Tony (MA) – 106 minutes

The wild young adult days of former American celebrity chef and author Anthony Bourdain are captured in narcissistic detail in Tony.

The narrative feature, starring Dominic Sessa as Bourdain, covers only a period of months in his life, but it is certainly telling.

It is set in 1975. Using his wiles, 19-year-old Bourdain is angling for a writing fellowship at Vassar College.

Never backward in coming forward, in a bar he hits on Nancy Putkoski (Emilia Jones), a former High School crush, who is slightly older than him. 

She is with a group of friends and has to leave, but tells him to look her up in Provincetown in Massachusetts over summer if he is game.

On a whim and with nothing to lose, after being told that he didn’t secure the fellowship, he heads to Provincetown.

He spots Nancy working in a pizzeria and cosying up to a fellow employee.

Drowning his sorrows in a bar cum eatery called The Flagship quickly thereafter, he finds himself in a heap of trouble after getting drunk and grabbing the barmaid.

Kicked out of the place and robbed, Tony doesn’t even have money to catch a ferry back home.

That’s when he appeals to The Flagship owner and head chef, church going José Vatel (Antonio Banderas) for a place to stay.

Vatel offers him his outdoor hammock and a job as the establishment’s dishwasher.

It doesn’t take Tony long to embrace the raucous, drug-fuelled lifestyle and camaraderie among the cooks in the place.

Notably, that includes womanising bad boy Sal (Leo Woodall), who has no compunction about leading Tony further astray.

All the while, Nancy remains a target for Tony, who continues to lie to her and to José Vatel. 

Let’s just say it was hardly the auspicious beginning one might have expected for an internationally recognised chef, who died by suicide in 2018, at the age of 61.

Co-written and directed by Matt Johnson (BlackBerry), it is an intriguing, if disturbing, portrait of someone heading down a dangerous path. 

As Bourdain, Dominic Sessa carries a shoulder slumped, hangdog look throughout that, frankly, I wanted to metaphorically slap out of him.

Still, he inhabits the character he is playing. I speak of the arrogance and opportunism.

Antonio Banderas impresses with his persona as an accomplished chef with exacting standards to whom punctuality means everything.

As José Vatel, he comes across as a decent guy who is prepared to invest in others.

Emilia Jones is likeable as a young lady whose head is turned by Tony, but who is not easily won over.

Leo Woodall excels as the least likeable of the lot, a scumbag who doesn’t appear to have any moral compass. 

Stavros Halkias is somewhat of an enigma as larger than life restaurant worker Stavros.

I also appreciate the performance of Dagmara Domińczyk, as Tony’s no nonsense mother Gladys Sacksman Bourdain.

The leads and support cast provide the momentum to draw you in to the chaotic early life of Anthony Bourdain.

I would also like to point out the attractive visuals from cinematographer Michael Bauman. The village feel of Provincetown, circa mid ‘70s, is most appealing.

Tony (the movie) doesn’t hold back in its warts and all portrayal of a man who would go on to make good in the culinary stakes, before shocking the world with his untimely death.

Rated MA, it scores a 7½ out of 10.