143 - Tony

Matt Johnson’s A24 biopic finds the person before the icon River reviews Tony, the new A24 film directed by Matt Johnson, and explains why this narrowly focused story about a 19 year old Anthony Bourdain in Provincetown works so well. The episode is less interested in a full life story and more interested in the formative chaos, ambition, and self-destruction that helped shape Bourdain before he became famous. In this episode: River explains why the idea of an Anthony Bourdain biopic initially felt unnecessary, then shows how the film won him over by avoiding a Wikipedia style approach. The movie centers on Tony at 19, after a rejection from a writing fellowship, before the restaurants, the book, and the documentary fame. River highlights Tony’s mix of intelligence, curiosity, arrogance, insecurity, and self destruction, arguing that those contradictions make him compelling. Dominic Sessa’s performance is praised as the standout, especially for making Tony feel observant, restless, and difficult without losing his charm. Antonio Banderas is singled out for bringing a strong paternal presence as the chef who mentors Tony through discipline, work, and accountability. The restaurant kitchen is described as the film’s engine: chaotic, loud, messy, and full of people who feel lived in rather than plot devices. River notes how the film balances humor, drugs, drinking, isolation, and depression without tipping into a glossy celebrity portrait or full tragedy. Stylistically, the editing and pacing are compared to a jazz album, with energetic cuts that match the youthful, messy atmosphere. River’s one real criticism is that the film does not explain enough about Tony’s deeper wounds or why he is so self destructive, though he frames that more as a nitpick than a flaw. By the end, the film left him wanting a sequel that would cover Tony’s later years, including New York and the beginnings of Kitchen Confidential. Follow on: Instagram Letterboxd