“You’re probably going to find out about it anyway. So here’s a little preemptive truth-telling: There’s no happy ending.” That prophecy comes from the voice of Anthony Bourdain in the biographical documentary about his life. Director Morgan Neville’s biopic ‘Roadrunner’ captures the man, the myth and the celebrity in raw detail. He was much more than a globe-traveling TV personality. This tribute gives fans a chance to admire his legacy. ‘Roadrunner’ reminds us what made him so extraordinary before he tragically took his life in 2018.
Bourdain did not experience fame until his 40s. In his own words, he was a mediocre chef. It was the memoir “Kitchen Confidential” that catapulted him into stardom. He had no idea that anybody would read his book. It became a best-seller practically overnight. He simply wanted to write about the underbelly of a chef’s life in a New York restaurant. It was a hot, sweaty and thankless work. The hours were long and the job was hard. Neville has footage of Bourdain at the French restaurant he ran. It shows him take a break for a smoke and splash water on his face.
The doc chronicles Bourdain’s rise as a TV personality. As the husband and wife producing team explain, the first few shows were rocky. He was actually a shy person. The first travel show ‘A Cook’s Tour’ took off when they let him be himself. He went on to host ‘No Reservations,’ ‘The Layover,’ and ‘Parts Unknown.’ The last one was still in production at the time of his death. His personality came out in these shows. He was curious, funny, angry and brutally honest. He cared about the people and cultures that he visited around the world.
The film has interviews with friends and family close to the chef. We see him with his first wife, Nancy Putkoski and then his second wife, Ottavia Busia. There is some great footage of Bourdain and his daughter Ariane at home. He appears to enjoy being a dad. And then there is footage with actress Asia Argento who was his final girlfriend. They split up before his death. The film does not blame her for his demise but it would have been interesting to get her perspective. The director has commented that interviewing her would have become narrative quicksand.
There’s a telling scene where Bourdain is with a therapist in Argentina. As Bourdain lies on the couch, he talks about some of his demons. She asks him if he wants to change them. He tells her that it might be too late. Like all of us, he was not perfect. He had an addictive personality. This is seen through his chain smoking and drug addiction. Some of the best scenes are when he is sharing a salami sandwich and bottle of wine with his buddy chef Eric Ripert. He was the one that discovered Bourdain unresponsive in a French hotel room.
‘Roadrunner’ is a moving portrait of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. Don’t go into this documentary looking for reasons why he checked out. Go into it celebrating his life and impressive body of work. One thing I will always take away from his adventures is to be a traveler and not a tourist.
