Literature and Drama Editor Aoife Ashmore reviews A24's newest biopic, Tony

By Aoife Ashmore | Sep 11 2026

A24’s Tony (2026) opens with a quote from Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, upon which the film is partially based: "I was - to be frank - a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless young lout, and badly in need of a good ass-kicking"

Director Matt Johnson's film follows Bourdain before he established himself as a prominent chef and media figure. Dominic Sessa plays a 19 year old “Tony”, clad in 70s attire with a fitting mop of curls. His awkward movements reminding one of a more insecure version of the Bourdain we know so it’s safe to say that he studied for his part.

After failing to land a writing scholarship, Tony follows Nancy (Emilia Jones), a young girl to a seaside resort. After a messy and drunken first night, he lands a job as a kitchen porter at the Flagship restaurant where he is mentored by Antonio Bandera’s chef character and given a hammock to crash in.

The film’s pacing picks up once Tony decides to stay in Provincetown. There ensues a flurry of town prowling with Leo Woodall’s character Sal, heavy drug use as well as some rowdy kitchen blustering.

Here the line cooks Stavros (Stavros Halkias), Tyrone (Michael Jibrin) and Sal work alongside Bandera and Sessa, creating an accurate yet comedic reflection of kitchen culture.

The rush is punctuated by scenes of Tony watching Sal shoot heroin and being given his first chef whites and Jay McCarrroll's playful score.

The film doesn't shield the audience or Tony from his reckless actions and if watching it in theatres expect audible groans when he lies for the umpteenth time. This framing is an interesting choice considering the cult status Bourdain has garnered over the past few years, particularly amongst a young swath of the internet with many gaining an affinity for travel, and an ironically popular brand of esotericism.

Many of these young people likely identify with the version of Bourdain we see in Tony, and this film is, therefore, addressed to them – the "young louts” – as a lesson in humility and restraint. Such characteristics that Bourdain found necessary to adopt as he aged and became the man we have all grown to admire.

Sal acts as a cautionary tale with fans speculating about how Bourdain would have received the film. A  phrase among critics: “Anthony would have hated this”. In response, Bourdain's assistant wrote poignantly "RIP Tony, you would have hated all this discourse":