Running Time: 106 Minutes
Certification: 15
Starring: Dominic Sessa, Antonio Banderas, Emilia Jones, Dagmara Domińczyk, Rich Sommer, Leo Woodall, Stavros Halkias, Monica Raymund
Sometimes, waiting for a filmmaker's next film is rewarded with new releases in quick succession. Yorgos Lanthimos fans have been well-fed over the past few years, while Steven Soderbergh has been delivering at least one new film a year since he unretired. It has been a bit since Matt Johnson gave us 2023's excellent Blackberry, and in a year where Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie is taking things by storm, a second Matt Johnson directed film has hit cinemas. Tony is a biopic of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, adapting chapters covering his younger years from his 2000 memoir Kitchen Confidential.
The story follows a 19-year-old Bourdain (Dominic Sessa), preferring to be called Tony, as the aspiring writer grapples with losing out on a writing scholarship. Following this disappointment, he takes a journey to Cape Cod to follow Nancy (Emilia Jones), a girl that he had a crush on back in school. Grappling with life not going his way, and left too penniless to return home, Tony takes a summer job at a restaurant under the tutelage of a Chef (Antonio Banderas), kicking off a summer which would change his life.
Opening the film is an on-screen quote from Bourdain, as his words unfavourably describe his younger self as "a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless young lout," who was "badly in need of a good ass-kicking.” This is a very good primer for the film, as we follow the titular 19-year-old who is unable to face the knockbacks that life throws his way, reacting in volatile ways while constantly lying. Every word of the Bourdain quote feels right for this protagonist, resembling the teenager that many of us struggle to look back upon as it captures a side that embarrasses us, while hoping that we have grown considerably since then.
Key to the role is Dominic Sessa, bringing alive a layered performance for this lead character. The outside may show a condescending and cocky attitude, but Sessa captures the vulnerability that Tony is trying to push down, in order to shield himself from admissions of heartbreak or failure. A telling moment arrives when he phones his parents, speaking volumes as the teenager quietly hears the ensuing argument. He is a lost little boy that wants to be reassured by those who care for him, but he does not feel that the support he seeks lies in such an environment. As this seems to be a regular occurrence within the house, it is no wonder that he has taken the wrong lessons from his parents. The character could feel at home in many outdated teen comedies, but the crucial difference is how his actions are not treated in an endearing fashion. He is a lost soul who has yet to find a way to express himself, so when he discovers an outlet to pour his passions into, it makes the moments of growth feel earned.
Acting as support is a solid Antonio Banderas, on top form as the mentor who helps to mould Tony into a better person. In lesser hands, Emilia Jones' character could have felt like an object to be won over, but she instead feels like a real person who becomes drawn to the protagonist as she sees his true self. It is worth admitting that the severity of some actions are overlooked rather quickly. There is also Leo Woodall's compelling turn as the restaurant's "bad boy", whose toxic attitude adds to the wild west feeling within the kitchen. It is a location where anything goes, allowing for hazing rituals, drug use, and vomiting near the food preparation area, but Chef draws the line at saying the lord's name in vain.
With such attitude to the kitchen, it should put you off the food that they are serving. But Matt Johnson knows how to make the dishes do the talking, as the Lobster Thermidor looks utterly mouth-watering. A special mention is also deserved for Tony's first attempt at shucking an oyster, which offers a horrified reaction at how butchered it is. This is all part of a pleasant watch which captures the lost feeling of adolescence, and how it can lead to a better understanding of one's self. Tony is a compelling character piece of a young Anthony Bourdain.
Tony is available in UK cinemas from 14th August
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