I rented the biopic of Anthony Bourdain in the film Tony, which I watched off Fandango at Home tonight.

According to IMDB, “A 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that will shape the course of his life.”

I know very little about Anthony Bourdain. I found this biopic very intriguing. The character of “Tony” was very charismatic, but such a liar and a selfish person. I liked though that he was able to make some better decisions as the movie moved along.

Dominic Sessa does a good job in the titular role, but there is no doubt that Antonio Banderas stole the show as Chef. In a film where we never learn his character’s name (yes, it does appear in a letter, but that is the only moment), he is the most interesting and engaging character. He has so many little intricacies that make this man so outstanding and whom better to play him than Antonio Banderas?

There are some questions for me as to why Tony made some of the choices that he made in the film. I think the film could have gone into more details with the character at the beginning of the film. Leo Woodall’s character, Sal, is one of my least favorite in the movie. I just had a difficult time relating to him and his flip out midway.

I liked this film, especially for performances. I think it was an interesting period of Anthony Bourdain’s life to look at and focus on. It was worth a rental.

3.5 stars