Tony Trailer: A24's Anthony Bourdain Biopic Actually Looks...Good?

In the world of celebrity chefs, few people have earned more focus than Anthony Bourdain. In addition to the books he wrote, Bradley Cooper played a version of him on TV, he became a travel host for shows like "Parts Unknown," and after he tragically took his own life in 2018, he was the subject of a documentary called "Roadrunner." So when word came out that A24 would be making a movie based on Bourdain's life, I winced a little. Did we really need another take on Bourdain when there was so much real footage of him out there telling his own story?

It turns out the answer might be yes. The first trailer for "Tony" has just arrived, and it looks surprisingly great — especially for a biopic, which required his estate's permission to move forward. We just saw how well the estate-sanctioned "Michael" performed in theaters without acknowledging any of the real-life allegations against Michael Jackson, which seemed to indicate that audiences only want an edges-sanded-down approach to telling stories about famous figures. Thankfully, this movie is not taking that approach. Here's a partial quote from Bourdain's estate that was included in a press release:

"We chose to support TONY because it is not a standard biopic and doesn't attempt to summarize a life. Guided by the vision of director Matt Johnson, the film depicts one transformative summer in 1975 in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It is an interpretation as that part of Tony's life will always remain somewhat unknown.

We appreciate the portrayal of Tony's complexity, his intellectual appetite and his conviction — qualities that eventually took him around the globe and endeared him to so many. We hope this film serves as a reminder that every journey has a start, and that audiences see the beginnings of the man who taught us how to be better explorers on our own paths."

You may not immediately recognize the name of this film's director, Matt Johnson. But if you know his work, you're likely going to perk up in a big way when you realize he's behind the camera here. Johnson directed "Blackberry," the excellent 2023 film about the creation of the Blackberry device and how it was ultimately overtaken by the iPhone. He also directed this year's phenomenal "Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie," which is currently my favorite film of 2026. He's quickly developing a Phil Lord and Chris Miller-esque reputation as someone who can take ideas that might seem questionable on paper and spin them into cinematic gold, and I should have known that a Johnson-directed version of "Tony" would result in something more interesting than a standard, boring biopic.

Dominic Sessa, who broke out opposite Paul Giamatti in "The Holdovers," plays a 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain here, and while I can hear a couple hints of Bourdain's voice in his delivery, the actor is not doing an exaggerated impression. Sessa's performance, the spectacular supporting cast (including Antonio Banderas, "CODA" star Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall, and Stavros Halkias), and the "just one summer" approach instead of a cradle-to-the-grave narrative has made me do a complete 180 on this film. I was worried when I read the initial announcement, but after seeing this trailer, which has a coming-of-age patina and seemingly isn't interested in turning Bourdain into a saint, I'm now eagerly anticipating seeing "Tony" when it hits theaters this August.