When we first saw the trailer for Tony, expectations were low. It looked like a biopic-by-numbers movie about “the coming of age of a future celebrity.” Instead, it's a deeply human portrait of a chapter in Bourdain's life constructed with humor, love, and collaborative invention from director Matthew Johnson.
In this episode, we break down Johnson’s evolution as a filmmaker, Dominic Sessa’s performance as a young Anthony Bourdain, and a movie built around self-invention and pathological lying all in the pursuit of finding meaning (and trade and family and purpose). We also compare Tony to Johnson's previous feature, BlackBerry (2023).
And finally, Benji tells the story of meeting Anthony Bourdain in Livingston, Montana, in 2009.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 First reactions to Tony
06:07 Dominic Sessa as a young Bourdain
12:56 Matthew Johnson, BlackBerry and the filmmakers behind Tony
25:16 The real Anthony Bourdain, Nancy, and Kitchen Confidential
31:36 Tony as a pathological liar
40:55 The Flagship, Sal, and Bourdain wielding nunchuks
48:59 The Lying Montage
55:26 Kitchens, male culture, and malevolent bonding
58:48 Benji meets Anthony Bourdain
01:05:51 The legacy of Bourdain
01:10:42 Another excellent coming of age movie: This Boy’s Life (1993)
--
Also available on all podcast platforms 🎧
https://www.allthosemomentspod.com/subscribe
Follow the podcast on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/allthosemomentspod/
