A new biopic is taking a closer, more personal look at a young Anthony Bourdain. Tony is set to hit theatres in August, and it zeroes in on one formative chapter of his life, reports Deadline.
The movie stars Dominic Sessa (best known for The Holdovers) as a 19-year-old Bourdain, back when he was a struggling, frustrated writer trying to figure himself out in mid-1970s Massachusetts. The newly released trailer leans into that uncertainty right away. Bourdain, still in his college days, pitches his life like a story in progress: “It’s a coming-of-age story.”
Struggles and a Pivotal Job
But things aren’t exactly going smoothly. In one scene, he reconnects at a bar with a former high school friend, played by Emilia Jones, who reminds him of his rebellious past — including punching a hole in a principal’s door. Bourdain insists he’s changed and is on the verge of landing a big writing fellowship. Then reality hits: He doesn’t get it.
From there, the trailer shows him spiralling a bit — getting into fights and lashing out. That’s when his path shifts. He lands a job at a restaurant in Provincetown, Mass., run by a skeptical owner played by Antonio Banderas. It’s not the writing career he imagined, but it ends up changing everything.
Kitchen Life Shapes His Future
As Bourdain settles into kitchen life, he forms bonds with co-workers (played by Stavros Halkias and Leo Woodall) and begins to find a sense of purpose. The kitchen, chaotic as it is, becomes the place that helps shape who he’ll become. According to the film’s logline, it’s the experience that “shapes the course of his life,” per USA Today.
By the end of the trailer, there’s a shift in how he sees himself. He drops the writer label and embraces his new identity: “If anybody asks, I’m not a writer. I work in a kitchen.”
Not a Typical Biopic
The film is directed by Canadian filmmaker Matt Johnson, who earned praise for his offbeat take on the rise and fall of the BlackBerry in 2023’s BlackBerry, reports The Guardian. He’s also behind Nirvanna the Band – the Show – the Movie. With Tony, Johnson isn’t trying to tell Bourdain’s whole life story — just one pivotal summer.
That approach was a big reason Bourdain’s estate backed the project. In a statement, they said the film “doesn’t attempt to summarize (his) life” but instead focuses on a “transformative” period in 1975. They describe it as an interpretation of a time in his life that remains partly unknown, while highlighting his complexity, curiosity and drive — the traits that would later define him and resonate with audiences worldwide, according to The Guardian.
Connection to Later Success
The story naturally connects to Bourdain’s later success, especially his best-selling memoir Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, which pulled back the curtain on restaurant culture — including its intensity and its struggles with substance abuse — per USA Today. That book helped launch him into global fame, leading to shows like No Reservations and Parts Unknown, where he explored food, culture and people around the world.
Johnson has said he chose Sessa for the role because of how much he mirrors Bourdain — “both from (New) Jersey, both sent to private school (but never quite fitting in), both restless and searching,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
Bourdain’s Legacy
His life, of course, didn’t just include success. Bourdain died on June 8, 2018, at age 61 while filming Parts Unknown in Strasbourg, France. He was found unresponsive in his hotel room by his friend, chef Eric Ripert, and his death was ruled a suicide, per USA Today.
Even years later, his legacy still sparks conversation. In the documentary Canceled: The Paula Deen Story, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025, Paula Deen reflects on their long-running feud, saying she felt Bourdain “didn’t like anybody. Not even himself,” as previously reported in the Toronto Sun.
