The first trailer for Tony dropped recently, with Dominic Sessa showing the world his take on the late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. I was originally excited to see this upcoming A24 movie highlight the early years of Bourdain and his rise to fame, but a thought entered my mind while watching that now gives me pause.
There was a part of me very tempted to say I had "No Reservations" about watching previously, but I realized that Bourdain would've rolled his eyes so hard at me if he witnessed me doing so, I would've felt it on my deathbed. This brings me to Tony, a movie with a trailer that, at its midpoint, had me wondering how the world traveler would've felt about it.
I'm Not Sure Anthony Bourdain Would Like A24's Movie Tony
Once the thought entered my head that Anthony Bourdain would likely hate a biopic made about himself, I couldn't help but wonder if it was a betrayal for me to watch Tony. I was an avid watcher of Bourdain's shows, and while he surprised me occasionally with his list of things he loved in the world of food and movies, I can't imagine he'd be anything less than critical of a film that evaluated his own life.
I do take solace in the fact that Anthony Bourdain was idolized by many, both in the food entertainment industry and worldwide. This is to say, if Bourdain isn't around to discuss whether Tony is a film worthy of telling his story, perhaps those left behind will feel the same way and hold it to the same standard that he would.
Tony Is An "Interpretation" Of The Chef's Life
The Bourdain family released a statement recently about Tony, and while they offered their support, there was another message that stuck out (via The Hollywood Reporter). The movie is an "interpretation" of a summer he spent in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and not based on anything covered in his previous written works about his own life.
While the family appreciates that Tony highlights the complexities of Anthony Bourdain as an individual, they explicitly say that this portion of the famous chef/writer will always be "somewhat unknown." So, it's a work of fiction, based on a real individual, with true elements of his personality and character worked in.
All this to say, Bourdain did have a short-lived television series called Kitchen Confidential, based on his famous book of the same name. Fans of Bourdain who watched the series have said the show has almost nothing to do with him, outside of a character played by a young Bradley Cooper sharing the same surname. Perhaps I'm overestimating how much he would care about a fictional work of art made about himself, and will be able to watch guilt-free.
Tony is set to release in theaters in August of 2026. I'll continue wrestling back and forth in the meantime about whether or not I'll check it out, and remain on the fence for the time being.
