“Tony” Captures Young Bourdain’s Transformation in Witty Coming-of-Age Drama

A24’s latest film “Tony” draws its narrative framework directly from Anthony Bourdain’s own characterization of his younger self in “Kitchen Confidential,” where he admitted to being “a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless young lout, and badly in need of a good ass-kicking.” The new dramedy traces the late celebrity chef’s pivotal summer of 1975 through the lens of a failed fellowship application and the unlikely mentorship that would reshape his trajectory.

Dominic Sessa, fresh off his breakout role in “The Holdovers,” portrays the 19-year-old aspiring writer and self-assured New Jersey native who finds himself chasing after a girl named Nancy (Emilia Jones from “CODA”) to Cape Cod after fabricating stories about a prestigious fellowship he never actually secured. Desperate and broke, Tony lands a dishwashing job at a small Provincetown lobster restaurant run by the demanding Chef, embodied by Antonio Banderas in what stands as one of his finest recent performances.

Director Matt Johnson, who earned critical praise for writing, directing and starring in “BlackBerry,” collaborated with co-writers Matthew Miller, Todd Bartels and Lou Howe to balance sharp comedic moments with authentic emotional depth. The ensemble cast, led by Sessa’s magnetic turn that shifts effortlessly between charming and insufferable, anchors a film that examines how a mentor’s influence can redirect an arrogant young man’s path.

“Tony” arrives in theaters now with an R rating for language, drug use and sexual content. The film runs 1 hour and 46 minutes.