Young Tony (Dominic Sessa) has had a rough night. When he wakes up in a hammock with a shiner, brilliant white sand dunes behind him, he doesn’t know yet that it’s the first day of the rest of his life, which happens to be the too-short life of chef, author, TV host and international flâneur Anthony Bourdain.

However, “Tony,” the movie, written by Todd Bartels, Lou Howe, Matthew Miller and director Matt Johnson, isn’t really about “Anthony Bourdain.” It’s best not to think too much about him while enjoying this roguish coming-of-age dramedy. While the film is inspired by Bourdain’s first summer in a restaurant kitchen in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the story is one young man’s transformation from arrogant Vassar student “Tony,” into “Flaco,” his restaurant kitchen nickname as a lowly dishwasher, and finally, into “Anthony,” aspiring culinary student.

Tony describes himself as “insouciant,” and he is, even if he doesn’t quite know what that word means. He also describes himself as a writer, though we never see him write anything. We know he’ll eventually become a writer, but first, a chef. And before that, he’s “badly in need of a good ass-kicking,” to quote the epigraph that opens the film, from Bourdain’s blockbuster 2000 memoir “Kitchen Confidential.”

“Tony” takes place during a fleeting moment in time, a few pages from a book prized open like an oyster and savored in all its briny glory, like the bucket of saltwater to the face that serves as his regular alarm clock. Johnson, the director, isn’t all too interested in the legend of Bourdain, but who Bourdain was before he was a legend, and the pivotal couple of months that changed the trajectory of his life.

Johnson imagines it in all its ‘70s beach town glory. If you’re fond of sand dunes and salty air, well, you’ve come to the right movie. Working with cinematographer Michael Bauman, Johnson conjures the intoxicating aromas, textures and atmosphere of coastal New England and the restaurant kitchen that becomes the epicenter of Tony’s universe; one can practically bask in the stink of smoke, sweat and squid stew. Sessa, with a frame built for bell-bottoms and leather jackets, skulks and glowers with a pout and period accurate mop of curly hair. His Tony is bratty, moody, tenacious, a liar and undeniably charismatic.

Tony arrives on the ferry to P-town following a girl, Nancy (Emilia Jones), already weaving a web of lies that will eventually blow up in his face. He may be chasing Nancy, but it’s a chef (Antonio Banderas) who will change his life. Chef (his sole moniker throughout the film) eighty-sixes a hammered Tony from the bar at his seafood joint The Flagship, but takes pity on the teen and gives him his hammock for the night. The next morning, it’s up to Tony to put his miserable charms to use and appeal to Chef’s charity for a job in exchange for a roof over his head. Eventually, he weasels his way into the hearts of the kitchen’s motley crew of roughneck line cooks, and the soulful, spiritual Chef, who captains his ship with strict rules and a warm heart.

This is Johnson’s second excellent film of 2026, after his mind-meltingly funny “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” but “Tony” is his most straightforward and amiable film yet. Johnson’s sharp, brainy “Blackberry” may have been a biopic of a smartphone, but “Tony” manages to avoid most of the biopic boobytraps, except for a few at the end that feel tacked on and somewhat antithetical to Johnson’s immersive vision. His focus is on transporting us into this world with immediacy, scattering pertinent story details with a playful sense of spontaneity. However, everything is intentionally, precisely placed.

Like Tony, we’re swept off our feet by the strange new community into which he has accidentally tumbled, full of new customs (smack talk), gatherings (family meal) and hazing rituals (french fry cutter). Beguiling but troubled oyster shucker Sal (a terrific Leo Woodall) takes him under his wing as a party pal, and ultimately, Tony has to make a choice. Does he want to be a Sal — a fun jerk with a devil-may-care attitude — or a Chef — driven, wise, perfectionist? Perhaps Bourdain himself split the difference.

In a particularly poignant moment, Tony asks Chef about a painting of a cook piercing himself with a sword. Chef explains the legend of a famed French chef who killed himself over a delayed fish delivery. “But why?” Tony asks, unable to understand why an obsessive man might kill himself over something so meaningless. The question persists.

It’s a summer that makes Tony question everything about himself, but Johnson’s film draws Bourdain into focus, despite his biopic resistance. Some answers may remain murky, but this shining jewel of a film makes one moment crystal clear.

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'TONY'

3.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for pervasive language, drug use, and sexual content/nudity)

Running time: 1:46

How to watch: In theaters nationwide Aug. 21

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