Tony Movie Review

“Tony” is based on Anthony Bourdain’s earlier years in life from his bestselling memoir “Kitchen Confidential.” It follows nineteen-year-old Bourdain on his journey to adulthood… and ultimately fame. ​
Why he was called Anthony throughout his career is anyone’s guess, as only his mother called him Anthony, and he didn’t much care for it. Since he preferred “Tony,” it worked for the title of the film. Dominic Sessa from “The Holdovers” plays Tony, and after watching him here, you’ll want to talk to everyone in every studio and convince them to include him in their next project. He’s unforgettable in this role.

It’s 1975 and cocky, arrogant college dropout Tony works through the summer washing dishes in Provincetown, Massachusetts. How’d he get there? He followed a girl he has a crush on, of course. He’s a writer and can impress with his vocabulary but needs to improve his people skills. He says about himself that he was “A spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless young lout, and badly in need of a good ass-kicking.” This film shows this to be true. When he first arrived in Provincetown, he worked in a kitchen. Tony knows how to cook some, but starts at the bottom, on dish duty. The chef and owner of the restaurant “The Flagship,” Ciro (Antonio Banderas), who pays his workers by giving them worldly advice, feels sorry for the lad and gives him a job that he must be on time for.

He also practically drags Tony to his porch, letting him sleep in his hammock outside. Need free room and board? Earn it by working for him. Free lodgings and a job already? He lost the girl but is advancing in other ways pretty quickly. Every day he’s in the hammock; Tony is awakened by a cold bucket of fresh water from the ocean. A dreadful but effective alarm clock. He gets such a small amount of sleep he’s literally working as he sleeps. That’s not Ciro’s problem. A splash to the face comes anyway. There’s work to be done in the seafood eatery. Tony watches everyone so he can improve his station in life.

He loves to cook but didn’t fully realize the words he wanted to put to paper would best be served as him putting provisions to plate instead. As time goes on and Tony learns more, he comes up with an idea to improve Ciro’s menu by creating “Specials.” By the time the movie gets to this storyline, you’re deeply rooted in how he becomes who he does. Leo Woodall plays a prominent part as Sal, an aggressive cook who provides Tony with protection and guidance. He and Banderas are exemplary in their roles, making this even more of a must-see, as does the very end of the movie. It’s perfectly served up.

After watching the biopic, which I encourage you to do this very weekend, this quote by Bourdain will make sense, and you’ll appreciate my having included it.

“Assume the worst. About everybody. But don’t let this poisoned outlook affect your job performance. Let it all roll off your back. Ignore it. Be amused by what you see and suspect. Just because someone you work with is a miserable, treacherous, self-serving, capricious, and corrupt asshole shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying their company, working with them, or finding them entertaining.”

― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly