Tony is a 2026 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Charlie McDowell, who co-wrote the script with Matthew Miller, Todd Bartels and Lou Howe. It is loosely based on the first couple of chapters of Anthony Bourdain’s 2000 memoir Kitchen Confidential. It had its world premiere in New York City in late July and went on general release shortly thereafter. It is released in the UK tomorrow, 14 August.

In 1975, 19-year-old wannabe writer Anthony Bourdain (Dominic Sessa) leaves Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, to travel to Provincetown in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He is seeking to track down Nancy (Emilia Jones), a girl he spoke to once at a college bar, but has decided he has fallen in love with. Finding himself destitute, he takes a washing-up job at a Cape Cod restaurant. They are a hard-drinking, drug-taking, rough-house crowd in the kitchen and Tony learns some pretty bad habits. However, when one of the crew is fired, Tony is promoted and commences his first job as a cook, learning under the tutelage of a Brazilian-born restaurateur known only as Chef (Antonio Banderas).

Tony is something of a stranger to the truth and, driven by his relentless pursuit of Nancy, he seems to travel from one disastrous, madcap adventure to another; however there is just enough to like about him for us to keep routing for him. Chef is a very likeable character, full of grace – we immediately warm to him, and we are always on his side.

Is it the real story of Bourdain’s teenage summer in Cape Cod? – almost certainly not – to begin with, the Chef character is entirely fictional. However, the three leads are all excellent and the film keeps up a cracking pace, and so never lags.

Tony is well-worth seeing if you have nothing better to do. I enjoyed it, but came away knowing nothing much about Bourdain, but that’s okay – I did not go in search of a history lesson. And Provincetown certainly looks worth a visit!