Tony Review: An Off-Beat Quasi-Bourdain Biopic
There's little Kitchen Confidential in this weird character study
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“I was — to be frank — a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless young lout, and badly in need of a good ass-kicking." This opening salvo from director Matt Johnson's Tony establishes what the resultant movie will be about: the eponymous spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, thoughtless young lout who, one day, will grow up to do amazing things. Of course, if you don't know who Tony is already, or that know much about the life chef Anthony Bourdain, the amazing things won't be known and thus the text becomes a "who cares?" moment.
Then again, Johnson's feature doesn't particularly seem to care if you like it, that's what Bourdain probably would have wanted. What results from Tony, though, is an off-beat, irreverent, and fairly staid story about a young boy of privilege trying to figure out who the hell he is. It eschews the conventional biopic formula, but in doing so seems to amble aimlessly, much like its central character, in search of something to do.
Tony (Dominic Sessa) is desperate to find some meaning in his life. Unable to please his overbearing mother, Tony decides to leave his home and spend a summer in Provincetown pursuing the beautiful Nancy (Emilia Jones). In order to stay close to her he takes a job at a little restaurant called The Flagship run by Chef Jose Vatal (Antonio Banderas). Tony and Chef form a friendship with the young man starting to wonder if cooking might be his calling.
Tony is an odd-ball film, one that no doubt wants to entice Bourdain fans while trying to make something compelling for those who know nothing about the Kitchen Confidential writer who went on to star in the acclaimed reality series No Reservations before ultimately dying by suicide in 2018 at the age of 61. This is a slice in Bourdain's life, before the fame and celebration of food took hold of him, and that means there's probably going to be little for Bourdain die-hards to latch on to and not enough for those who know little about him.
This version of Bourdain is rough around the edges, so much so as to almost immediately turn audiences off. Sessa, speaking most of his heads with his head down and his eyes up, skulks through his scenes as a boy who believes almost everything is beneath him, yet so desperately wants to look more impressive than he is. He attempts to get a writing fellowship at Vassar and, after being shot down with little fanfare, struggles to cope with that initial failure. It's easy to see why, as his mother (Dagmara Dominczyk) is highly educated and has no problem reminding Tony of how little he knows. His father (Rich Sommer), in contrast, is a milquetoast.
Tony's cockiness sees him initially shot down by Nancy and, thus, desperate to try to convince her of his worthiness. Jones, to her credit, tries to get at something with Nancy but there's little to hold onto. She's a burgeoning photographer who dates jerks. Jones does get a great moment during a vulnerable sequence of her standing nude in front of Tony, only to discover he's been lying to her. The look on Jones's face is unforgettable and it's frustrating that there's not more to her.
Once Tony arrives in Provincetown the movie finds its own footing as the young man starts what he presumes is just a summer job as a dishwasher. He's shocked by the unprofessionalism in The Flagship's kitchen, wherein the other employees are committing a variety of health code violations while openly snorting cocaine. (This scene alone undoes the movie's whole "times were different then, and maybe better" mentality.) He bonds with oyster shucker Sal, impeccably played by Leo Woodall.
It's almost a shame Woodall isn't the star of this movie as his narrative arc is by far Tony's most fascinating element. Like Tony, Sal is brash and arrogant. He carves literal notches in locations where he's bedded women, and is an active drug addict. He introduces Tony to cocaine in a moment that plays as just an "oh, that happened." (It feels a bit trite considering Bourdain's openness with his own addictions, including heroin.) But as the third act lays out, in a moment that thankfully isn't preachy, Sal could very well be Tony's future if he's not careful.
But it's Banderas who is the beating heart of Tony. His Chef, whose name isn't revealed until the final scene, is a powerhouse contained in a quiet, contemplative performance. Banderas and Sessa have a strong chemistry, with Banderas providing the anchor by which Tony's wayward ship finds control. Where Tony has insights into glitzing up the restaurant business, Chef is the one with the pure love of food. Chef also has a staunch moral code, a deep commitment to the community, and essentially espouses all the things that Bourdain would show off with No Reservations.
Kristen Lopez
There is a repetitious nature that does make the runtime (an hour and 45 minutes) feel prodigious. This isn't helped by most of the conversations being the same over-the-shoulder shots that don't look particularly dynamic.
Overall, Tony is a serviceable biopic that tries to buck conventions. Sessa is fine, but it's hard to feel there's anything particularly unique to his performance. Banderas and Woodall steal the show. This is a movie where you'll probably say "Oh, hey, I forgot this was about Bourdain" and your mileage will vary on whether that's a positive or negative.
Grade: C-
Tony is in theaters August 21.
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