The typical arc for biopics, as immortalized by Dewey Cox’s journey in “Walk Hard,” goes as follows: we begin with the famous figure at the height of their powers, as they wistfully look back on their life, and the film thus follows them from cradle to casket, following them from when they were a starry eyed kid to a massive star to their downfall before a series of title cards reveal the incredible legacy they’ve left behind. You can see this arc in “Bohemian Rhapsody,” in “Elvis,” and half of it in “Michael,” with the other half (maybe?) getting saved for the sequel.
But some biopics make the bolder choice to focus on a relatively small pocket of a famous figure’s life, and using the events of this moment to say something deeper about their life overall. That’s what “Blue Moon” last year did with Lorenzo Hart, focusing on one night in the composer’s life. And it’s the approach that A24’s “Tony,” which released its first trailer on May 5, is taking with its subject, beloved late culinary icon Anthony Bourdain.
Directed by Matt Johnson, who is best known for his third feature “Blackberry” and his work on the web series “Nirvana the Band the Show” and its recent film spinoff, “Tony” focuses on Bourdain not as a professional chef in Manhattan during the ’80s and ’90s, or as the writer of the “Kitchen Confidential” memoir that made him a star, or as a culinary TV program host. The film, instead, follows Bourdain as a 19-year old first exploring the world of professional dining.
“The Holdovers” breakout Dominic Sessa stars as the young Bourdain. Set in the summer of 1975, the film focuses on Bourdain as a college student who, after getting rejected from a writing fellowship, travels to Provincetown, Massachusetts for the summer. There, he stumbles into working at a seafood restaurant and gets mentored by the harsh but brilliant head chef (Antonio Bandereas). The cast is rounded out by Emilia Jones, Dagmara Domińczyk, Rich Sommer, Stavros Halkias, and Leo Woodall.
“We chose to support ‘Tony,’ because it is not a standard biopic and doesn’t attempt to summarize a life,” a statement from Bourdain’s estate reads. “Guided by the vision of director Matt Johnson, the film depicts one transformative summer in 1975 in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It is an interpretation as that part of Tony’s life will always remain somewhat unknown.”
A24 will release “Tony” in theaters this August. Watch the trailer for the film below.
