by ECI Released : 2026-08-08
Tony is directed by Matt Johnson and stars Dominic Sessa as a young Anthony Bourdain and Antonio Banderas as his mentor. Set in Provincetown in 1975, the film avoids trying to summarize Bourdain’s life. Instead, it focuses on the summer when an insecure writer discovers the intensity, camaraderie, and seduction of restaurant kitchens.
Sessa captures Bourdain’s emerging swagger without turning his performance into an impersonation. His Tony is intelligent and charismatic but also dishonest, reckless, and desperate to appear more certain of himself than he is. Banderas brings warmth and authority to the mentor role, giving the film its emotional anchor. An additional standout performance comes from Leo Woodall as Sal, a magnetic cook whose confidence attracts Tony even as his heroin addiction exposes the darker side of the kitchen’s freedom.
Johnson directs with the restless energy that made BlackBerry so entertaining. The crowded kitchen scenes are sweaty, fast, and funny, while the quieter moments allow Tony’s insecurity to surface. The screenplay follows a predictable coming-of-age formula, particularly in its conflicts and reconciliations, but the cast keeps the material lively, funny, and emotionally credible.
The film works best not as a definitive portrait of an icon, but as an origin story about a young man stumbling into the world that will ultimately give him his voice. Energetic, affectionate, and bittersweet, it captures the romance of kitchen culture and the damage hiding beneath it. Tony is one of the year's best and worth seeing at a drive in near you.
