Tony

Before he was Anthony Bourdain, he was a bit of a sad sack kid who failed to get a writing gig and started working in a Massachusetts kitchen despite having absolutely no experience. Of course it involves trying to impress a girl, but there’s also something about discovering yourself, what you’re good at, and what you love. And it does all of that while just focusing on a single summer when Tony was 19. The thing that impresses me is that so many of the reviews mention that even if this hadn’t been about a beloved (and troubled) late celebrity, it would have been a fascinating story well worth watching. The fact that it’s all of that and a peek into what started to form who Anthony Bourdain was… that’s impressive. It currently has a 93% Tomatometer and 92% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Tony feels as if it has come pippin’ hot out off the griddle; it’s the cinematic equivalent of a fiery flambé depicting a talented man’s coming-of-age odyssey as he goes on to discover that there is far more to a clambake than he ever thought possible.” -Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
“It’s a youthful romance, a goofball gross-out, and a Karate Kid fable rolled into one. You might get so caught up in the comedy, familiar beats and all, that you forget you’re watching a bio-pic.” -Justin Chang, The New Yorker
“A riveting, rambunctious portrait of Anthony Bourdain (a sensational Dominic Sessa) as a young pain in the ass before he started inventing himself as the rock-star king of the culinary world.” -Peter Travers, The Travers Take
“The unshowy dedication to craft is a marvel, and so is much else in this crystalline little film. It’s the most exhilarating experience I’ve had at the movies this year.” -Kyle Smith, Wall Street Journal
“The film hits the usual notes of a three-act coming of age story and yet every minute is fresh and specific.” -Nell Minow, Movie Mom
“[Johnson’s] focus is on transporting us into this world with immediacy, scattering pertinent story details with a playful sense of spontaneity. However, everything is intentionally, precisely placed.” -Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
“Yes, it’s a portrait of a celebrity at a particularly formative moment, but it’s also a story about male identity more broadly, the way many men mask a sense of inadequacy and vulnerability with aloofness or over-assertiveness.” -Karl Quinn, Sydney Morning Herald
“Perhaps the highest praise I can offer is that it doesn’t depend on Bourdain’s fame to keep us interested. I would have enjoyed this movie even if its hero didn’t have TV shows that play on every airline in the world.” -John Powers, NPR
“It’s well directed (Matt Johnson) in that you get a sense of events unfolding organically, but it’s Sessa’s film. He brings a sadness and sensitivity to the part that will keep you on side even when Bourdain’s at his worst.” -Deborah Ross, The Spectator
“As a film about what it means to embrace what’s in front of you and not what’s in your mind, it’s a lovely and deeply likeable work.” -Clarisse Loughrey, The Independent (UK)

Tony is served up at The Clyde on Friday, October 2, and plays Friday, Saturday, Sunday, & Monday at 7:30.