Tony Movie Review (2026)
A culinary dramedy about a restless, college-aged Anthony Bourdain taking a job in a Cape Cod restaurant, Tony takes an unvarnished look at the arrogant young man he once was, learning the value of hard work, responsibility, and good food.
My husband has always had a special place in his heart for Anthony Bourdain. He watched his shows, read his books, and happily watched every interview he came across. Bourdain’s death hit many of us hard, being a figure we’d all grown to respect, and for my husband, he didn’t think he was quite ready to watch this movie because of it. It would understandably be too much, so I took one for the team.
Tony is about a young Anthony Bourdain during a summer between college semesters at Vassar. Having lost out on a writing fellowship, Tony lies to everyone, telling them he got it, and follows his love interest to Cape Cod, where she is spending the summer working. Beaten up and robbed shortly after arriving, penniless Tony asks the local chef who saved him if he can sleep on his hammock, and the chef agrees in exchange for work at his restaurant. Tony then spends the summer learning what it’s like to work in a restaurant kitchen, with all the nuances it comes with, and continues to try to get the girl.
One famous quote from Anthony Bourdain’s book, Kitchen Confidential, is, “I treated the world as my ashtray.” He says it in the film, and he exhibits it with his behavior. This is the framing that you feel from Tony the entire time.
While young Tony (played by a surly Dominic Sessa) learns lessons in a kitchen full of drugs, vomit, and general disgustingness, the workers churn out food, and Tony is not particularly likable. He is arrogant and abrasive, and it’s clear the rest of the world is beneath him, even though he has no real prospects of his own. It’s one of my favorite things about this film, actually. They never try to make this spoiled brat the hero, because he’s not.
On the other end of the maturity stick, though, is Antonio Banderas’ chef. A disciplined man with high expectations, he works with kindness and tough love, stays clear about what he wants, and follows through even when he might wish he didn’t have to.
The focus on food, along with the sounds, the prep, and community, is immersive, and I wish there was even more of it. Tony helps you feel what it is like to be in that kitchen – the stresses and the expectation to keep going no matter what. You have to get the job done or you don’t have the job. And if you have to throw up while you’re cooking, that’s fine, just do it in the garbage can next to you.
Tony is a character study of an immature liar who discovers things about himself and the world around him while observing for the summer. He’s clearly a complicated character who grows into himself as he ages, but you can still see that same young man peeking through in his later real-life interviews.
The ending is satisfying, which was a little unexpected for me, so I immediately researched how much of this movie is true. It turns out that much of the essence is true, if not many of the specifics, but it’s more than enough to get its point across.
Runtime: 106 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Available: To rent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
