When I first heard about Tony, the latest movie from A24 about the early life of the late Anthony Bourdain, I was intrigued, but I was also a little skeptical. As a huge fan of Bourdain’s, I openly wondered if a movie like this would work, and whether it would be a fitting legacy for the writer and travel show pioneer. It turns out, I wasn’t alone. Some fans of Bourdain have been outspoken in their belief that Bourdain would’ve hated the even the idea of a movie like this. Recently, his former assistant, Laurie Woolever, wrote an article addressing what she thinks Bourdain would have thought, and even she isn't sure. (Image credit: A24)Predicting Anything With Bourdain Was ImpossibleI understand why fans assume they know what Bourdain would have thought about Tony, which stars Dominic Sessa as the chef. With his many books and TV shows, the raconteur let us, as fans, in on many details of his life, both good and bad. A big part of what made him so popular is that he was so honest and often vulnerable about his life. We really felt like we knew him, even though we never met him. That led to online discourse among some fans deriding the movie, flatly claiming that Bourdain would have hated it. According to Woolever, that’s not necessarily the case. Writing for Bon Appétit, Woolever states:I quickly learned not to predict his responses to the many queries that came to him through me.Even those closest to him, like Woolever, who worked for Bourdain for years, were kept off balance by his opinions and his choices. There is, in her mind, absolutely no way to know if Bourdain would have loved the idea of a movie, or hated the final product. She goes on: He was often more than happy to do interviews with people whose viewpoints he adamantly opposed. He jumped at the opportunity to appear on Yo Gabba Gabba, a show aimed at toddlers. When Vogue magazine asked him to sit for a fashion shoot, I was certain he’d roll his eyes, but he said to me, ‘For reasons of overweening vanity, I’m eager to do it,’ before rattling off a list of designers he admired.There was definitely a part of the Parts Unknown star who loved stuff like this. Remember, back in 2005 Fox greenlit the sitcom Kitchen Confidential, a loose book-to-screen adaptation of Bourdain’s life and his groundbreaking 2000 book of the same name. The show starred Bradley Cooper as “Jack Bourdain,” but only lasted half a season before being canceled. So who’s to say exactly how Anthony Bourdain would’ve felt about this movie, which hits screens on the 2026 movie schedule this weekend? I can speak for myself, however, and despite my…reservations…about the movie, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Woolever did too, though she isn't sure the ending was what her former boss would've wanted. Bourdain has been gone eight years now, and I miss him as all his fans do, and in my opinion at least, I think the filmmakers did right by him and his legacy. Whether he would’ve agreed, we’ll never know.