A biopic about Anthony Bourdain, called Tony and directed by Matt Johnson, opens this Friday in select theaters with a broader distribution beginning on August 21. Rather than a retrospective that covers a lot of ground, the film focuses on a single year—1975—the summer that Bourdain writes about in Kitchen Confidential as pivotal to him becoming a chef. In a review of the film for Eater, Bettina Makalintal says that although she went into the biopic expecting to hate it, she was instead charmed by it.

©A24

Makalintal explains that the film doesn't lionize its subject; its depiction of a 19-year-old Tony hews closely to how Bourdain describes himself in Kitchen Confidential: "a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless young lout, badly in need of a good ass-kicking." The story arc is relatable even if you don't know who Bourdain is, because it is the familiar tale of beginning to find yourself and the obstacles and setbacks that get in the way.

This generality is why Rolling Stone's David Fear gives a less positive review of Tony. He says that the film at its best is "a compelling, slightly cracked coming-of-age story if, and only if, you forget that the kid onscreen is supposed to be Anthony Bourdain," and at its worst is "shaggy superhero origin-story fan fiction." Fear does have praise for the chef-mentor played by Antonio Banderas, who is "bringing an entire history to this character even when he's just quietly beaming." Other critics give the biopic mostly positive reviews, so if you are a fan of Bourdain you will probably enjoy Tony. Just don't expect to like young Tony as much as you like Anthony Bourdain.