“You learn a lot about someone when you share a meal together.”
—Anthony Bourdain

From director Morgan Neville comes a beautifully crafted documentary on the life of Anthony Bourdain, both on the road and off. While watching Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain I felt like I was sharing a meal with Bourdain himself. The film had me deep in thought remembering what I love about the character that was Anthony Bourdain, although it also had me often asking myself why his life ended so early and wondering whether there will ever be answers to this question. But despite the devastating shock all fans felt at the end of Bourdain’s life, through Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain Morgan Neville allows us to see all the amazing characteristics that Bourdain offered the world.
 
The film starts with the approach of Bourdain’s career, and it progresses through his many levels of success. The film often jumps between positive and sad moments, and in this amazing yet emotional journey many of his friends and family come forward to tell us about their experiences with Bourdain —including his wife Ottavia, his friends David Chang, Eric Ripert, David Choe, and many more. Neville’s approach to this documentary is to find light in Bourdain’s life, but to also help us understand that despite Bourdain’s success and the opportunities he had, money and fame does not necessarily buy one happiness. Bourdain had a lot going on in his amazing mind and there is no definite answer as to why he was not doing well at the end of his life.
 
In Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Neville does start to help us through our grief, though, and he gives us some understanding as to why Bourdain struggled. And the film ultimately turns our despair into hope, because it reminds us of the good Bourdain did. Bourdain was a man who experienced the true cultures of the places where he traveled. He was a good father, a storyteller, a writer, and he was not afraid to put himself out there and take risks. Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain should remind us to not be afraid to try new things, to travel to different countries, or to expose ourselves to places or things we’re not used to. Bourdain tried all kinds of weird foods and he saw lots of poverty, but among those difficult situations he always found the value in the many countries he visited.
 
Neville’s poetic directing of Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain will have its audience feeling a range of emotions, from shock to sadness to happiness as Bourdain’s life is unraveled in the film. I found myself laughing out loud at the fun moments of the film, but the more difficult parts made me realize why some may find life challenging, and we start to understand why Bourdain may have had challenges. Ultimately, the message it should leave us is to not give up, and to remember that there is help available in our hard times.
 
Bourdain was a role model to me for many years, starting in 2013 with Parts Unknown, Bourdain’s hit CNN travel show. I was already getting into the theatre and arts culture of Chicago, and Bourdain’s Parts Unknown got me hooked on the idea of travel both in the states and internationally. But it was not just travel for the sake of tourism that interested me in the show, it was Bourdain’s insight into the different societies, countries, and cultures he experienced. Bourdain wanted to share what was worthy in the places he went, and he told us why we should be not just tourists, but travelers.
 
For me, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain tops the charts for 2021 films thus far. After a tumultuous 2020 year of little to no good movies, this one was just triumphant. I connected to this film so much and seeing Bourdain and his friends inspired me to always go out and live life to the fullest. Bourdain’s death leaves us with a ton of questions, and we may never know the whole story, but his legacy will always be with us. Four stars for Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain.

Zola is a dark comedy supposedly based on a true story. But is very eccentric, it retreads previous films and characters, and it relies on disturbing scenarios to a point where it is hard to find value in the film.

Taylour Paige plays Zola, who takes a road trip from Detroit to Florida to learn how to be a better stripper and make money. She is traveling with Stefani (played by Riley Keough), Stefani’s boyfriend Derrek (played by Nicholas Braun) and X (played by Colman Domingo). Zola’s trip takes a turn for the worse when she realizes that X is a pimp. Stefani and Zola are X’s actual targets, but he ends up taking control of Stefani and Derrek, who is just along for Stefani’s safety. The film has a disturbing plot, but there are fragments that are spiced up to try and make the film seem glamorous in a strange and unappealing way.

I saw Zola as a combination of Ingrid Goes West (2017) mixed with Hustlers (2019) and a whole lot of American Honey (2016). All average films and the combination had me struggling to find appeal in Zola.

I have also seen several of these actors in other projects and in Zola they play similar characters as they have in previous films. Nicholas Braun is nearly the same character we know from his portrayal of Greg in the HBO show Succession (2018). Riley Keough is playing the same attractive lady who needs attention as she did in American Honey (which was a much better film with a more honest premise). Taylour Paige has the same attitude that she had in her most recent film Boogie (2021). So, it seems that these actors’ roles are repetitive, and they need to find other, more memorable projects.

Zola was advertised as being based on a true story first told in social media, but there is no evidence that it was actually a true story. And given my view of the film, I saw no value in researching the real facts behind Zola. The film was just too unfocused, silly, and more disturbing than funny.

Trying my best to be positive here, but this film was just not a positive experience for me. Not the worst, but not good. The film did have moments that I enjoyed, but it kept trying too hard. I give Zola two stars. Overall, a crazy road trip flick that seems to be done on acid, and one that could use some retakes and edits.

Bo Burnham is an artist who is one of a kind. He got his career jump started with his Youtube Channel, got millions of subscribers, and by the age of eighteen he was one of the youngest comedians to perform on tour. He has a creative mind that has produced many brilliant comedy specials and films. His comedy special Inside, (currently on Netflix), which he starred in and directed, is clever and often fun to watch, but it can be cheesy and sometimes confusing. And while I found myself laughing at many points, the special pushes the envelope with some of its subject matter.

Burnham shot this comedy special from inside his home (hence the name) over the course of a year. The concept of a comedy special being shot totally inside a home due to the COVID-19 pandemic is creative, and Burnham enhances the film by singing throughout it and rotating the scenery by filming from many rooms of his home. And while Burnham never loses his touch with connections and taglines, this special was just a bit eccentric. Many people may find much of his subject matter funny, but some of his topics may not be funny to a lot of people. I am not judging his subjects as good or bad, but I think he tries too hard at times.

I do have respect for Burnham, but I believe that in Inside he often crosses boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed—mostly with some of his bits on mental health and some scenarios with social media. He often tries to present serious matters in a funny manner, but in real life they would not be funny, and they weren’t funny here. So Inside gave me many moments of confusion—mostly by wondering whether Burnham’s crossing of boundaries on sensitive topics is necessary.

I do give Burnham credit for the technological aspect of Inside. He lays out the rooms in a structured order as he progresses through the special. Burnham also fits the part of being Covid-bound by making himself look like he has not taken care of his personal hygiene. Burnham always has a talent for fitting his scenes and dressing himself for the parts. So the film is technologically amazing, but I found the writing too dark and overly exaggerated.

Overall, I would rate Inside as an average comedy special. Burnham does possess true comedy talent. This film is just is all over the place and confusing with regard to many of its subject matters. It is generally light-hearted, but has some unexpected and unnecessary harshness. So I had mixed feelings about this special, which I give a solid 2-1/2 stars.