"Roadrunner" -- Movie Review

 

This weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival’s Virtual Cinema, I streamed “Roadrunner”, the new documentary about the late chef-writer-television host Anthony Bourdain.

Synopsis

How did the noted ex-chef change the way we viewed other cultures and why did he end his life?

Story

In 1999, Chef Anthony Bourdain’s life changed irrevocably when his book “Kitchen Confidential” was published.  At the age of 43, Bourdain found himself the author of a best seller which was read and loved by many in the restaurant business.  What Bourdain himself could not have predicted was that it would eventually lead to him leaving his world as a chef behind in order to become a full-time writer and host of a television show.  As hard as it was for Bourdain to believe his good fortune, his long-lasting influence on people around the world -- and especially in the United States -- was equally unforeseeable.  

When Bourdain was hired to write a book called “Cook’s Tour”, a production company reached out to him to ask if they could film his excursions around the world for the purpose of selling the resulting footage as a television show -- when Bourdain consented, the show also named “Cook’s Tour” was born on The Food Network.  Eventually, he and the production team moved the show to The Travel Channel, where it was renamed “No Reservations”; after many years, the show moved to CNN under the name “Parts Unknown”.  All the while, Bourdain kept writing a stunning array of books between his journeys.

During the last couple of years of his life, Bourdain had changed -- and it was clear to those closest to him that his demeanor had taken a dark turn.  Restless and miserable, Bourdain separated from his wife Ottavia, with whom they had a daughter.  He continued with his television show responsibilities, albeit joylessly.  Then, he met actress and filmmaker Asia Argento, who became his new romantic interest.  His mood changed for the better.  When she announced her sexual assault by a noted producer, Bourdain became an advocate for the Me Too movement.  However, his enthusiasm for his advocacy waned when he learned of Argento’s trysts with a much younger actor.  While shooting an episode of his CNN show in France, Bourdain committed suicide in his hotel room.  

Review

If you consider yourself a hardcore Bourdain fan, you may come away with some strongly mixed feelings about this documentary.  For one thing, there is very little in the way of previously-unseen footage from his old television shows; true, there are occasional outtakes, but much of this two-hour film consists of already aired footage.  One nice touch was the inclusion of some home videos where he’s seen as a doting dad to his daughter Arian.  While the last quarter of the movie focuses on Bourdain’s dark side, most of it concentrates on what he contributed to society and American culture.

There are some notable things missing from the documentary.  Perhaps the most glaring is the direct question to each of the interviewees, “Why do you think Bourdain committed suicide?”.  Since he did not leave a note, we can never know for sure, but it would nevertheless be good to have heard the answer.  One person interviewed merely speculated that Bourdain felt that he had come to the end of a successful journey and this would be a logical end.  Also missing were those who did not appear in the film:  his friend and former Travel Channel host Chef Andrew Zimmern and Bourdain’s girlfriend Asia Argento.  Were they asked?  Did they decline?  Did their interview wind up on the so-called cutting room floor?  Who knows?  His friend, Chef Éric Ripert, made it in the final cut; this is significant because he was the one who found Bourdain’s body in the hotel room, yet he declined to talk about the incident.    

Following the screening, there was an interview with the director, Morgan Neville.  He was approached by CNN and the family estate to do the documentary; although he wasn’t a Bourdain super-fan, he was convinced to make the film after working with restaurateur David Chang on a television show.  After becoming friends with Chang and learning how deeply Chang was hurt by Bourdain’s death, Neville was determined to shoot the movie.  Work on the documentary began about a year and a half after Bourdain’s death, so the memory of his passing remained fresh for those interviewed -- evidenced by how emotional many of them got during the conversation.  Among the interviews conducted which failed to make the final cut was one with David Simon, who was the creator of the HBO television series “Treme”, on which Bourdain served as a writer.