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Ok, so my favourite thing about this screening was the fact that there was what they called a Pre-Reception. Basically, they handed out 2 oysters to everyone before the movie. The delicious and very fresh oysters were provided by Island Oysters. Shoutout to them for feeding the audience something instead of popcorn. My friend wasn't a fan, so he skipped the oysters.
On to the film. This film has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. My friend didn't like it much, but I don't think he knows as much about the legend as I do, and I for sure don't know everything.
But here's what I know for sure. They got some things right, but I felt some things were missing.
Domenic Sessa plays Bourdain in the movie. He has similarities, but I think the posture threw me off and the glazed eyes most of the time. This movie was a harsh look at the very beginning of his career when he seemed to lie to everyone about everything, and he did a lot of unkind things.
What the movie got right was the mentorship of a chef-owner (played masterfully by Antonio Banderas), who gave him a break when no one else probably would have. And the bonds he made with his fellow pirate chefs. The other great up-and-coming actor is Leo Woodall, who has played so many very different characters. This one didn't have very many redeeming qualities.
The film is a look at the influence of the people you surround yourself with and how falling in love with someone makes you want to fake being a better person than you are and push yourself to be that better person.
The movie portrays Bourdain as a totally careless, inconsiderate jerk. Here's where I have conflicting feelings.
I can't even remember the year I met Bourdain, but it was many years ago. I used to volunteer at Rogers Television as a makeup artist to get some TV credits on my resume. I worked on 3 shows, Reel to Real, Auto Talk, and Goldhawk Live, and sometimes another show. Very different shows with very different guests. One day I got a call to go into the studio in the morning to do makeup for a pre-tape interview, and the subject was a New York Chef. That's all they told me. It was for the show Daytime, which aired at 10 a.m. Most of the shows I did were prime time. One thing I learned over time was to try to make the people in the chair feel comfortable. I did the makeup for Politicians, Automotive industry guys, and film review hosts. And here I am years later, reviewing a film about a guy that I met once briefly and tried to do his makeup while making him feel at ease before his interview.
This was my impression of him long before I ever watched his show. When he first sat down, he seemed reserved — almost reluctant to be there, as though he'd have preferred to be anywhere else, washing dishes included. It was clear that fashion and makeup weren't exactly his world, but that was the job, and he showed up for it.
At the time, I had no idea who he was. But I was a passionate food lover long before I ever became the Starving Foodie — so naturally, I asked him which country had given him the greatest food experience of his travels. Without hesitation, he said Vietnam.
The moment food and travel entered the conversation, something shifted. The reserve melted away. His entire expression changed — a light came into his eyes that hadn't been there before, and the passion just poured out of him. It was impossible to miss and impossible to fake.
Having witnessed that transformation firsthand, I couldn't help but feel its absence in the film. Though I understand why — that kind of raw, unguarded aliveness is nearly impossible to capture on cue.
What gave the film credibility, though, was the cameo appearance by his good friend Eric Ripert from Le Bernadin in New York. Giving it his stamp of approval. He knew Tony and was there at the end. We will never know what really happened at the end of his life and all the secrets and dark thoughts he took with him. Tony was admired for his wit and his originality and for breaking some of the rules.
As I mentioned when I started this post, this isn't an unbiased review because meeting Tony made it personal to the brief encounter I had with him many years before the pressure of fame and ratings.
I still recommend seeing it, as it starts his journey at 19, when a lot of men are young and dumb, so there's that. They fail, and then they learn, and eventually they become the people they were supposed to be.
I really miss his shows; they were different and interesting and timeless.
