Review: ‘ Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain’ Doesn't Meet the Stature of Its Subject
“I think it’s the least I can do … to see the world with open eyes.”
Each episode of Anthony Bourdain’s groundbreaking series Parts Unknown was a reminder that sovereign borders were merely lines drawn to divvy up the human experience. By crossing those borders and bringing a willingness to challenge your beliefs, a space for dialog and mutual understanding could emerge that was previously thought nonexistent by way of news-of-the-day cable news networks or politicians peddling “shithole country” mentalities to the masses. His show was, and still is, exceptionally good at changing your world perspective, and it was a testament to Bourdain’s nature as a human-being that he afforded such compassion and openness on a show of its kind.
The dishwasher turned chef turned author turned global traveller was of few compare, but given his far-reaching and considerable influence, it was only a matter of time before Bourdain became the subject of his own documentary, especially given his unexpected passing in 2018. Morgan Neville, director of esteemed documentaries such as 20 Feet From Stardom and Won’t You Be My Neighbor, decided he would be try his hand at providing some semblance of closure for a life gone too soon.
The self-proclaimed intent of Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain is to understand who Anthony Bourdain was and why — a conventional setup, but a tried and true one especially under Neville’s sentimental tendencies. The anonymous New York chef was flung into stardom in his early forties after an off-hand email netted him a book deal that turned into a bestseller. Thereafter, a ground breaking television show was forged, and almost immediately, fame and fortune was thrust upon Bourdain.
For most of the documentary, Neville reveals the inner workings of a person who suddenly has everything yet feels more isolated than ever. To travel the world, eat every delicacy none to mankind, and be famous might amount to what most consider the dream, but for a romantic like Bourdain, who envisioned life as that of a movie, it never quite met his expectations, particularly with his personal life. Being on the road left him grasping for something personal to hold on to, something he often found in the role of a husband and father, but that changed whenever he returned home from his travels.
The film eventually reaches the big, taboo elephant in the room: Anthony Bourdain’s suicide. Three years removed from his passing, Neville decides to include the most sensitive moment of Bourdain’s life to the contemptuous satisfaction of window watchers everywhere. It’s not the mere inclusion of his suicide nor the timeliness of events, but rather the climactic framing and positioning within film that makes the documentary’s main goal feel like an answer to, “Why did Anthony Bourdain commit suicide?” more than anything else. As the film rushes to the exit, this off-putting, and somewhat distasteful, conclusion is ultimately the final taste left in your mouth, and though the film states its intention of not wanting to assign blame for Bourdain’s suicide, the implication is anything but.
The best parts of Bourdain’s character are already known. They can be seen in every episode of his work, and to that effect, seeing Anthony Bourdain through Neville’s Roadrunner doesn’t reveal anything that wasn’t readily apparent from any one episode of Parts Unknown, at least from someone who believes Bourdain’s greatest characteristic was his infectious humanist nature. Roadrunner obviously offers details about Bourdain’s personal life that never made it on air, but if we already know the essence of who Bourdain was through his work, then this documentary only provides the why, and that why feels primarily targeted at his suicide. It is a documentary that, in my opinion, falls short of doing justice towards the monolithic stature of its subject.
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