Logline:
A gripping portrait of the inimitable Anthony Bourdain, Oscar®-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville’s new documentary Roadrunner traces the unlikely life and career of the chef turned bestselling author and global television star through the eyes of the people who knew him best.
Mental health has been talked about for decades, just never out in the open. The older generations were made to believe that you were supposed to suffer in silence, especially if you are a man. You were told to keep it to yourself and to just stuff your feelings deep down somewhere in your subconscious. You can even revisit old sitcoms and you’ll see that talking about your emotions is portrayed as weak and feminine. I think we can all agree, keeping all the pain, grief, anger, and sadness bottled up hasn’t been great for our society as a whole; it’s pretty evident in the age of social media. Not only can unwell minds deteriorate that person, but everything and everyone around them. So without going to deep into, check-in on your friends as well as yourself, you may just save a life.
“…He ran for a long time, but you’re not going to outsmart pain.”
Morgan Neville’s Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain is an exploratory dive into the life, mind, and passing of the actual most interesting man in the world. From novel beginnings to a grim metamorphosis, the documentary celebrates his life but also speaks truth to a dark side that most of us never knew existed. Told through friend interviews, clips from his shows, and personal recordings, it is a complex story about a complex storyteller. Beginning from his days as a New York City chef to then becoming a New York Times bestselling author, Bourdain was never one to bite his tongue. He was brilliant, opinionated, charismatic, and had the gift of gab. His way with words made him someone worth listening to and thrust him into the public eye. Eventually, that star-power put him on television where millions could be charmed by his personality, taught by his humanity, and informed by his own thirst to learn and explore. His story is as entertaining as it is tragic. Showcasing his darkly profound understanding of the world around him, Bourdain struggled with not only the happenings around him but his own mental health. His highs were in the stratosphere while his lows were macabre thoughts of suicide.
The documentary lets us know plain and simple that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. From failed marriages to not seeing his daughter as much as he liked, where there was fame and notoriety, there was pain and torment. It’s a paradox of getting what you want happens to be taking away what you have. Nevertheless, there are some truly beautiful moments. While there is a grim transformation that takes place in the latter part of his life, there is a wonderful blossoming that initially takes place as his television career begins to thrive. We see it during the situation in Beirut in 2006 and while in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We also see it with the ones he’s closest to whether it’s a lover, a production assistant, or life itself. He loved everyone and they loved him back. This documentary is well done and deserves to be seen. It’s not your typical celebratory doc where everyone says only nice things. There were dark moments that affected everyone around him and a storm brewing that eventually consumed him, and his friends let you know exactly what was going on and how they felt about it. Roadrunner is very interesting, edited well, and one of my favorite documentaries this year. Its rewatchability is high.
Pacing & Pop
The pacing of this film is like a calm boat ride that you knew had a waterfall at the end but you’re still surprised by it. What really popped for me was learning about the unfortunate tail-end of his life. I was aware of what happened but was not was that he was getting swallowed by a full downward spiral and it didn’t seem that anyone could do anything about it.
Influence & Impact
I, like many others, was very sad when hearing of Anthony Bourdain’s passing in 2018. He showed us parts of the world that we had never seen and in a way, we had never seen. He brought a philosophic elegance to our living rooms that let us know that we can connect with each other and learn about one another through the food we eat. His shows were never just fancy places and well-plated food, he showed us places that were rarely visited with people who get looked over by the western world. He attacked his endeavors with humanity and humility and that’s why we all loved him. Not to mention, he just seemed like a cool guy. His impact is everywhere. He set the standard for every food/travel show after his and I don’t think anyone else has been able to achieve the same level of reverence. Anthony Bourdain made us want to get out and do things, see the unknown parts of the world, talk to people, and of course, eat some good food. He is definitely one of a kind and is missed by us all.
Roadrunner releases in theaters on July 16, 2021. Stay safe and enjoy.
Director: Morgan Neville
Editors: Eileen Meyer, Aaron Wickenden, ace
Producers: Caitrin Rogers, p.g.a, Morgan Neville, p.g.a
Executive Producers: Amy Entelis, Courtney Sexton, Lizzie Fox
Rated: R
Runtime: 1h 58m
Rating: 4.5 out 0f 5
Senior Critic. Observing the human race since 1988.
