Tony (2026)

By: Mike Ward on Thursday, August 20

R Running Time: 106 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

Tony does not soften or sanitize a brash, condescending, cocky 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain, and the movie is better because of it.
Dominic Sessa impresses in the leading role, but Antonio Banderas’ performance is a show-stealer.
The film retains a fun, retro aesthetic that feeds into a loose, improvisational vibe and a caustic tone that works well here.

NO

A caustic, sarcastic tone is not for everyone, and as a result, many characters in Tony can be difficult to connect with emotionally.
Despite how it looks and feels, Tony cannot completely avoid the biopic formula most of these films fall prey to at times.
If your awareness of Anthony Bourdain comes from his CNN travelogue series, this is a very different Bourdain than the one you might be familiar with.

OUR REVIEW

A24 has awards buzz growing and high hopes for Tony, a fascinating, against-the-grain biopic about Anthony Bourdain as he struggled to find his place in the world and stumbled into a job cooking and helping run a kitchen in a small Provincetown restaurant at the age of 19.

Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) dials deeply into the sarcastic, cynical nature of Bourdain, weaponizing quips, generating half-truths and lies, and otherwise finding enjoyment in seeing just how far his words and fast thinking can take him. He's wickedly smart, if not fully aware of how damaging he can be to those closest to him.

Director Matt Johnson (Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie) has no concerns about giving us an unlikable Tony. In fact, he relishes in the unsavory nature of the cocksure 19-year-old, while Sessa's tall stature and unkempt look prove captivating.

In an interview, screenwriter Todd Bartels tells the story that when Bourdain's estate had to sign off on the rights to make Tony, his former agent asked the filmmakers to make him meaner. "He was kind of an asshole," she reportedly remarked. And so, as Bartels tells it, the writing team took another pass at crafting its script to better match Bourdain's snarling personality.

Sessa's performance is a strong one, with Emilia Jones (CODA) playing a love interest Tony pursues to the Cape Cod seaside community, only to land a job with "Chef" (a terrific, award-worthy Antonio Banderas). Tony is initially rejected by his co-workers but ends up making friends with the self-destructive sous chef Sal (Leo Woodall).

Tony does contain some of those familiar biopic tendencies we all come to expect, but resists giving audiences a highlight reel of moments and experiences. Johnson attempts to dig into what these formative years meant to Bourdain. While we know he would eventually become an acclaimed New York City chef, best-selling author, and, perhaps most notably, host of CNN's long-running travelogue series “Parts Unknown,” here we see a pained, anxious, skittish young man, desperately afraid of failure.

Bourdain's life ended tragically in 2018 when he died by suicide, but Tony gives us something of an origin story. To Johnson's credit, it becomes fascinating to see how much the film feels like a product of the 1970s, from its groovy, slightly scuzzy aesthetic to the way Johnson trusts his actors with improvisation and allows them to feed off one another.

For all the throwback costumes, wigs, and makeup on display, Tony feels authentic and surprisingly relatable. While Bourdain's personal life seemed to always find and embrace turmoil on some level, within Sessa's performance we see a man trying to fight his way through obstacles he cannot help but put up for himself.

A good and kind heart beats in Tony's chest. And occasionally, we find it - peeking out from below the surface of a guarded, brilliant young man who always seems ready to boil over at any given moment.

This review first appeared as part of coverage from the 2026 Vashon Island Film Festival.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Dominic Sessa, Antonio Banderas, Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall, Stavros Halkias, Dagmara Domińczyk, Michael Jibrin, Rich Sommer, Monica Raymund

Director: Matt Johnson
Written by: Todd Bartels, Lou Howe, Matt Johnson, and Matthew Miller
Release Date: August 7, 2026
A24

Tony does not soften or sanitize a brash, condescending, cocky 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain, and the movie is better because of it.

Dominic Sessa impresses in the leading role, but Antonio Banderas’ performance is a show-stealer.

The film retains a fun, retro aesthetic that feeds into a loose, improvisational vibe and a caustic tone that works well here.

A caustic, sarcastic tone is not for everyone, and as a result, many characters in Tony can be difficult to connect with emotionally.

Despite how it looks and feels, Tony cannot completely avoid the biopic formula most of these films fall prey to at times.

If your awareness of Anthony Bourdain comes from his CNN travelogue series, this is a very different Bourdain than the one you might be familiar with.