Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain

I still remember the first time I was introduced to Anthony Bourdain—on television. It was on “Top Chef” Season 3 where he was the guest judge. His commentary on the dishes was biting but on point and I found myself laughing as contestant Howie Kleinberg threw Bourdain’s words from his book Kitchen Confidential right back at him when he was criticized at the Judges Table. Of course, Bourdain couldn’t help but offer at least one expletive being beaten at his own game. That moment made me feel like I was seeing beyond the chef and TV personality—you could see the man himself. In Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain Director Morgan Neville gives us a closer look into Bourdain’s life and career as it took off and how he not only changed the way we view food, but also the lives of those who loved him best.

Developing a love of food from an early age and rising through the culinary ranks, Roadrunner starts off in 1999 with Bourdain as the executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in New York City. After holding just about every possible kitchen job and remaining clean after a rather hefty drug habit, Bourdain dabbled with the idea of writing down the stories of his trade into a book. Encouraged by his first wife Nancy and close colleagues, Bourdain started penning the book that would become known as Kitchen Confidential: Adventures In The Culinary Underbelly, later a New York Times Bestseller. His career then catapulted into television where he was filming such shows as “No Reservations” and “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” as well as churning out books A Cook’s Tour and Les Halles Cookbook.

Yet what makes Roadrunner great is not the history lesson, but rather the commentary of Bourdain’s nearest and dearest. Through those short snippets, there was more to Tony (as he was affectionately called) than meets the eye. While the public would see a confident, occasionally foul-mouthed and outgoing chef and television host, the real Bourdain was more shy and reserved. As his star rose through print and television, his relationship with Nancy floundered—ultimately leading to divorce. He found love again in his relationships with second wife Ottavia and then girlfriend Asia Argento (Ottavia gave him his daughter, Ariane). His travels to countries such as Vietnam, Lebanon, Haiti and the Congo for filming changed his perspective of the world. Eventually, the weight of fame and well-hidden insecurity took its toll when Bourdain took his own life. And though he has been gone for three years, the loss of his presence is prominent as there was not a dry eye amidst those who loved him most.

Morgan Neville has given us Bourdain in a way that we have never seen before: through the eyes of his friends, family and production crew. While Bourdain would occasionally chime in on old footage during Roadrunner, it wasn’t necessary. It was much more enlightening to hear how fellow friend and writer Joel Rose recalled being reprimanded by Bourdain for not sharpening his knives at Thanksgiving. Or how friend and chef Eric Ripert refers to him as “my idol” and respected Bourdain for his impeccable tableside manner. Creative partners Lydia Tenaglia and Chris Collins fondly recall the moment they saw Tony finally come into his own on “A Cook’s Tour.” Or how friend and chef Eric Chang got emotional even now recalling Bourdain telling him he would never be a good father, deflecting his own feelings about his absence in his own daughter’s life. It is through these moments I have finally come to understand Bourdain on a human level, beyond the glitz and glam, and I wish that we had more rather than just these memories.