Tony

Anthony Bourdain was a complex and vibrant personality. In his autobiography Kitchen Confidential, he describes a summer in 1975 in Provincetown, MA, and how it became the foundation of his career as a chef. Using that excerpt from the book, director Matt Johnson tells the most unexpectedly brilliant story. Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t) plays a young Bourdain, Antonio Banderas plays his mentor, Emilia Jones (CODA) plays the girl he chases to the Cape, Nancy, and Leo Woodall (White Lotus) plays a fellow chef. Since this movie was from A24 I wasn’t sure how heartwarming it would be but it exceeded my expectations. The acting was top-notch, and the story was so compelling. Great film and I’m hoping it gets nods come award season. If you historically don’t like biopics, maybe give this one a try!

Rating: 4.5/5