Level 1 - Absolute Beginner

A new movie is called 'Tony.' It is about a young man named Anthony Bourdain. Later in life, Bourdain becomes a famous chef and TV host. He dies in 2018. The movie shows him when he is young.

The movie happens in 1975. Tony is 19 years old. He works at a small restaurant in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The restaurant makes lobster food.

An actor named Dominic Sessa plays young Tony. An actor named Antonio Banderas plays 'Chef.' Chef is the boss of the restaurant. He is tough, but he also cares about Tony.

Critics like the movie very much. They say Sessa and Banderas act very well. The movie is not making a lot of money yet, but people like it a lot.

chef

a person who cooks food, especially the head cook in a restaurant

restaurant

a place where people go to buy and eat meals

actor

a person who plays a character in a movie or play

critic

a person whose job is to give an opinion about movies, books, or art

young

not old; in the early part of life

famous

known by many people

boss

the person in charge of workers at a job

movie

a film that people watch for entertainment

Level 2 - Elementary

A24 has released a new movie called 'Tony.' It tells the early story of Anthony Bourdain, who later became a famous chef, writer, and TV host. Bourdain passed away in 2018, but this movie takes place many years earlier, before anyone knew his name.

The story is set in the summer of 1975. Tony is a restless 19-year-old spending the summer in Provincetown, Massachusetts. He starts working at a small lobster restaurant, washing dishes in the kitchen.

Dominic Sessa, who became known for his role in 'The Holdovers,' plays young Tony. Antonio Banderas plays the restaurant owner, simply called 'Chef.' Chef is gruff on the outside, but he slowly becomes a caring mentor to Tony, teaching him about hard work and the kitchen.

Reviews have been strong. Critics say Sessa shows real talent, and many are calling this his first true movie-star performance. Banderas is receiving praise too, with some critics even calling his performance Oscar-worthy. So far, the film's biggest strength is its reviews, since ticket sales have stayed modest as it slowly expands to more theaters.

restless

unable to stay calm or still, often because of energy or boredom

mentor

an older or more experienced person who guides and teaches someone

gruff

having a rough or unfriendly manner, even if the person is kind inside

praise

words that show approval or admiration for someone

performance

the way an actor plays a role in a movie or show

review

a written opinion about whether a movie, book, or product is good

expand

to grow larger or reach more places

talent

a natural skill or ability to do something well

Level 3 - Intermediate

A24's new coming-of-age dramedy 'Tony' opened in Los Angeles and New York on August 7, 2026, before expanding into a wider theatrical release on August 21. Directed by Matt Johnson, the 1 hour 46 minute film imagines the origin story of Anthony Bourdain, the chef, author, and television host who died in 2018, long before he became a household name.

The story unfolds in the summer of 1975, when a restless, ambitious 19-year-old Tony takes a job at a small lobster restaurant in Provincetown, Massachusetts. What begins as dishwashing quickly turns into an informal apprenticeship under Chef, the restaurant's owner, played by Antonio Banderas. Gruff but ultimately protective, Chef becomes the kind of mentor figure who shapes a young person without ever seeming to try.

Dominic Sessa, previously known for 'The Holdovers,' plays young Tony, and critics have praised his ability to capture the contradictions that would later define Bourdain's public persona: braggadocio layered over genuine insecurity, misplaced ambition mixed with real sorrow. Several reviews describe it as Sessa's first true movie-star turn. Banderas, meanwhile, has drawn some of his strongest notices in years, with a handful of critics floating his performance as an awards contender.

Commercially, the film remains a modest performer. Over the weekend of August 28 to 30, 'Tony' earned roughly five million dollars, pushing its three-week domestic total to about 6.6 million dollars, figures typical of a platform release still working its way into more theaters. That weekend it competed for screens against wide releases like 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' and 'Coyote vs. Acme,' meaning strong reviews, rather than box office muscle, remain the film's clearest asset so far.

coming-of-age

describing a story about a young person growing up and maturing

apprenticeship

a period of learning a skill or trade by working under an experienced person

braggadocio

boastful or overconfident talk about oneself

persona

the public image or personality a person presents to others

contender

someone or something with a real chance of winning a competition or award

domestic total

the total money a film earns from ticket sales within its home country

platform release

a film release strategy that opens in a few theaters before gradually expanding

notice

a published review or critical response to a performance or work

Level 4 - Advanced

A24's 'Tony,' a coming-of-age dramedy directed by Matt Johnson, opened in Los Angeles and New York on August 7, 2026, before broadening into a wider release on August 21. Running a lean 1 hour 46 minutes, the film reaches backward into the pre-fame origins of Anthony Bourdain, the chef, author, and television host whose 2018 death left an outsized void in food and travel media, imagining the restless 19-year-old who existed long before the persona the public came to know.

Set during the summer of 1975, the film follows Tony to Provincetown, Massachusetts, where a job washing dishes at a modest lobster restaurant becomes an unlikely proving ground. The restaurant's owner, known only as Chef and played by Antonio Banderas, is gruff and unsentimental on the surface, yet the film gradually reveals him as a mentor whose influence on Tony proves formative, a device that lets the film dramatize the making of a sensibility rather than simply narrate a career.

Critical response has centered on the two central performances. Dominic Sessa, building on the promise of 'The Holdovers,' has drawn praise for rendering Bourdain's foundational contradictions with unusual specificity: a braggadocio that masks genuine insecurity, an ambition that is frequently misdirected, and an undercurrent of sorrow that never quite resolves. Several critics have framed the role as Sessa's first true movie-star turn, a marked step beyond his earlier, more restrained work. Banderas, for his part, has received some of the most enthusiastic notices of his career, with a number of critics floating his performance as a legitimate awards contender, a notable reappraisal for an actor whose recent output has drawn comparatively little of that kind of attention.

The commercial picture tells a more modest story. Over the weekend of August 28 to 30, 'Tony' grossed approximately five million dollars, lifting its three-week domestic cumulative to roughly 6.6 million dollars, numbers consistent with a platform release still in the process of finding its footing in additional theaters rather than a film built for a wide-release debut. That weekend it shared the marketplace with tentpole titles such as 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' and 'Coyote vs. Acme,' underscoring the asymmetry between 'Tony's' critical reception and its box office footprint. For now, the reviews, rather than the receipts, constitute the film's most persuasive argument.

sensibility

a person's particular way of perceiving, judging, or responding to things

formative

having a strong and lasting influence on someone's development or character

reappraisal

a fresh, often more favorable, reassessment of someone or something

tentpole

a large, high-budget film expected to draw major box office revenue

cumulative

increasing or growing by successive additions; a running total