Tony (2026)

Director Johnson has mastered the right balance of humour and heart in his dramadies. While BlackBerry ran right down the middle, his last film Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie leaned into the comedy while wearing a big damn heart on its sleeve.  With Tony he explores a more dramatic side while keeping the story rooted in the sort of organic humour that keeps you smiling even when what you’re seeing is rough. 

I often don’t enjoy biopics cause of their tendency to lionize their subjects and sugarcoat history. Tony feels a little different. Yes it’s treating its beloved subject in a very sympathetic way but it also deprecates him enough to get a pass. Young Tony is a bit of an ass and yet we care about him anyway. For a man we know is going to end his own life eventually we get to see him full of human joy and errors and passions and anger. The film doesn’t address his death instead focusing on his formative years and referencing his later successes. As it should be. 

And the story works because it doesn’t have to be a true story. The characters and plot lines are engaging and interesting enough to be fiction. The cast is great. Sessa continues to shine and those supporting him all bring their A game. 

Tony overcame my apprehension about biopics by being genuine and finding, at its heart, the right story to capture a bit of who Bourdain may have been. 

Tony

Starting: Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, Dagmara Domińczyk, Rich Sommer, Stavros Halkias, Leo Woodall, Antonio Banderas

Director: Matt Johnson 

Writers: Matthew Miller, Todd Bartels, Lou Howe, Matt Johnson