Bourdain’s Transformative Summer of ’75 Is Tasty Fare in ‘Tony’

Bourdain’s Transformative Summer of ’75 Is Tasty Fare in ‘Tony’

By Lynn Venhaus
 Ah, one magical summer when you’re in college and trying to figure out your place in the world. “Tony” takes that relatable premise, and presents the birth of Anthony Bourdain, future renowned chef and food/travel writer/celebrity.

Loosely based on the late Bourdain’s 2000 memoir, “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,” 19-year-old Tony is an arrogant jerk who is directionless and lies compulsively to impress.

As with all conventional biopics these days, he will face major turning points and a new direction, finding his voice and a passion for food under the tutelage of an older, wiser chef.

Set in 1975, Bourdain is attending Vassar College, and returns home to New Jersey for the summer, convinced he will be awarded a writing fellowship. When that doesn’t happen, he impulsively follows his crush to Provincetown, Mass., where she is staying with friends.

Dominic Sessa, Antonio Banderas in “Tony.”

Dominic Sessa, who earned an Oscar nomination for his remarkable breakthrough performance in “The Holdovers,” captures Bourdain’s cockiness and confusion at personal crossroads. It’s a striking leading man turn, hopefully a harbinger for more good work to follow.

In the book, Bourdain described himself at that age as “a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless young lout, and badly in need of a good ass-kicking.”

Penniless, he works as a dishwasher so he can stay in P-town. A ramshackle casual seafood restaurant, the Flagship, becomes the film’s beating heart. Antonio Banderas is steadfast as a kind but strict chef-owner from Brazil who mentors the sweaty staff. While a composite character, Chef becomes the film’s moral center.

Writer-director Matt Johnson, whose 2023 film “BlackBerry” was impressive in taking a true story and making it compelling drama, thrives in a chaotic kitchen environment, heightening the personal conflicts. That’s when the film is at its best.

Dominic Sessa, Leo Woodall in “Tony.”

The kitchen crew includes Leo Woodall, who’s having a moment, as the swaggering, hot-headed ladies’ man Sal. A reckless drug user, he introduces Tony to the partying lifestyle side of some food workers.

The kitchen brotherhood includes Stavros Halkias as salty line cook Stavros and Michael Jibrin as veteran cook Tyrone. Through trial and error, Tony learns discipline and the courage to try new things, but also the camaraderie of family meals, finding purpose and a creative outlet.

The romance angle doesn’t work as well, with Johnson dwelling too much on facial close-ups of Emilia Jones as Nancy. Granted, she’s a fine actress, as “CODA” proved, but it seems to lessen the film’s tumultuous gritty vibe. (Fun fact: Nancy Putkoski was Bourdain’s high school sweetheart, and she did work the counter at Spiritus Pizza. They eventually married in 1985 and divorced in 2005.)

As an origin story where the before is awkward, Sessa slyly shapes Tony’s future self, developing his culinary pursuits and figuring out priorities. Second chances and redemption win out in the script Johnson co-wrote with Todd Bartels, Lou Howe and Matthew Miller. He understands how harsh lessons teach us the most.

Dominic Sessa as Tony at The Flagship.

As he begins to flourish, you can see Bourdain’s promise. As we know, he will eventually head for parts unknown — prestigious culinary training, becoming an acclaimed chef, opening restaurants, excelling as a charismatic and candid television host, and traveling the world.

As documented in interviews and in the 2021 documentary “Roadrunner” by Morgan Neville, Bourdain struggled openly with addiction and mental health issues during his life. His journey was both a glorious and difficult ride before he took his own life in 2018. He was 61.

But the movie doesn’t depict that evolution or life summary, just the beginning of his ambitious pursuits. His life-changing summer, while fictionalized, remains a rich subject to illustrate.

