Anthony Bourdain, the intrepid chef, heroin addict, best-selling author of KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL, and host of the long-running TV show PARTS UNKNOWN, committed suicide in 2018, and this documentary by Morgan Neville, focuses on life, his work, and his friends, leaving them to figure out why. Everyone loves attention and Anthony was no exception. But he left his loving wife and beautiful young daughter to pursue the fame monster, and much like a heroin addiction, it appears to have eventually caused his death.
Anthony was certainly a paradox – relaxed, easy-going, manic, brilliant, and foolish. Perhaps this is why he was so popular – he was a flawed, open book to his fans, but it is very clear that near the end of his life, he was giving off obvious signals about his unhappiness. The post-mortem toxicology report shows he was clean and sober when he took his own life, so we can only wonder about his internal demons.
Available in theaters and on HBO MAX.
