By Ben Miller
While watching Matt Johnson's Tony, there were long stretches I forgot I was watching a biopic. Instead of focusing on the well-documented mythology of famed chef Anthony Bourdain, this film decides to tell a worthwhile story, which just happens to include a future famous person.
Biopics follow a well-worn pattern of showing a person in their pre-fame life, struggling to emerge through the crowd, which will lead them to a great successes and worldwide acclaim. Tony begins and ends with the main character completely anonymous to the world. Rather than hold your hand and lead you to the point where the character finds success, it plants the seeds to send them in that direction without ever getting close to the actual finish line...
It's a great example of a story that hasn't been told and why it deserves to be. The general public isn't aware of this story, because it is a rather muted footnote in the life of a public persona. Not content to hit the famously known story beats, this film turns into a summer hangout movie about an extremely flawed, but captivating individual. It's the catalyst for fame, but never gets anywhere close to showing the famous person becoming famous. That's a bold choice for a biopic.
Dominic Sessa stars as the titular character, a 19-year-old wannabe writer who just completed his freshman year at Vassar College. Hoping for a writing fellowship, Tony attempts to flirt with former classmate Nancy (Emilia Jones), who rebuffs him due to her summer plans in Cape Cod. When Tony learns he didn't get the fellowship, he absconds to Cape Cod to attempt to woo Nancy. When a drunken night lands Tony on the street, beaten and broke, local restaurant owner Chef (Antonio Banderas) allows him to sleep at his house.
Chef allows Tony to stay as long as he works at his seafood restaurant. Other restaurant workers include Dimitri (Stavros Halkias), Tyrone (Michael Jibrin), and the volatile Sal (Leo Woodall), who begins to tutor Tony on the ins-and-outs of the restaurant world. As the summer moves on, Tony attempts to get closer to Nancy while learning more from Chef and his culinary mastery.
While the character of Tony is clearly a character we want to follow, he is by no means a shining beacon of goodness and light. Tony lies to his parents and Nancy about the writing fellowship, telling everyone he got it. When he arrives in Cape Cod, he lies in order to work in the kitchen, and lies to Nancy about why he is working there. Tony is a character who lies in order to prop himself up, but also hopes to outrun those lies to get what he wants.
I have frequently railed against the musical biopic, due in large part to a lack of authenticity. These films consistently water down the grimier aspects of the subjects in order to obtain the music rights. Johnson very smartly uses Bourdain's own self-awareness and recognition of his lack of morality. Tony constantly lies, steals, drinks, does drugs, and is a generally unpleasant, through charismatic personality. The advantage of Bourdain's fame being linked to cooking, there is no rights-holder you are beholden to. You can tell the warts-and-all story without stifling your film.
All this starts and ends with Sessa. The young actor, in only his fifth film, captures the spirit of the man without directly copying his mannerisms and exact look. Instead, you feel his passion to create while also understanding his shortcomings. Sessa's chemistry with Jones as well as Banderas and Woodall is essential to allow the audience to connect. It might not be the performance you expect from a biopic, but it's exactly what the film needs.
Banderas, an actor not exactly known for his subtlety, reins in his instincts to deliver a tender and steady performance as the mysterious Chef. He is the perfect yin to Tony's yang, keeping cool and understanding exactly what the day needs from him. Woodall gets the flashiest supporting role, launching into violent confrontations, drug-fueled reactions, and sexual conquests. Jones is more of an archetype, but her characterization is one of honesty and reality. The film has real reverence for Jones, as she looks as beautiful as possible in every scene.
Not content to focus solely on the journey of Bourdain, Johnson and cinematographer Michael Bauman film a mid-70s summer on Cape Cod with the beauty you would expect. The art direction doesn't overdo the 70s pastiche, but evokes a modern feel despite the retro timeframe. Despite the film caring about Bourdain and his growth, at it's heart, the film is a hangout movie. It makes you want to spend the summer in Cape Cod. I left the theater with a large smile on my face.
Tony avoids the usual pitfalls of the traditional biopic and delivers unexpected greatness. Despite it's prickly characters, the film is an undeniable crowd-pleaser that I can't recommend enough. B+
Oscar Chances:
I am a bit dubious on the awards prospects for this film, mostly due to its lowkey nature. I would completely support a Best Actor campaign for Sessa, which is probably the best chance for the film. If the reaction is more than anticipated, you could see a Supporting campaign for either Banderas or Woodall. I would personally nominate Matthew Miller, Todd Bartles, Lou Howe, and Johnson's screenplay. Anything else would be a longshot at best