*** TONY *** (Anthony Bourdain Biopic)

1,973 Views | 24 Replies | Last: 5 days ago by TCTTS
TCTTS
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AG
One of the best coming-of-age movies in years.

Simple and old-fashioned - like something out of the '90s/'00s - and all the better for it.

Just so, so good.

Also, I've never read Bourdain's book, and I've only seen a handful of Parts Unknown episodes. In other words, you don't need to have some grand appreciation for Bourdain to get or like the movie. Hell, if they left Bourdain's name completely out of it (which they practically do), it's an excellent movie in its own right, with a great cast and a fantastic soundtrack to boot.

Easily in my top five of the year so far, and currently at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes after 182 reviews. It's out in wide release this weekend, so go check it out if you can. You won't be disappointed.

Tony
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33095251/
August 07, 2026 = Theatrical Limited
August 21, 2026 = Theatrical Wide



Max Power
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AG
As someone who's been a fan of Bourdain since I saw A Cook's Tour I'm really happy to hear this. Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw are books I've enjoyed more than once. I even went to see him speak once on tour. There's a documentary about him on HBO Max called Roadrunner for anyone that's interested and it's paints a very broad picture of him from pre-fame all the way to the end. He was a complicated guy, with some real problems, and it's not flattering but it's fair given how his life ended. I doubt I'll make it to the theater but I'll seek it out once it's available to stream. I'm also glad to hear it because Sessa was so great in The Holdovers from a few years ago.
Btron
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Currently reading Kitchen Confidential and loving it. Just got done with the Bigfoot chapter. The timing of me reading this book worked out nicely with the movie release. I hope to see this in the theaters. But I'm not sure it will be out for that long. Tony isn't Odyssey or Spider-Man.
I've enjoyed AB's travel shows but I wouldn't consider myself a super fan. My favorite is when he goes to Louisiana and shoots a pig for an all day Cajun cookout.
MookieBlaylock
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AG
how does it end?
Jaspers Ghost
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He would hate everything about this.
YouBet
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I'll check this out. He was a fascinating guy.
rhutton125
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Max Power said:

I'm also glad to hear it because Sessa was so great in The Holdovers from a few years ago.


Came here to say this! Happy for him.
PatAg
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Jaspers Ghost said:

He would hate everything about this.

Maybe, maybe not. He wrote multiple books and had multiple TV shows...
Jaspers Ghost
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PatAg said:

Jaspers Ghost said:

He would hate everything about this.

Maybe, maybe not. He wrote multiple books and had multiple TV shows...


Dude loved food, other cultures, cigarettes, and sharing his first two passions with as many people as he could. He hated the publicity and fame that came with it. Means to end.
Head Ninja In Charge
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Saw it today. Enjoyed it. Small movie in a good way, great performances from Dominic Sessa and Antonio Banderas, most of the other cast was good too, soundtrack and score were both really good. Kinda felt like a smaller version of The Social Network to me for some reason though definitely not as good and obviously lower stakes. Youth and the arrogance/ego/mistakes that come with it while you're trying to figure **** out. 8/10 for me.
jwag
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Saw it last night. Was ok, but yeah, Bourdain would probably not be a fan.
BCSWguru
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saw this a couple weeks ago in the Cinemark Secret Movie series. Kinda fell flat for me. It wasnt bad by any means, just didnt do a lot for me.
schmendeler
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AG
The trailer looked really good, I'll be seeing this one at some point.
GoAgs92
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I sometimes think about Anthony Bourdain and how his job and life seemed awesome, then boom he kills himself.

Shame he couldn't tell the network no, had some substance issues and his woman just got in trouble for a relationship with a teenager.

terrible confluence of events.

Max Power
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GoAgs92 said:

I sometimes think about Anthony Bourdain and how his job and life seemed awesome, then boom he kills himself.

Shame he couldn't tell the network no, had some substance issues and his woman just got in trouble for a relationship with a teenager.

terrible confluence of events.

If you watch the documentary, Roadrunner, that I mentioned above you can see how he changed a lot toward the end of his life. After he got involved with Asia Argento, he went through some significant changes. His life revolved around her, I got the feeling it was more like obsession than love to be honest. He was giving her a lot of control over the show and his own life it felt like, and he pushed some people away that he was close to. It's no secret that former addicts find new hobbies to be addicted to. I know once Bourdain got into jiu jitsu, I can't remember if he got married to the woman who is the mother to his daughter, he got obsessed with going to it, I think he even brought that up on Rogan's podcast. I think she was his newest addiction, he shaped his entire life around her, and when things started coming out about her I think that just shattered him. In a scene or two in the documentary the way he was talking about her was bizarre, like someone who needed a fix, or like she was a dealer. There's been a few celebrities in my lifetime that their suicide genuinely saddened me, and he was one of them.
Jim01
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Kitchen Confidential is one of the few books I've read multiple times.

This is definitely on my to-see list!
PatAg
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Jaspers Ghost said:

PatAg said:

Jaspers Ghost said:

He would hate everything about this.

Maybe, maybe not. He wrote multiple books and had multiple TV shows...


Dude loved food, other cultures, cigarettes, and sharing his first two passions with as many people as he could. He hated the publicity and fame that came with it. Means to end.

Hated it so much he kept making shows and writing books.
HaroldShipmanAg
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He always struck me as a guy who took himself way too seriously...I did love watching his shows, went to one of the restaurants he went to in Medellin. ..
Head Ninja In Charge
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AG
Bradley Cooper also played a semi-autobiographical role as him twice, once in a series and once in a movie, and it never seemed to really bother him too much.
AgTrip
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What's your name??!!



TONY!!...what's your name???
Jaspers Ghost
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AG
PatAg said:

Jaspers Ghost said:

PatAg said:

Jaspers Ghost said:

He would hate everything about this.

Maybe, maybe not. He wrote multiple books and had multiple TV shows...


Dude loved food, other cultures, cigarettes, and sharing his first two passions with as many people as he could. He hated the publicity and fame that came with it. Means to end.

Hated it so much he kept making shows and writing books.



This is what it's like talking to my teenage daughter.
CCAg95
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AG
Jaspers Ghost said:

He would hate everything about this.

Yes he would. Maybe it is just the way the trailer is cut but seems to be a massive injustice to the stories in Kitchen Confidential. Maybe it is like that Queen movie which was good but not based on reality.
schmendeler
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I think he hated being viewed as a role model or perfect figure, but i don't get the impression that he would have been angry about his story being told in a way that means something to people. I don't think it's a black and white thing.
Head Ninja In Charge
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schmendeler said:

I think he hated being viewed as a role model or perfect figure, but i don't get the impression that he would have been angry about his story being told in a way that means something to people. I don't think it's a black and white thing.

This. Any biopic will always be overly dramatized or exaggerated or shorted in service of making a movie watchable. If you're a public figure, thems the rules. I be even how his books were edited, how his shows were final cut - they all paint a picture in a way that isn't what the subject envisions. Not that different at all from your best man giving you an off-the-cuff speech or someone giving a eulogy. Who cares. 70% accuracy and thematically correct is the best anyone can hope for.
TCTTS
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Just FYI, now available to rent on digital/VOD.
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