Archive · 5 Aug 2026
Anthony Bourdain biopic Tony draws sharp criticism over trailer
There is a new movie called 'Tony' about Anthony Bourdain, a famous chef who traveled the world and showed people different foods and cultures on TV.
The movie shows him when he was 19 years old, spending a summer in a town called Provincetown.
Many people are upset about the movie even before it comes out.
They say the trailer makes Tony look like a rude and unfriendly person, which is not how people remember him.
Bourdain was known for being thoughtful and for shining the spotlight on other people's food and lives, not on himself.
His own brother said Tony would have hated the whole idea of the movie.
The director, Matt Johnson, says the movie is about emotional truth, even if some parts are not exactly true.
Bourdain died in 2018, after making shows like 'A Cook's Tour,' 'No Reservations' and 'Parts Unknown.'
The movie is set to come out on 7 August.
The biopic 'Tony,' directed by Matt Johnson, stars Dominic Sessa as a 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain in Provincetown.
The first trailer debuted in May and the film is scheduled for release on 7 August.
Critics argue the trailer portrays young Bourdain as arrogant, hyper-masculine, volatile and a compulsive liar.
Bourdain's brother Chris said 'Anthony would have hated the entire idea of the film' but praised Sessa's naturalistic performance.
Director Matt Johnson said Bourdain would probably have disliked parts of the film but hopes he would recognise its emotional truth.
- Who
- Anthony Bourdain, the late chef, author and TV host; his brother Chris Bourdain; director Matt Johnson; and actor Dominic Sessa, who plays the young Bourdain.
- What
- An upcoming biopic titled 'Tony' about a 19-year-old Bourdain drew sharp criticism after its first trailer was released.
- When
- The trailer debuted in May; the film is scheduled for release on 7 August.
- Where
- The film is set in Provincetown, where Bourdain spent a formative summer.
- Why
- Critics argue the film contradicts Bourdain's character and his lifelong rejection of celebrity culture and the commercialisation of art.
Critics and Bourdain's family
Director and filmmakers
Would Bourdain have approved?
Critics and Bourdain's family
Chris Bourdain and several critics say Anthony would have hated the entire idea of the film.
Director and filmmakers
Director Matt Johnson said Bourdain would probably have disliked parts of the film but hopes he would have recognised its emotional truth.
Portrayal of young Bourdain
Critics and Bourdain's family
The trailer presents him as arrogant, hyper-masculine, volatile and a compulsive liar, which does not match the thoughtful, self-aware man audiences knew.
Director and filmmakers
Johnson defends the film as capturing emotional truth even if some details are factually inaccurate.
A biopic about a man who avoided the spotlight
Critics and Bourdain's family
Critics argue the film does the opposite of Bourdain's career by putting him in the spotlight, something he spent his career avoiding.
Director and filmmakers
The director shared a hope that Bourdain would recognise the film's emotional truth, despite the focus on him.
- Film title
- Tony
- Director
- Matt Johnson
- Lead actor
- Dominic Sessa (as 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain)
- Setting
- Provincetown, a formative summer
- Trailer debut
- May
- Release date
- 7 August
- Bourdain's death
- 2018
- Emmy nomination
- 2007, for the Beirut episode of No Reservations