightforward.
It's not trying to reinvent cinema.
It's not attempting to cover every famous moment from Bourdain's life.
Instead, it's a coming-of-age story about finding your passion before you even realize you've found it.
And I found that incredibly sincere.
In this TONY movie review and movie commentary, I discuss Dominic Sessa's performance as Anthony Bourdain, Antonio Banderas, Matt Johnson's direction, the Provincetown setting, the chaotic restaurant kitchen, the film's coming-of-age story, and why this ended up being such a heartfelt celebration of chefs, creatives, mentors, and finding the thing that gives your life direction.
Did TONY capture what you loved about Anthony Bourdain?
Make sure to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE for more A24 movie reviews, Anthony Bourdain discussions, new movie reviews, and film commentary.
#Tony #tonymovie #anthonybourdain
Find Me!
Instagram: instagram.com/zachhpope/?hl=en
Twitter(X): twitter.com/popetheking
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@zachhpope?lang=en
Business Inquires: Zachpopereviews@gmail.com
