Take 82: Tony

“I was a— to be frank— a spoiled, miserable, narcisstic, self-destructive and thoughtless young lout, and badly in need of a good ass-kicking.”— Anthony Bourdain

The autobiographical comedy-drama Tony is the coming of age story of an awkward young man (Dominic Sessa) as he stars to be the man that will become the Anthony Bourdain. It is the summer of 1975. Aspiring author Tony Bourdain ventures to Provincetown to apply to a presitgous fellowship. He doesn’t get it and with not other options, finds himself working for Chef (Antonio Banderas) who runs a small lobster restaurant out his home. It is here that he is exposed to some profound influences, both positive and negative that will have a massive impact on the path his life will ultimately take. Oh, and of course there is a girl from back home (Emilia Jones.)

This was another Secret Movie for me. I was a little afraid when I saw it was from A24, but fortunately, they are a lot more than horror these days. To be honest, I know very little about Anthony Bourdain. I also didn’t know that someone had put out a movie about the man, so this one was totally unexpected for me. I did know about his tragic end and I am really glad that this film didn’t go anywhere near that. It did the thing that I usually hate: be a biopic that only covers a small period in the person’s life. Here, we got a year, but in this case, it worked perfectly. It is a crucial year and we get a lot in it. And again, it also allows it to not have to engage with the tragic way his story would ultimately play out. Here, we just get a an interesting, self-contained story that stands on its own.

Dominic Sessa seems to have found his niche, once again playing an outcast kid in the 70s. It comes across so effortlessly. Emilia Jones as Nancy is 70s fly- she really does have a girl-next-door quality that just seems to right, so accurate- she’s a heartbreaker. From the first moment he appears on screen, Leo Woodall as Sal is smarmy and dangerous, yet possesses a strangely magnetic charm. Of course young Tony is gonna fall under his influence. You don’t trust him and it’s with good reason. And Antonio Banderas is the wise surrogate father-figure that Tony needs at this crucial time. Matt Johnson makes excellent use of each and every one of these actors and recreates this specific period in time perfectly.

There is a tenseness that pervades the first half of the movie. I guess intensity is a better word. I was anxious because I just didn’t know what this kid who was clearly in over his head was going to get himself into. He is a lost soul who doesn’t realize it. He does so many dumb, immature things on his quest to go from Tony to Anthony. You worry that he’s going to even make it. Then you remember that, of course he does. Then the question is how, because he is such a screw up. Seeing his evolution is rewarding.

Good film. Not sure that the repay value is high, but in the case of this one, might not be a bad thing. It manages to leave its impact and that’s really what you want most films to do. I could have used a few more details such as his family life to further round things out, but what we got was pretty dang good.

My score: 8.9

Hmmm. Kinda tough to work this into a plea for you to all to comment. Okay, how about, if this was a broadway show, would you give it the Tony? Why or why not. And until next time…