It’s only fitting that Tony feels like a series of ingredients all put together in the right way, cooked as long as needed, and served to the delight of all who are happy to enjoy it. As enjoyable as the movie is, it’s also bittersweet to consider how self-aware Anthony Bourdain was to acknowledge his own self-destructive behavior and yet still reach a point where he’s no longer with us. Of course, I cannot speak for where the man was in his life. Still, given how effectively director/co-writer Matt Johnson has adapted the early portion of Bourdain’s biography, Kitchen Confidential, into a winning coming-of-age story, one only wonders the benefits that could have come from revisiting this period in his life. Still, for all of those who come into this feature looking for something rich, while it may have some familiar aspects, it’s still a full meal of a film.
Set in 1975, Dominic Sessa (spiritually just a few years past where we last left his character in The Holdovers) stars as Tony, an aspiring writer who has just missed out on a major fellowship. Being smart, yet a lout and a mean drunk, Tony runs away to Cape Cod for the summer, partially to go after a girl he has a crush on, Nancy (Emilia Jones), but also just to get away from his current station as a mixed-up student. He winds up on the hammock of a Brazilian-born chef/restaurateur (Antonio Banderas) and is allowed to work in the restaurant. While his stubbornness still occasionally gets the better of him, Tony goes from spoiled dishwasher to developing a genuine curiosity about food and how to cook.
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There are plenty of comedy-dramas that manage to look at the lives of certain individuals during one important summer and make us understand how meaningful it truly turned out to be. In turn, the audience feels great for getting to experience that as well. Tony operates on that same level, but there’s so much excellence in how it is handled that the film never feels as though it’s directly riffing on other specific features or trafficking in too many tropes just for the sake of plot contrivance. Instead, this is a consistently well-acted film that feels very natural in the way it approaches the various turns in the story.
Sessa is great here, daring us to care about a kid who’s in over his head, constantly lying, and making dumb choices when it comes to where his next move will take him. We can trust Tony as far as we can throw him, and yet we want to see him succeed and find his way. This guy would feel right at home in a film by the Safdie brothers. Yet, the difference here is how director Johnson and writers Matthew Miller, Todd Bartels, and Lou Howe treat this story with a sense of kindness.
Even as an R-rated film featuring a handful of kitchen workers who love to “bust each other’s balls,” there’s a clear level of respect that comes with the bonds that form. Is it gross to watch comedian Stavros Halkias cool down his junk by pouring cornstarch down his pants before getting back to cooking? Yes, but he’s also consistently hilarious and someone who turns out to be quite reliable, all things considered.
This is more important when considering two other characters. Leo Woodall (terrific in the film Tuner) plays the hotheaded cook with a knack for bagging the visiting women in town for the summer. Despite some initial friction, he is, of course, one of the main guys Tony looks to for how to handle himself in public and when pursuing Nancy. With that in mind, Woodall brings some solid shades to the “bad boy” persona in a way that allows him to stand out.
Really knocking it out of the park, however, is Banderas. He gets a real meaty role here as Tony’s mentor. As this chef character, we see a man who clearly has plenty of skill, but has decided to largely settle into a stable situation where he makes good but unambitious food for the townsfolk and visitors alike. That said, he still expects respect and quality work from those he employs. He would fire anyone who disobeys, and yet he’s clearly conflicted whenever it comes to getting upset, because he loves his workers too much. A violent moment in the film leads to a simple use of dialogue from Banderas that feels like one of the most honest moments I’ve seen him display as an actor in an American feature.
Not hurting is the authenticity of what’s on display, or at least the rose-colored glasses Johnson applies to 1975 New England. This is a film that feels like the period it is in, from the production design to the casting choices. It doesn’t lean heavily on the fact that it is a period film. However, there’s still enough going on for us to appreciate the feel of what’s going on around these characters beyond just the heavy emphasis on seafood (which looks delicious throughout). It’s a comfort thing, which is a big part of the success to be found in Tony.
If there are any downsides, it comes from usual places, namely in how it chooses to handle Nancy. This is a very male-heavy movie, which doesn’t mean she merely feels like an object. Still, for Tony, the more important stories rely on things beyond his romantic entanglements. Still, Tony can play with just how typical a film like this can be when trying to sort out how things wind up. Granted, this is based on a true story, but I can appreciate the choices that build to the fitting conclusion.
Tony is one of the best kinds of summer movies – one where you want to live in this world for as long as you feel like it. The movie is breezy fun, yet not unchallenging in its testing of our lead characters. It’s occasionally very funny, while also delivering on deeper ideas, let alone a full plate of good-looking meal. There’s a great time to be had with this feature, and while Bourdain is no longer with us, there’s at least something satisfying about seeing where all of his promise came from.
Tony opens in select theaters on August 7, 2026, and expands nationwide on August 21.