Cinematographer Michael Bauman, Oscar-nominated for “One Battle After Another,” beautifully captures Cape Cod in its sun-drenched glory while production designer Ryan Warren Smith has nailed the 1970s summer beach party vibe as well as a messy, cramped restaurant kitchen.

Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones in Provincetown.

Composer Jay McCarrol’s minimalist music choices compliment the narrative well, with sea-inspired sounds, moody guitars and a worn wood piano reflecting Tony’s journey. Some of the ‘70s party needle drops include “Hollywood Swinging” by Kool & The Gang and “A Fifth of Beethoven” by Walter Murphy while the rebellious punk spirit is showcased in “Down on the Streets” by The Stooges.

Despite some pacing issues, and an unlikable protagonist for two-thirds of the story, “Tony” is an enjoyable coming-of-age story, immersed in a time and a place. At least we know he gets his act together to become one of the most influential culinary figures in the world – that helps.

“Tony” is a 2026 coming-of-age docudrama directed by Matt Johnson and starring Dominic Sessa, Antonio Banderas, Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall, Stavros Halkias, Michael Jibrin, Dagmara Dominczyk and Rich Sommer. Rated: R for pervasive language, drug use, and sexual content/nudity and run time is 1 hour, 46 minutes. It opened in theatres on Aug. 21. Lynn’s grade: B.

Antonio Banderas, Dominic Sessa in “Tony.”

Anthony Bourdain Coming-of-Age Story ‘Tony’ Makes Satisfying Meal of Familiar Ingredients

Anthony Bourdain Coming-of-Age Story ‘Tony’ Makes Satisfying Meal of Familiar Ingredients

By Alex McPherson

Director Matt Johnson’s “Tony” is an excellently acted mini-biopic that goes beyond  familiar plot beats to paint a textured portrait of a fascinating, troubled soul.

Adapted from a few chapters of Bourdain’s 2000 memoir, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, “Tony” takes place over the summer of 1975, when 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain (Dominic Sessa), a cocky student at Vassar College, dreams of becoming the next Great American novelist.

He’s super confident he’ll receive a grant from the school’s Fellowship Committee — too confident, actually. He even works up the courage to chat up Nancy (Emilia Jones), a high school crush, and learns she’s headed to Provincetown for summer break. 

He’s rejected for the grant, but Bourdain will be damned if he admits to anyone he didn’t get it, especially his judgmental mother (Dagmara Dominczyk). He tells his family he got the fellowship and travels to Provincetown to track Nancy down. He finds her, but discovers she has a boyfriend. 

A drunken Bourdain is beaten up shortly afterwards at a local bar, The Flagship, and is thrown out on the street. He later finds himself (without his wallet) in a beachside hammock on a residence owned by The Flagship’s head “Chef” (Antonio Banderas). Chef takes pity on down-on-his-luck Bourdain and offers him a job as a dishwasher.

Through reluctantly accepting this new gig, Bourdain becomes immersed in the culinary world in all its messiness and joys, and we catch glimpses of the influential chef he’ll ultimately become. 

With a premise like this, “Tony” seems like it’ll follow a conventional trajectory, and, generally, it does. But one mustn’t underestimate the directorial verve of Johnson (director of “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” and “BlackBerry”), who finds humor, pathos, and surprising authenticity between the lines.

Nuance abounds in “Tony,” which examines its central subject without sanding down his idiosyncratic brilliance or the darkness and self-destructiveness lurking beneath his confident façade. It doesn’t depend on previous knowledge of Bourdain to succeed as a coming-of-age story in its own right.

The film’s lived-in charms are supported by filmmaking that builds a deep, sun-tinged sense of place. Johnson captures the trauma-bonded camaraderie and undeniable thrill of working in restaurant kitchens, and recreates 1975 Provincetown with striking attention to detail.

Numerous outdoor shots are draped in a wistful, golden hour glow beautifully filmed by cinematographer Michael Bauman and soundtracked to a collection of pitch-perfect needle drops. He also conveys Bourdain’s loneliness and alienation, by initially having him drift through bustling places like an invisible outcast.

