The new documentary leaves no parts unknown in the adventures of Bourdain, who will also ‘narrate’ through unused and archived footage.
The late Anthony Bourdain, known for his programs Parts Unknown and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, is the subject of an upcoming documentary. Called Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, the Focus Features-produced film promises to offer an “intimate, behind-the-scenes look” at the life he lived “unabashedly.”
The trailer for the film dropped last weekend and it’s hitting fans right in the feels—and rightfully so.
Better person
Not only is the trailer coming out three years after the icon’s sudden passing, Bourdain—loved dearly by his many fans around the world—is also expected to “narrate” the documentary through a mix of unused and archived footage from his many adventures.
For many, the two-minute clip is enough of a reminder of the journey, contributions, and lasting impact of the renowned chef, restaurateur, and author, and just how much his presence is missed.
“It was almost never about food,” Bourdain’s longtime friend David Chang says in the trailer opener, one of the many guests invited to speak about the icon for the film. “It was about Tony learning to be a better person.”
Bourdain first rose to fame for an editorial piece for The New Yorker called “Don’t Eat Before Reading This” in 1999, where he shared an honest look at the inner workings of restaurants, specifically kitchens.
“One minute I was standing next to a deep fryer and the next, I was watching the sun set over the Sahara. What am I doing here?” he recalls in the trailer.
Without fear and prejudice
He expounds on this topic in a bestselling book released the following year called Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.
The book later became the gateway to hosting multiple television programs, where he explored exotic cuisine and street food around the world, “eating and drinking with people without fear and prejudice.” He did this while seeking and sharing stories that needed to be told—social issues included.
Bourdain, who has openly talked about his struggles with substance abuse, died from an apparent suicide in France back in 2018 while filming for his award-winning CNN series Parts Unknown.
“You’re probably gonna find out about it anyway, so here’s a little preemptive truth-telling: There’s no happy ending,” Bourdain says in an old voiceover clip included in the trailer.
Viewers eager to watch Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?), know that the same is true for the film.
But as Bourdain himself said, “You take something and hopefully, you leave something good behind,” and for his family, friends, and fans, good does not even capture the legacy he left behind.
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain comes out in theaters July 16, and will be aired on CNN and HBO Max at a later date.
