TONY gets served in UK & IE cinemas 14th August
It was always going to be an uphill battle - Bourdain, in his passing, has become a kind of folk god bastion of the good 'ol days, replete with a woke-washing "man of the people"/good traveller branding that deifies him from all reproach. We love, of course – I do not cast doubt on this reading of his legacy in the slightest. I love what Bourdain represents now, and what he represented in life, too. We have too few true eccentrics rising the ranks.
So it was always going to be an uphill battle - not just to depict him, to mythologise him now in fiction, but to choose such an unformed, unshapen part of his story to tell. Despite its elegant contours, feel-good tone, gorgeous cinematography and absolutely pitch-perfect performances, TONY was always going to feel like an overlong Act 1. Does this take from its quality - absolutely not. It's a fun way to decorate the time, enjoy some quality catharsis with a forming legend, and fall in love with Leo Woodall all over again. But much like a tasting menu, it left those of us with an appetite for Bourdain wanting more.
Speaking of Woodall, he really stands out here, in a charged and unlikeable role that he plays with complete and unabased vulnerability. Though he's having his moment, I sense there's still a little more of his inner heart the world will need to see before kingmaking him, but no doubt this film will be the stepping stone for a generation of die-hard fans, my mother included.
Sessa puts in amazing work here, and in the best way, doesn't bother to be Bourdain, but rather, himself. A little moody and brattier than we would have expected, but pitch perfect for the era he's depicting. Banderas glues the entire film together with a frank confidence, reminding everyone who's forgotten about Babygirl that he's still very much a power player of the Screen.
TONY is simply pizza when you're starving — absolutely stunning, but no substitute for dessert.
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