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Movie Review: Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain

Mike Tyrkus

Although the fate of its subject is communicated early on, by said subject himself in his typical no-nonsense, matter-of-fact voice-over style, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, still proves to be a fascinating and captivating portrait of the adored celebrity chef and author that also explores, in some detail, the question as to exactly why his life ended when, on June 8, 2018, Bourdain hung himself in his hotel room.

An intimate chronicle of Bourdain’s life from obscure, anonymous chef to world-famous author, the film is told from Bourdain’s own perspective using footage (both previously seen and unseen) from his various projects. Morgan Neville’s film is an uncompromising look at a true cultural icon and the tremendous impact he had on the world, and the toll that that inevitably had on him.

Throughout the film, director Neville seems genuinely enthralled by his subject, and it is rather easy to be swept up in that enthusiasm as well. There is something genuinely likeable about Bourdain that comes through from the very first frame of the film and the first-person narration that Neville utilizes allows the viewer to get to know Bourdain almost as a friend than as the untouchable subject of a typical documentary. Editors Eileen Meyer and Aaron Wickenden aid this by effortlessly shifting between archival footage and interviews with Bourdain’s friends and family to highlight not only his copious accomplishments, but also the impact he had on those around him as well as the world in general.

Anthony Bourdain in “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain.”

While Roadrunner may not resonate as strongly or on as many levels for many as some of Neville’s other documentaries, such as 20 Feet from Stardom (2013) or possibly Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018), the film remains a remarkable exploration of the life of a simultaneously complicated and fascinating man. In fact, the testament to the power of the film can be found in one inevitably mourning the loss of Bourdain all over again.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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