Granted, I’m a sucker for films with vintage lenses, the seventies, beaches and coming-of-age stories, but Tony was the surprise of the summer.
Wonderfully small next to all the epic odysseys and superheroes, this is the summer movie that actually hit emotionally. And unlike most people walking in, I’ve barely seen Anthony Bourdain on TV.
It didn't matter that I hadn't. Wisely, director Matt Johnson draws from the early chapters of Kitchen Confidential and limits Tony to one summer: Provincetown, Massachusetts, 1975.
Young Tony has run away from home after failing to land a summer writing scholarship he’d assured everyone was a sure thing. Penniless, he arrives in Provincetown chasing Nancy (Emilia Jones), a crush who may or may not feel the same way.
Young Tony has run away from home after failing to land a summer writing scholarship he’d assured everyone was a sure thing. Penniless, he arrives in Provincetown chasing Nancy (Emilia Jones), a crush who may or may not feel the same way.
Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) is superb as Tony, legendary Antonio Banderas (Zorro, Desperado) is his reluctant mentor and the constantly impressive Leo Woodall (One Day, Tuner, White Lotus) is Sal, his bad-boy kitchen big brother. Jones (CODA) makes the most of an underdeveloped Nancy. It’s a stellar cast.
Upstart director Matt Johnson is supported tremendously by having cinematographer Michael Bauman (One Battle After Another) behind the camera.
Using vintage lenses and shooting largely on Cape Cod, he finds the soft glaze of summer light while making even the kitchen scenes feel tactile and real.
The smartest thing about Tony is that it could work without its famous subject. This is less about creating the Bourdain myth and more about the making of a man.
And the romance works, too. Tony asks Nancy to take his portrait for the book he hasn’t written yet because, “I like the way I feel when you look at me.” Yeah, it’s sweet like that too.
Structurally, Tony is a basic coming-of-age movie, yet somehow every familiar note feels entirely its own. It’s breezy, groovy, funny, tender and as satisfying as the best day you had at the beach. Exactly the movie I needed in a summer stuffed with Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland.
In a nutshell: A totally satisfying meal and the surprise treat of the summer. I loved it!
Where to find it: In theaters now.
Would it be better with Olivia Colman? Totally. Put her in this kitchen.
Award potential: Probably cursed by the “celebrity biopic” label, the coming of age them and A24 having a crowded slate. I’d love to see it sneak into the conversation anyway. Best Casting would be a good start.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.
Structurally, Tony is a basic coming-of-age movie, yet somehow every familiar note feels entirely its own. It’s breezy, groovy, funny, tender and as satisfying as the best day you had at the beach. Exactly the movie I needed in a summer stuffed with Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland.
In a nutshell: A totally satisfying meal and the surprise treat of the summer. I loved it!
Where to find it: In theaters now.
Would it be better with Olivia Colman? Totally. Put her in this kitchen.
Award potential: Probably cursed by the “celebrity biopic” label, the coming of age them and A24 having a crowded slate. I’d love to see it sneak into the conversation anyway. Best Casting would be a good start.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.
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