Coming-of-age drama ‘Tony’ depicts Anthony Bourdain’s formative summer

Anthony Bourdain had a discerning eye.

Anyone who has watched him on “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” or read his musings in “Kitchen Confidential,” can see that. Part of what made Bourdain so fun to watch was his sense of curiosity – about people, about the world, about food, and the intersections between those things.

His discernment is evident in “Tony,” Matt Johnson’s movie based on the early chapters of “Kitchen Confidential,” following a teenage Bourdain’s summer working at a Provincetown fish shack. But it’s less so curiosity that drives young Tony’s (Dominic Sessa) gaze, and more wary aspiration.

In his first days in the tiny kitchen where he’ll spend the majority of the summer, his eyes bounce around, taking in the chaos. He watches his fellow cooks rag on each other, making crass jokes and playing meaner-than-appropriate pranks (including tricking Tony into picking up a piping hot pan sans oven mitt). These cooks (played by Leo Woodall, Stavros Halkias, and Michael Jibrin) are terrible, in so many ways. But there’s a sense of camaraderie between them – a code, a connection, a measure of coolness that Tony (alone, abrasive, awkward) yearns for. So, he watches. But, as the film wears on, the question becomes is he noticing the right things?

At its core, “Tony” is a coming-of-age story – and, to its credit, one that works fairly well even if you don’t know that its subject goes on to be one of the most beloved media figures of the 21st century (or maybe, ever). Since Bourdain’s death in 2018, there have been numerous attempts to reckon with the tragedy of his loss. But “Tony” is more successful than most because it doesn’t attempt to psychoanalyze that loss, or the man himself. That’s not to say it doesn’t engage with the myth of Bourdain – it certainly does. But its ability to lean into and deftly execute coming-of-age story tropes maps Tony’s summer in the Cape onto a desire we’re all familiar with – the desire to be the coolest person in the room. And “Tony” hypothesizes that cool is more than a vibe – it’s passion, it’s hard work, and it’s care.

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