Anthony Bourdain’s Origin Story Finds a Second Life on Streaming After Theatrical Run

Dominic Sessa and Leo Woodall in “Tony.”

A24

Tony, starring Dominic Sessa as the young Anthony Bourdain, has made its way to streaming, becoming the second screen project to draw from the late chef’s bestselling memoir.

Bourdain rose to global fame as a chef, author, and travel documentarian through the acclaimed series Parts Unknown before his passing in June 2018 at age 61. While director Morgan Neville chronicled Bourdain’s life and career in the celebrated documentary Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain in 2021, his stories have also been reimagined through narrative projects — first in the 2005 sitcom Kitchen Confidential and now in the feature film Tony.

Kitchen Confidential was inspired by Bourdain’s bestselling 2000 memoir of the same name. Starring Bradley Cooper as Jack Bourdain — a fictionalized version of Anthony Bourdain — the sitcom aired just 13 episodes on FOX in 2005 before being canceled. While the series drew from Bourdain’s memoir, the chef himself had minimal involvement beyond providing the source material.

Now, more than 25 years after the memoir’s publication, director Matt Johnson adapted the first two chapters of Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential for Tony, with Sessa portraying the chef in his formative years. Set in 1975 in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the film follows aspiring writer Bourdain as he steps into the chaotic world of a professional kitchen — a decision that will reshape the course of his life.

Sessa, a relative newcomer to film after his debut role opposite Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph in the 2023 Best Picture Oscar nominee The Holdovers, told NBC’s Today in early August that exploring the mind of the young Bourdain offered him valuable insights.

Among those lessons, he said, were “just leading with the truth” and “being honest and being OK with not being a fully formed person yet.”

“I think I’m at this age where I, and for a lot of young people as well, want to be respected, want status that you haven’t necessarily earned yet,” Sessa told Today. “Learning the right way to do that and to actually understand your potential is life-changing.”

Rated R, Tony opened in limited release on August 7 and expanded nationwide on August 21. As the film approaches the end of its theatrical run, it has earned $14.7 million domestically and $3.1 million internationally, totaling $17.8 million worldwide. The production budget was “less than $15 million,” according to IndieWire.

‘Tony’ Arrives On Streaming On Tuesday

Also starring Antonio Banderas, Emilia Jones, and Leo Woodall, Tony premieres on digital streaming via premium video on demand on Tuesday, September 15.

Tony is available to purchase on PVOD for $24.99 across a range of digital platforms, including Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Prime Video, and YouTube Movies & TV. The film can also be rented on PVOD for $19.99 for 48 hours.

After earning a 100% “fresh” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer from 30 early reviews, Tony currently holds a 93% “fresh” rating based on 226 reviews. The film has also received an audience score of 92% on RT’s Popcornmeter, based on more than 500 verified user ratings.

The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads, “Exploring how the iconic Anthony Bourdain came to be with a scrappy coming-of-age story that’s equal parts sweet and tart, Tony is a splendid tribute to mentorship, complete with a standout performance by Antonio Banderas.”

The audience summary adds, “A poignant and heartfelt tribute to a complex culinary icon, Matt Johnson deftly directs Tony, delivering a crowd-pleasing, superbly cast portrait of Anthony Bourdain’s origin story.”

For those who prefer to experience the Anthony Bourdain story on the big screen, Tony is still playing in 380 theaters nationwide.

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