Tony (2026 film)

In 1975, a 19-year-old Anthony "Tony" Bourdain is a student at Vassar College who aspires to be a writer. He applies for a writing fellowship that would send him to New York City, and lies to his family, as well as his high school love interest Nancy Putkoski, that he already got it. When he learns that he did not get the fellowship, he impulsively travels to Provincetown, Massachusetts, where Nancy said she would be going for the summer. He discovers that Nancy is currently dating a pizza delivery man, and goes to The Flagship, a local seafood restaurant, to drink. While inebriated, he is rude to Mary, the waitress and bartender, and is kicked out and robbed by Sal, one of the restaurant's cooks.

Finding himself short of money to take the ferry home, Tony considers sneaking aboard the staff section of the ferry but is seen by Nancy. He lies to her and tells her that he came to Provincetown for research for his fellowship. She invites him to a party and he decides to stay. Tony returns to the Flagship and appeals to the head chef for a place to stay, lying that he had previous restaurant experience; he is given a job as the restaurant's dishwasher. He is drawn to the raucous, drug-fueled lifestyle and camaraderie among the Flagship cooks, especially brash and confident but volatile Sal. However, Sal's heroin habit eventually gets the best of him; after arriving late one day, he has a violent confrontation with Chef and leaves. Tony is promoted to a cook to take Sal's place, and is mentored by Chef. Tony also grows closer to Nancy, continuing to lie about the fellowship even as she discovers he works in a kitchen.

In an attempt to impress Nancy, Tony invites her to the Flagship and convinces Chef to offer lobster thermidor as a special one Friday. While the dish is initially a success, a grease fire breaks out in the kitchen, which Tony makes worse by trying to douse it with water; the fire ends up destroying the interior of the Flagship. Chef is devastated, both by the damage to his restaurant and by Tony's lie about his previous kitchen experience, firing him. Tony also confesses his lie about the fellowship to Nancy, admitting that he followed her to Provincetown, which outrages her.

Tony reunites with Sal in an attempt to raise money for his return home, first by trying to steal from Chef's house, then by organizing a clam bake on the beach, ostensibly to raise money to rebuild the Flagship. Tony has a change of heart when he sees the turnout to the clam bake, including his fellow employees at the Flagship, Nancy, and Chef. He makes amends with Nancy and Chef, who eventually rebuilds the Flagship and gives Tony a recommendation letter for the Culinary Institute of America. Following Chef's advice, Tony begins to go by "Anthony", and embarks on a thirty-year career as a chef.

• Dominic Sessa as Anthony "Tony" Bourdain
• Antonio Banderas as 'Chef'/José Vatel, the restaurant owner who hires Tony
• Emilia Jones as Nancy, Tony's love interest
• Dagmara Domińczyk as Gladys Sacksman Bourdain
• Rich Sommer as Pierre Bourdain
• Stavros Halkias as Stavros, a restaurant worker
• Leo Woodall as Sal, a restaurant worker
• Michael Jibrin as Tyrone, a restaurant worker
• Caroline Portu as Robin, Nancy's friend
• Monica Raymund as Mary
• Ava Davey-Bissett as Vicki
• Elle Shaheen as Mysterious Woman
• Eric Ripert as cooking instructor

After the release of his 2023 film BlackBerry, director Matt Johnson was "inundated" with pitches for various biopics, including for a film focusing on celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. Following a meeting with actor Dominic Sessa, Johnson and Miller conceived that the biopic would focus on Bourdain's early career.^[5] In August 2024, Deadline Hollywood reported that Johnson would direct the biopic, titled Tony, from a script by Todd Bartels and Lou Howe that was featured on the 2024 Black List, with Sessa starring as Bourdain.^[6][7] Tony is Johnson's first American film^[8] as well as his first feature that he does not star in.^[5] In April 2025, Antonio Banderas joined the cast.^[9] In May 2025, Emilia Jones and Leo Woodall joined the cast.^[10] In August 2025, it was announced that comedian Stavros Halkias had joined the cast and that filming had wrapped.^[11][12]

Tony was released in the United States by A24 in select theaters on August 7, 2026, with plans to expand nationwide on August 21, 2026.^[13][14] The first trailer was released in May.^[15][16]

On Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 198 critic reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Exploring how the iconic Anthony Bourdain came to be with a scrappy coming-of-age story that's equal parts sweet and tart, Tony is a splendid tribute to mentorship, complete with a standout performance by Antonio Banderas."^[17] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on 50 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[18]

The New York Times selected the film as an "NYT Critic's Pick." Reviewer Jeannette Catsoulis called the film "splendid" and said, "One of the many charms of Tony...is that the film would be just as pleasurable if its subject were a complete unknown. In other words, this fictionalized origin tale of Anthony Bourdain, the celebrated chef, writer, raconteur and television host who died in 2018, asks no more of its audience than any other movie about a mouthy teenager on the rocky road to adulthood."^[19]

The Wall Street Journal's Kyle Smith was particularly laudatory, writing "The unshowy dedication to craft is a marvel, and so is much else in this crystalline little film. It’s the most exhilarating experience I’ve had at the movies this year."^[20]