Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain is a documentary about the chef and television host Anthony Bourdain, tracing how a working cook with no public profile became a widely recognised cultural figure. The film follows his life and travels, his work as a writer and presenter, and the way his curiosity about food and other cultures shaped the people around him. It draws on archival material and on interviews with friends, colleagues and others who knew him. Born in 1956, Bourdain died in June 2018 at the age of 61.

Morgan Neville directed the film, which runs 119 minutes. It sits between his documentaries Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10 and The Saint of Second Chances, and follows earlier work such as 20 Feet from Stardom and Won't You Be My Neighbor? Neville produced alongside Caitrin Rogers. The credited cast numbers 27, with 115 crew, and the participants include Bourdain himself through archive footage, along with his former wife Nancy Bourdain, writer Joel Rose, publisher Karen Rinaldi, agent Kim Witherspoon and restaurateur Philippe Lajaunie. Made in the United States by HBO Max, CNN Films and Tremolo Productions, it reached cinemas on 16 July 2021 and took about 4 million dollars worldwide, a modest figure consistent with a documentary release. On IMDb it holds 8 out of 10 from 477 votes, while on TMDB it has 7 out of 10 from 93 votes.