Real Housewives Recap

Real Housewives of Dallas has its cake but barely dishes out crumbs

Stephanie Hollman of the Real Housewives of Dallas.

Photo courtesy of Bravo

With only two episodes left, we are in the final laps of Real Housewives of Dallas. By now it’s clear that this will not be one of the gems in Bravo producer-creator Andy Cohen’s dazzling collection of women-with-money reality shows.

This week’s episode was its most lackluster yet, and one thing a Housewives hour must never be is lacking luster. These shows should come off as Jackie Collins novels come to life, with impossibly pretty women, cavernous mansions, lavish vacations, and, if they do it right, steamy hints of illicit sex in exotic locales. It’s what first spiked ratings for Real Housewives of Orange County, the original in the multi-spin-off cable TV franchise. (It returns afresh June 20.)

No such luck with RHOD. They’re rich, all right, but not mega and certainly not sophisticated. The Dallas cast members have potty mouths and lousy taste in clothes. Their husbands are dull-eyed and seem to regard their spouses as possessions, particularly Travis Hollman, whose birthday is a centerpiece of this week’s show.

He treats wife Stephanie like a child, leaving her lists of tasks that must be checked off each day (something he says his mother always did). When Stephanie begs him to let her make a decision on her own, he acts like she’s asked him for a kidney.

Travis’ party, held downtown at The Mitchell bar, has a Great Gatsby theme. Travis’ birthday parties always have a theme, Stephanie says, because “it’s such a huge dill.” That’s how she says “deal.” Rilly. (He wasn’t happy with his previous year’s gift from his wife: a certificate for laser back-hair removal.)

Stephanie decides on the Gatsby motif with no indication of having ever read the great American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Maybe she saw the latest movie version starring Leo DiCaprio, who’s about as Gatsby-esque as Travis Hollman, meaning not even remotely.

To find period costumes, Steph and best friend Brandi Redmond (the designated speed-weeper and troublemaker of RHOD) head to Whatchamacallit, a prom dress resale boutique. They buy long, low-cut, sequined-and-feathered things. Their vision of the Great Gatsby is less 1920s chic flapper and more pageant evening-gown competition from the early 2000s.

Minor drama ensues when Stephanie frets about inviting both Brandi and her on-show nemesis, LeeAnne “carny kid turned charity angel” Locken, to the party. She does, of course, and we are treated to the arrival at the event of LeeAnne and her pal Tiffany Hendra, who’ve ignored the Gatsby theme and dressed as bewigged hookers from old reruns of Adam-12.

Stephanie, always seeking Travis’ approval, asks again and again if he likes the party. In his novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald described Gatsby’s love interest Daisy Buchanan as having a “voice full of money.” Stephanie’s voice is full of helium.

In the after-party just for the two of them, Steph jumps out of a fake cake and squeak-sings “Happy Birthday” for Travis, who then asks her to do a lap dance. She refuses “because my name isn’t Cinnamon.” It’s the only sign of wit Stephanie’s exhibited in eight weeks of shows.

Other things that happened this week are almost too low-key to recap. LeeAnne and her man Rich, who’s had about 11 seconds of airtime, have a quick lunch at True Food Kitchen for no real reason plot-wise. She then is seen giving a motivational speech to a women’s group, which plays like an audition for the speaking circuit.

Cary and Mark Deuber throw a little birthday do for their 3-year-old daughter. Mark complains that the cake isn’t chocolate. It isn’t your party, Dr. Deuber.

As this series winds to a close, with no indication from Bravo of a second season, it’s sinking in how differently RHOD portrays Dallas women — all over-blushed cheeks, lacquered hair, and consignment couture — from Dallas itself. There are aerial shots of the distinctive skyline, swoops over a glistening Trinity, that this week seemed to be teeming with houseboats (?), and glimpses of unclogged freeways where cars appear to be moving at designated speed limits.

Unlike the scenes on this show, that’s some beautiful fantasy right there.

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Real Housewives of Dallas airs at 9 pm Mondays on Bravo. You can also watch episodes online.

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Movie Review

'Tony' offers a revealing look at Anthony Bourdain before fame

Photo courtesy of A24

Antonio Banderas and Dominic Sessa in Tony.

The reason that most biopics fail is because they try to do too much, telling a “cradle-to-grave” story or one taking place over a long period of time that only scratches the surface of understanding the full measure of a particular person. A better approach is the one taken in the new film Tony, which uses a formative period of time in the life of Anthony Bourdain to identify a larger truth about him.

The film finds Tony (Dominic Sessa), as he liked to be known at the time, in his early college years, trying to BS his way through life. He tells lies to professors, his parents (Dagmara Dominczyk and Rich Sommer), his old classmate Nancy (Emilia Jones), and even himself in an attempt to skate by without actually doing anything.

When one con falls through, he follows Nancy to Provincetown, Massachusetts to try to find her. A series of events result in him getting drunk in a restaurant owned by a chef (Antonio Banderas), who takes him in. Tony starts working as a dishwasher and hanging out with Sal (Leo Woodall), who barely has his own act together. With no other options, he spends his summer on Cape Cod, hoping something will happen to change his lot in life.

Written and directed by Matt Johnson (Blackberry) and co-written by three others, the film gives barely a hint of the man who would go on to become a celebrity chef and acclaimed author. It does indicate that his brashness was always there, but this Tony is aimless and too often rash in his decision-making. His biggest success in the film only comes when he finally recognizes that lying has brought him nothing but misery, and that telling the truth, even if it’s painful, sets him free.

The restaurant at which Tony works, the now-defunct The Flagship, is the heartbeat of the film, containing a motley crew of people who bond over slinging mostly mediocre seafood. Johnson evolves Tony’s relationship with the chef (who’s never given a proper name) into a strong one as Tony spends each night in a hammock on the chef’s porch, only to be woken up each morning with a pot of water thrown in his face.

Tony continues to pursue Nancy for most of the film, and even though their relationship is not fruitful in terms of storytelling, it serves to enforce the mindset of the young man. Nancy only exists as an object of desire for Tony, with just the barest touch of an interior life of her own. While the intent of including a romantic interest for Tony makes sense in a way, it ultimately is the weakest part of the film.

Sessa, who made a bold film debut in 2023’s The Holdovers, has turned into one of the industry’s bright young stars. He embodies the moodiness of Bourdain, stalking around the town with a scowl and lanky walk that tells the audience everything they need to know about the character. Banderas and Woodall (Tuner) bring different types of great energy, and while Jones’ part is not great, she proves that - following CODA - she’s going to be around for a long time, as well.

Fans of Bourdain may lament that Tony doesn’t show anything from the years in which he became famous, but the small and personal film makes a great case that the period it depicts is equally significant to his life. It demonstrates that Tony’s summer on Cape Cod gave him some direction, a reason for being that allowed him to become who he eventually became.

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Tony opens in theaters on August 21.

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