MOVIE REVIEW: TONY

 

Nineteen-year-old Anthony Bourdain stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that shapes the course of his life.

Director: Matthew Johnson

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

Release Date: August 7, 2026

Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama

Rated R for pervasive language, drug use, and sexual content/nudity.

Runtime: 1h 46m

Review:

Tony doesn’t require you to know much about the man at the center of the film which makes it an impressively accessible coming of age tale that never lionize which makes the character onscreen feel all the more real and human.  Matthew Johnson’s film lives and breathes as a portrait of a young man desperately searching for meaning and direction in his life that gives everything an air of authenticity.  He isn’t afraid to show his main character in an unflattering light for large portions of time as he’s shown to be a self-aggrandizing liar who’s most concerned with people being impressed with him.  He fails regularly and makes some horrible decisions along the way that should feel relatable to large portion of people.  Dominic Sessa captures that energy effortlessly as he gives the audience a sense of the character’s unearned superiority which masks an undercurrent of his failures.  His lanky figure and hunched over posture give the audience a sense of his awkwardness and insecurity along with a general willingness to follow anyone who’s willing to give him the time of day.   He becomes fast friends with Leo Woodall misfit restaurant worker, Sal, who possesses a chaotic charisma that Tony is initially entranced with until things go off the rails with their mentor played by Antonio Banderas.  Banderas has rarely been better as he delivers an award worthy turn as 'Chef' José Vatel who owns the small restaurant Tony ends up working and living with during that formative summer.  Banderas plays the character with impressive nuance and depth as he depicts the character as a tough taskmaster but underneath it there’s an understated soulfulness that enchanting once it reveals itself.  Their stellar work makes the emotional turns hit like a gut punch as this motley crew of a family fractures and nearly falls apart.  The restaurant relationships are so well done that it leaves Emilia Jones’ love interest story line feel more perfunctory than engaging even though his pursuit of her gets the plot rolling.  Those looking for a more expansive exploration of Bourdain will probably be better off sticking with his famous memoir, Kitchen Confidential, since Tony is concerned with a very specific point in time in his life.  That laser focus allows Tony to be a complicated but thoughtful tribute that displays the kind of honest humanism Bourdain would have likely appreciated.  

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: PRISCILLA

 

When teenager Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who's already a meteoric rock 'n' roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, and a gentle best friend.

Director: Sofia Coppola

Cast: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Dagmara Domińczyk, Ari Cohen, Tim Post, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Luke Humphrey, Dan Beirne

Release Date: September 4, 2023

Genre: Biography, Drama, Music

Rated R for drug use and some language.

Runtime: 1h 53m

Sofia Coppola's Priscilla is a visually striking film that establishes a consistent mood throughout but its frustratingly distance from its central character.  Coppola's film is meticulously constructed from start to finish and she sets up dreamlike moments that will linger long after the movie is over.  She creates a palpable sense of innocent infatuation that overcomes Priscilla as she falls hopelessly in love with Elvis.  You get the sense of naivety that comes with her youth, something the film makes sure to mention on multiple occasions, as she goes through a whirlwind romance with the superstar.  Once the action moves to Graceland, Coppola subtlety begins to give us glimpses of isolation and loneliness Priscilla experiences as she becomes Elvis's sort of kind of main squeeze.  There are a variety of long shots that drive home the relationship's power structure by placing the 5'1" Cailee Spaeny next to Jacob Elordi's towering 6′ 5″ frame.  Its a nuanced approach that works well in the film's favor and manages to make up for some of the film's shortcomings.  Cailee Spaeny delivers solid work in the central role especially in the first half as she gives the character a believable sense of youth and naiveite.  Sadly, the character inner thoughts and motivations are kept at arms length which makes it hard to connect to her on an emotional level.  She's a cypher for the majority of the film even as we're presented with some of the uglier, less glamourous aspects of the relationship.  The audience never gets a real understanding of what makes her tick or experience her emotional growth until it just happens in the film's final act which feels like a wasted opportunity.  Jacob Elordi's Elvis is less glossy than Austin Butler's turn for good reason as we get a sense of the subtle manipulation, overbearing and controlling nature at play.  Its odd but the film offers a better window into his psyche more so than we do into Priscilla's which seems like a strange choice.  There's plenty of fertile ground that's left unused which is a shame but Priscilla makes for an excellent juxtaposition in terms of style and subject matter vs Baz Luhrmann's Elvis.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: BOTTOMS

 

Unpopular best friends PJ and Josie start a high school fight club to meet girls and lose their virginity. They soon find themselves in over their heads when the most popular students start beating each other up in the name of self-defense.

Director: Emma Seligman

Cast: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine, Miles Fowler, Dagmara Domińczyk, Marshawn Lynch

Release Date: August 25, 2023

Genre: Comedy

Rated R for crude sexual content, pervasive language and some violence.

Runtime: 1h 32m

Emma Seligman’s Bottoms is a quick-witted high school teen comedy that takes the general tropes of the genre to an extreme level that pushes it closer to satire than anything else.  Seligman and Rachel Sennott, who stars as PJ, cowrote the film’s script which fires off a series of jokes at a rapid pace.  There’s a noticeable level of self-assured confidence in the way Seligman shoots the film which pairs perfectly with some top-notch comedic performances from Sennott and Ayo Edebiri.  The pair have great chemistry together as they bounce off each other with impressive ease which makes their relationship ring true even as things get more outrageous.  Sennott and Edebiri carry the majority of the film with their energy spilling over to the supporting cast.  Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine and Miles Fowler are all given plenty of time to shine throughout the film rather brisk runtime.  They added a level of depth to the film by populating the school landscape with hilarious caricatures of familiar high school types.   Those looking for a truer to life high school comedy might be disappointed since this film plays on a more exaggerated level of reality when compared to something like Booksmart or Lady Bird.   Bottoms isn’t that kind of teen comedy, instead it happily stakes out its own gonzo section of the genre to great effect.  

A-