Nonnas Movie Review: A Heartwarming Ode to Family, Food, and Healing

Nonnas, is a heartfelt movie starring Vince Vaughn and Joe Manganiello that serves up Nonna like portions of nostalgia, love, and Italian comfort food.  Inspired by the true story of Joe Scaravella’s Enoteca Maria restaurant in Staten Island it is a love letter to family traditions and the power of shared meals. I loved it and teared up four times in the first 20 minutes as I reminisced about family dinners at my your grandma’s table. This movie perfectly captures the family essence of many families but especially Italian family life.

Nonnas follows Joe Scaravella (Vince Vaughn), a man dealing with grief after losing his mother and grandmother, who were the heart of his Italian-American family’s kitchen. Wanting to honor their memory, Joe starts making their recipes from memory and giving his food to his friends and coworkers as he tries to capture the love cooks give when people enjoy their food as well as the love they put into it. He sees a restaurant for sale and uses his mother’s inheritance to open Enoteca Maria, a restaurant staffed by Italian grandmothersor “nonnas” as the Italian’s call them each bringing their regional recipes and personalities to the table. The film weaves Joe’s journey of healing, the nonnas’ rediscovery of purpose, and the rekindling of old connections, coupled with a bowl of steaming pasta and warm, familial chaos.

The opening scene really resonated with me and paint a vivid picture of Joe’s childhood, filled with bustling family gatherings and his nonna’s “Sunday gravy.” These montages, featuring close ups in delicious sensory detail like fresh zeppole and hand-cut tagliatelle, just speak of the longing for the comfort of home like the dinners we all miss at our grandma’s table. The movie transitions from adorable memories of Joe’s childhood to Joe’s lonely present at his mother’s funeral, setting the stage for a story about “feeding your grief” through food and community.

The movie’s greatest strength is tapping  into the ache for lost loved ones and simpler times. The nonnas—played by Susan Sarandon (Gia), Lorraine Bracco (Roberta), Talia Shire (Teresa), and Brenda Vaccaro (Antonella)—are the soul of the film. I loved their scenes. Their chemistry is electric, from the bickering over Bologna versus Sicily recipes or sharing a tipsy limoncello.  I was really moved by the scene, where they toast to “living our lives very well,”. Tears streaming down my face it felt like a hug that nourished my soul and celebrated the wisdom and vitality of older women often overlooked in cinema.

Vince Vaughn’s Joe was a quiet, authentic portrayal of grief and hope. His sincerity grounds the film, making Joe’s mission to recreate his family’s table relatable to anyone who’s ever longed for connection. The cast also included my favorite Joe Manganiello as Joe’s supportive friend Bruno. 

The food itself is almost a character, with yummy visuals of gnocchi, capuzzelle, and cannoli that left me hungry and nostalgic. table”).

While Nonnas was wonderful to me in its quiet beauty others it predictable and lacked depth. There was also a romance between Joe and an old flame Olivia that while sweet, lacked the spark to fully captivate. But I don’t agree with the critics who wanted more backstory or more of Joe and Olivia. For me it was about Joe wanting, starting the restaurant, the setbacks and ultimately the success.

Nonnas captures how food ties us to our roots, much like your memories of gathering around the table. The film’s message, “Food is love,” resonates deeply, as Joe and the nonnas transform grief into a celebration of heritage. 

Nonnas is a feel-good film that delivered a warm, nostalgic tribute to family, food, and resilience and I can’t wait to watch it again.