As "Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain" (2021 release; 115 min.) opens, Bourdain talks about how he wants/hopes to be remembered after he dies. We then hear one of the many talking heads: "A little bit of pre-emptive truth-telling: there is no happy ending here". And with that we are off on a whirlwind tour of the life and times of Anthony Bourdain, the erstwhile celebrity chef-turned NYT bestselling author-turned TV world travel host.
Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from Oscar-winning Morgan Neville ("20 Feet From Stardom", "Won't You Be My Neighbor"). Here he delves into what drove Bourdain to do what he did. For some (like myself), we associate Bourdain with his bestselling "Kitchen Confidential", but others may associate him more with his long running TV travel shows. I have never seen any of these TV shows. Morgen seemingly was given unfettered access to previously unseen footage, including home recordings (on smart phones). The big picture that eventually emerges is a complicated one, even a dark one. Bourdain asks a friend at some point: "You are successful. Yet are you happy?" Talk about a loaded question! The documentary gets better as it moves along, Yet at the same time, one must ask: what do you call a man who takes his own life and leaves behind a young daughter? I find it very troubling myself.
"Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain" premiered at last month's Tribeca film festival to immediate critical acclaim. It opened in theaters this weekend. The early Saturday evening screening where I saw this at my local art0hous theatre here in Cincinnati was attended very nicely (a quick count of about 35-40 people). If you were/are a fan of Anthony Bourdain, or simply are in the mood for an insightful documentary, I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.
Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from Oscar-winning Morgan Neville ("20 Feet From Stardom", "Won't You Be My Neighbor"). Here he delves into what drove Bourdain to do what he did. For some (like myself), we associate Bourdain with his bestselling "Kitchen Confidential", but others may associate him more with his long running TV travel shows. I have never seen any of these TV shows. Morgen seemingly was given unfettered access to previously unseen footage, including home recordings (on smart phones). The big picture that eventually emerges is a complicated one, even a dark one. Bourdain asks a friend at some point: "You are successful. Yet are you happy?" Talk about a loaded question! The documentary gets better as it moves along, Yet at the same time, one must ask: what do you call a man who takes his own life and leaves behind a young daughter? I find it very troubling myself.
"Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain" premiered at last month's Tribeca film festival to immediate critical acclaim. It opened in theaters this weekend. The early Saturday evening screening where I saw this at my local art0hous theatre here in Cincinnati was attended very nicely (a quick count of about 35-40 people). If you were/are a fan of Anthony Bourdain, or simply are in the mood for an insightful documentary, I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.