A star-making lead
Even the cooler notices find Dominic Sessa’s restless presence difficult to ignore.
Limited release · 2026-08-07 · Directed by Matt Johnson
Tony
A beginning, deliberately unfinished.
At nineteen, Anthony Bourdain drifts into a Provincetown kitchen and begins the summer that will set the direction of his life.
Critics’ measure: 68/100
Established, based on 10 explicitly scored professional reviews; 17 reviews are linked in the full ledger.
Story and context
The anti-cradle-to-grave biopic
The narrow slice of 1975 feels refreshing to some critics and frustratingly slight to others.
The icon remains out of reach
The central disagreement is whether the young man on screen contains enough of the writer and traveler audiences remember.
Professional review ledger
- Tony review — Tim Robey, The Daily Telegraph, 2026-08-14 · 4/5 (80/100 normalized)
- BRIAN VINER: Time-travel, dinosaurs that invade suburbia... this is bonkers! — Brian Viner, Daily Mail, 2026-08-14 · 3/5 (60/100 normalized)
- Tony review – a breezy biopic with little bite — David Jenkins, Little White Lies, 2026-08-10 · unscored
- Tony isn’t the Anthony Bourdain biopic I expected — and that’s exactly why it works — Josh Bell, Tom’s Guide, 2026-08-07 · 3/5 (60/100 normalized)
- Tony — Peter Travers, The Travers Take, 2026-08-07 · 3.5/4 (87.5/100 normalized)
- ‘Tony’ Review: An Appetite for Experiences — Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times, 2026-08-06 · unscored
- Tony — Tara McNamara, Common Sense Media, 2026-08-01 · 3/5 (60/100 normalized)
- ‘Tony’ Review: Matt Johnson’s Anthony Bourdain Biopic Both Fulfills & Exceeds Genre Expectations — Marshall Shaffer, The Playlist, 2026-07-30 · unscored
- Tony Review: Dominic Sessa Gives His First Movie-Star Performance — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 2026-07-30 · unscored
- 'Tony' Review: A Soulful Anthony Bourdain Coming-of-Age Story with Plenty of Heart — Rendy Jones, Rendy Reviews, 2026-07-30 · 4/5 (80/100 normalized)
- Movie Review: Anthony Bourdain biopic ‘Tony’ is just an early nibble at a culinary giant — Mark Kennedy, Associated Press, 2026-07-29 · 2/4 (50/100 normalized)
- Tony review: Finding truth outside the Bourdain we know — Monica Castillo, The A.V. Club, 2026-07-29 · unscored
- Tony Review: Matt Johnson Finds the Right Ingredients In Anthony Bourdain Biopic — Devan Suber, The Film Stage, 2026-07-29 · unscored
- ‘Tony’ Review: Dominic Sessa Finds Ideal Balance Between Cocky and Lost in Tender Coming-of-Age Portrait of a Young Anthony Bourdain — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2026-07-29 · unscored
- Tony Review – 'Its ambitions never quite match its subject' — Harry Stainer, Empire, 2026-07-29 · 3/5 (60/100 normalized)
- Tony review – knives out in tasty reheat of Anthony Bourdain's memoir — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, 2026-07-29 · 3/5 (60/100 normalized)
- Tony – Diario di un giovane cuoco — Lorenzo Ciofani, Cinematografo, 2026-07-29 · 4/5 (80/100 normalized)