Sessa is downright magnetic as Bourdain, capturing his charisma and bravado along with his self-pity and deep-seated feelings of inadequacy, lending even the film’s more outright comedic moments a sense of melancholy. This is especially effective if you know the struggles of Bourdain’s later years.

Bourdain, as written by Johnson, Todd Bartels, Lou Howe, and Matthew Miller, struggles to reconcile the person he wants to become (a writer who we never actually see write anything) with who he actually is.

He’s unable to admit to himself and to others (particularly Nancy) that his life is following a different trajectory than what he had initially planned. He’s adrift, searching for a sense of direction, and his experiences at The Flagship present different paths he could head down.

Bourdain strikes up a friendship with Sal (an outstandingly live-wire Leo Woodall), a hard-partying, womanizing, rebellious coworker who helps bring him out of his slump while tempting him with numerous vices.

But it’s really “Chef” who truly connects; Banderas brings a deep sense of wisdom and tough love that helps unlock Bourdain’s eventual passion for food, even if he takes too much joy in splashing a bucket of ocean water on Bourdain’s face every morning before work. 

Both Sal and Chef (created as amalgamations of various people Bourdain met throughout his career) are vividly realized with a naturalism and dry wit that feels real and decidedly un-Hollywood.

Each provides Bourdain with different paths he could follow, if he’s willing to finally grow up. The supporting cast, including Stavros Halkias, Michael Jibrin, and Monica Raymond, is fantastic; frankly, they’re just a fun group to hang out with.

Emilia Jones as Nancy is given far less to work with here, and it’s clear that “Tony” doesn’t quite know what to do with her besides make her an object of Bourdain’s obsession and eventual growth. At several points, the camera seems to linger creepily over Jones — whether or not we’re supposed to be viewing Nancy through Bourdain’s eyes, it’s off-putting and distracting.

When “Tony” nears its conclusion, though, the more generic aspects of the narrative fall away to leave us with surprising poignancy. The film reminds us to live in the moment and not confine ourselves to expectations. It becomes a more truthful tribute to the real Bourdain (and a fuller  meal) than any hagiographic biopic could ever be.

“Tony” is a 2026 biopic directed by Matt Johnson and starring Dominic Sessa, Antonio Banderas, Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall, Stavros Halkias, Dagmara Dominczyk, Michael Jibrin, Monica Raymund and Rich Sommer. It is Rated R for pervasive language, drug use, and sexual content/nudity and is 1 hour, 46 minutes. It opened in theatres Aug. 21. Alex’s Grade: A-

Nazi Mind Games in ‘Nuremberg’ Reminds About Need to Vanquish Evil

Nazi Mind Games in ‘Nuremberg’ Reminds About Need to Vanquish Evil

By Lynn Venhaus

English philosopher R.G. Collingwood said, “The only clue to what man can do is what man has done.”

That is the direction this historical drama takes as it revisits the Nuremberg trials but delves more into a psychological perspective on what led the Third Reich to invade other countries and commit Holocaust atrocities, overseeing the extermination of 6 million Jews.

Based on the 2013 non-fiction book, “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” by Jack El-Hai, writer-director James Vanderbilt looks back through a modern lens to send an urgent message about justice, intolerance, and cruelty to contemporary audiences.

The Nazi regime had their day in court during the main Nuremberg trials, held between Nov. 20, 1945, and Oct. 1, 1946. Beforehand, the Allies prepared to unveil the horrors for the world to hear as they wanted the highest-ranking officials to answer for their war crimes.

The chief prosecutor, Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon) wants to expose evil. Army psychiatrist Lt. Col. Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) attempts to understand their complex psyches, and front and center is Hermann Goering (Russell Crowe), Hitler’s right-hand man.

Leading the legal team, ever-reliable Shannon portrays Jackson, who worked diligently to bring 12 members of the Nazi High Command to trial for war crimes.

