Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (2021)
94%RT Audience Score: 94%
Awards & Nominations: NA
An emotionally raw and respectful portrait of Anthony Bourdain, Roadrunner marks another unflinchingly honest documentary from director Morgan Neville.
An essential watch for Anthony Bourdain fans, this documentary takes a tough but fair look at his life — and some of the many lives he affected.
Production Company(ies)
CNN Films, HBO Max Tremolo Productions,
Distributor
Focus Features
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (HBO Max), Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language throughout
Year of Release
2021
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:1h 59m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 16, 2021 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 28, 2021
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
Roadrunner, Anthony Bourdain, documentary, Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Amy Entelis, Lizzie Fox, R rating, English, Focus Features, Dolby Digital, $5.2M box office, reviewed by David Fear, Sophie Gilbert, Richard Brody, Angie Han, Claudia Puig, Ty Burr, John Lui, Tatsam Mukherjee, Carson Timar, Graeme Tuckett, Nick Rogers, Dorothy Woodend, directed by Morgan Neville, produced by Morgan Neville, written by Morgan Neville, produced by Caitrin Rogers, starring Anthony Bourdain, executive produced by Amy Entelis, executive produced by Lizzie Fox, emotional, respectful, behind-the-scenes, cultural icon, Academy Award-winning, unflinching, intimate, impact, life, death, suicide, grief, anger, memories, chef, writer, adventurer, provocateur, raw, honest, tribute, fascinating, witty, complicated, American sweetheart, sharp, kind, unforgiving, personal, universal, happiness, meaning, void, memories, featured audience reviews, horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV shows, streaming, Thor: Love and Thunder, Marvel movies, Minions: The Rise of Gru, The Terminal List, Stay Prayed Up, Girl in the Picture, The Sea Beast, Moon, 66 Questions, Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel, Dangerous Liaisons, Jewel, Warriors on the Field, Fair Play
Worldwide gross: $5,490,713
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,971,736
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,120
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 651,225
US/Canada gross: $5,354,970
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,824,101
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,764
US/Canada opening weekend: $1,988,795
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $2,163,027
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,196
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Morgan Neville – Director, Producer
Caitrin Rogers – Producer
Amy Entelis – Executive Producer
Lizzie Fox – Executive Producer
Director(s)
Morgan Neville
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (145) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (132) | Rotten (13)
The movie wants to celebrate the life of someone who left his mark. It also hopes to explore the gap between those two poles. That it only comes mildly close to succeeding in the latter respect doesn’t detract from the sheer pleasure of his company.
August 2, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
David Fear
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
“I want to make a film about why he was who he was”… For the next two hours, Roadrunner seems to dodge all the parts of its subject’s life that might offer concrete answers to Neville’s question.
July 26, 2021
Sophie Gilbert
The Atlantic
TOP CRITIC
The documentary is a mere encyclopedia-like info-product, which reduces its rich audiovisual archival material and its heartfelt interviews with people who knew and loved Bourdain to freeze-dried sound and image bites.
July 21, 2021
Richard Brody
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
I don’t think it works particularly as well as a deep exploration of some of the weightier topics it touches on — like mental illness or addiction — but it’s a really cathartic tribute for all of his fans who still miss him dearly.
July 21, 2021
Angie Han
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
Overall, I found it compelling. It’s a well-made portrait of a fascinating, witty, and complicated man.
July 21, 2021
Claudia Puig
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
If you miss Anthony Bourdain – and for many, the celebrity chef’s death in 2018 felt like the loss of a close and troubled friend – Morgan Neville’s “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” is a salve.
July 20, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Neville presents a generous summary of the qualities that made Bourdain a beloved public intellectual.
May 4, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
John Lui
The Straits Times (Singapore)
Its a stellar profile of an American sweetheart, that is sharp, kind and unforgiving just like its subject.
February 23, 2022
Tatsam Mukherjee
Firstpost
Both incredibly personal and beautifully universal, this is a raw and authentic look at life and the complexity of happiness which achieves more than nearly any other film in recent memory has.
February 22, 2022
Carson Timar
Clapper
I came out of the film admiring and missing Bourdain even more than I had going in.
December 8, 2021
Graeme Tuckett
Stuff.co.nz
After a pretty but vacant 80 minutes, “Roadrunner” evokes its namesake’s nemesis – running into the ravine by interrogating what or who precipitated Bourdain’s 2018 death by suicide, with all the aesthetic choices of some tawdry true-crime series.
November 10, 2021 | Rating: 1/5
Nick Rogers
Midwest Film Journal
Everyone who loved the man grapples with their grief and anger, trying to wrest some meaning from the void that suicide leaves behind, and only memories remain. It is beyond bittersweet.
November 9, 2021
Dorothy Woodend
The Tyee (British Columbia)…
Plot
A documentary about Anthony Bourdain and his career as a chef, writer and host, revered and renowned for his authentic approach to food, culture and travel.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features the voice of Anthony Bourdain himself, as well as interviews with his friends and colleagues.
Morgan-Neville.jpg
