Anthony Bourdain biopic a fresh take on the genre

After Michael, can we agree that biopics have gotten a bit paint-by-numbers? They're great for squeezing easy cash out of fans of the famous faces they depict, but their plot has been refined to a cynical formula with plenty of space reserved for musical breaks.

Tony, a portrait of troubled but towering chef Anthony Bourdain from A24, promises to be different. Rather than even attempt to capture the enormity of Bourdain's life and the impact he's left behind, Tony focuses on a select few months in a young Bourdain's life that set him on the path he would take for the rest of it.

I can't sum up this film any better than Bourdain's estate did when they released a statement in support:

Anthony Bourdain's legacy is meaningful to millions of people. He was a man who valued authenticity above all else and would have been both moved and baffled by the world's curiosity about his life.

We chose to support TONY because it is not a standard biopic and doesn't attempt to summarize a life. Guided by the vision of director Matt Johnson, the film depicts one transformative summer in 1975 in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It is an interpretation as that part of Tony's life will always remain somewhat unknown.

We appreciate the portrayal of Tony's complexity, his intellectual appetite and his conviction — qualities that eventually took him around the globe and endeared him to so many. We hope this film serves as a reminder that every journey has a start, and that audiences see the beginnings of the man who taught us how to be better explorers on our own paths.

A big celebrity biopic treating its subject and its audience with actual respect? Be still, my beating heart.