While others just wanted to put the war in the rear-view mirror, and favored executing those responsible for the genocide, Jackson wanted the world to see and hear what they had done. He was responsible for this international tribunal that involved the U.S., England, France and the Soviet Union, the first of its kind.

Jackson, later a Supreme Court justice, didn’t want these ‘monsters’ to become martyrs upon their deaths. His instincts were correct, but the proceedings were not smooth because this was new territory.

How do you define evil? Oscar winner Malek stars as dedicated Kelley, an Army mental health professional tasked with analyzing Hitler’s henchmen. His methods come under fire as he appears to be sympathetic to the prisoners.

He was attempting to build trust. But really, who is trying to outmaneuver whom? It becomes mainly a cat-and-mouse mind game with malevolent Goering, not unlike Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins in “The Silence of the Lambs.”

Goering was second in command to Hitler, engineering the horrors of what transpired without any remorse. At the time of this trial, he was the highest-ranking Nazi still alive. (Rudolph Hess is also a fellow prisoner).

Kelley wrote a personal account in his book, “22 Cells in Nuremberg,” but the movie indicates his fall from grace, so he’s been historically ignored, until now. His book’s final chapter is a cautionary tale about how he could see the mindset of pre-World War II Germany happening in the United States.

For those who don’t believe the Holocaust happened, this film won’t let anyone forget. The stakes, past and present, should remain in the forefront.

The chess-like match between the men, especially with Oscar winner Crowe in full command, is fascinating. However the account is fictionalized, Crowe is back to displaying the power he had in his prime, igniting the screen as the cagey, cunning and diabolical Goering.

With his keen intelligence and massive ego, narcissist Goering believed he could justify his actions on this global stage, and it’s chilling to see it unfold.

The 1961 classic Oscar-nominated film “Judgment at Nuremberg,” directed by Stanley Kramer, was mostly a courtroom drama while the current film spends more time behind the scenes on the dangers of unchecked malice.

While this 2-hour, 30-minute film gets ham-fisted in its editing and bogged down in its cumbersome narrative that makes its points repeatedly, the performances are uniformly strong.

Standouts include Leo Woodall as interpreter Sgt. Howie Triest, John Slattery as Col. Burton C. Andrus, who oversaw the prison, and Richard E. Grant as Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe, who is a British co-counselor.

The film’s other strengths include period-accurate designs – production (Eve Stewart), costume (Bartholomew Cariss) – as well as cinematographer Dariusz Wolski’s interiors in ​the secret military prison and​ German homes.

The most powerful scene is what was shown at the trial 80 years ago, the same disturbing archival footage of skeletal victims at work camps being bulldozed into their graves. The six gut-wrenching minutes are from the 1945 “Nazi Concentration and Prison Camps,” which was partially shot by director John Ford and included in George Stevens’ 52-minute film.

This footage showed the world what really happened, what these Nazi leaders were capable of, and that they must be punished for their crimes.

​N​ot just a reminder of the past, the film​s​ ​strives to be clear that the prevention and proliferation of evil is always necessary. One recalls Edmund Burke’s famous quotation: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Triest, the German-born translator, says at one point: “Do you know why it happened here? Because people let it happen.”

While the film doesn’t reveal anything new, it is committed to being a clarion call. People have been quoting philosopher George Santayana a lot these days — “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” from his “The Life of Reason” in 1905.

The fact that we must be nudged out of complacency and realize the consequences on a global stage is the reason that films like “Nuremberg” are made.

“Nuremberg” is a 2025 historical drama written and directed by James Vanderbilt and starring Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Michael Shannon, John Slattery, Leo Woodall and Richard E. Grant. It is Rated PG-13 for violent content involving the Holocaust, strong disturbing images, suicide, some language, smoking and brief drug content and the runtime is 2 hours, 28 minutes. It opened in theatres Nov. 7. Lynn’s Grade: B.