Directed by Stephen Chbosky and with an all-star cast, Netflix’s “Nonnas” is an unremarkable retelling of a remarkable event. Surprisingly, that might just be enough if you are in the right mood. Starring an earnest Vince Vaughn, the film gushes sentimentality with a plot championing the culinary skills of grandmothers. Vaughn’s Joe Scaravella’s persistent desire to open a restaurant where the chefs are all Italian grandmothers (nonnas) is an intriguing setup for a feel-good movie. Let us analyze how the film fares with that premise.
Nonnas (2025) Netflix Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis:
We open with lead protagonist Joe Scaravella’s (Vince Vaughn) childhood memory of his mother and nonna (grandma) producing culinary marvels in the old kitchen. Now a fifty-something-year-old man, Joe reminisces about those fond memories on the day of his mother’s funeral. Joe’s friends, the married couple Bruno (Joe Manganiello) and Stella (Drea de Matteo), console him. They urge him to use his mother’s life insurance money for something close to his heart. As Joe tries to recreate the gravy his nonna and mother used to make, he realizes what he wants to spend the money on — owning an Italian restaurant.
But ‘Enoteca Maria,’ for that is what will be the name of the restaurant (named after Joe’s mother), is not going to be any usual restaurant. While trying to recreate the magic of his nonna’s cooking, Joe has the epiphany to make the restaurant a place to cultivate bygone flavors. He has the idea that Enoteca Maria will serve food cooked by the Italian nonnas. First things first, he needs a place. Thus begins the search that takes him to Staten Island. He finds a suitable premise. One that needs significant renovation. So, Bruno, who is a building contractor, reluctantly agrees to help him.
With Bruno and Stella’s help, Joe’s restaurant starts to shape up. The next move is to recruit the specialized older chefs. The first candidate is Joe’s mother’s best friend, Roberta (Lorraine Bracco), an irascible woman with a plethora of recipes. In Staten Island, Joe meets his childhood friend, Olivia (Linda Cardellini). Olivia has a neighbor, Antonella (Branda Vaccaro), who loves her like a daughter. At Olivia’s insistence, Antonella also joins Joe’s ragtag crew. Next to join the gang is former nun, Teresa (Talia Shire), who sees Joe’s advert asking for nonnas to join his venture. The final one to join is Gia (Susan Sarandon), Joe’s mother’s hairdresser, with a knack for making great desserts.
The odd group struggles to work together. Apart from the apparently usual ‘Bologna vs Sicily’ fight between Antonella and Roberta, the entire team’s lack of professional experience shows. This results in a fire accident, which pushes Joe’s attempt to get the safety permit. Without the permit, the inauguration of the restaurant hits a major barrier. Bruno and Joe fight, but they reconcile once Joe learns Bruno sold his prized car to help set up Joe’s restaurant. Eventually, Olivia steps in to solve the permit issue as she finds out that the issuing officer is susceptible to bribes.
Nonnas (2025) ‘Netflix’ Movie Ending Explained:
Why Does Enoteca Maria Fail to Attract Patrons?
Overcoming all hindrances, Joe finally manages to get ‘Enoteca Maria’ ready for opening night. However, no customer comes on the first day. The already ominous sign starts to look more menacing as days start to become weeks without a single customer. The only customers for the restaurants are the friends and family members of the involved parties. Like Teresa’s family, who comes all the way from Philadelphia to have a gala meal at the empty restaurant. As a disheartened Joe struggles to understand the reason for the zero customer, Antonella realizes the reason.
It appears that the locals of the area, like the vegetable seller in the Staten Island market, have made a point to boycott Joe’s restaurant. Local folks used to love the diner before Joe took over. They did not like the fact that a man from Manhattan had taken over their beloved restaurant. After realizing this, Antonella confronts one of the vegetable sellers. She tells him that Joe has been nothing but respectful to the previous owners, and it is a shame that the locals are not supporting an upstanding man like Joe. The man realizes, but it is too little, too late, as Joe has no option but to sell the place.
Does Joe’s Restaurant Survive?
Knowing he cannot rely on the local customers, Joe tries to pitch his restaurant to food critics and influencers. However, no one seems to be willing to review a Staten Island-based restaurant. Seeing no other options, Joe barges into food critic Edward Durant’s studio. Durant flat-out refuses to review his restaurant. After Joe’s pleading, he agrees but confirms he has no slot open for a few months. He asks Joe to try later. A dejected Joe leaves the food cooked by the nonnas at Durant’s table and leaves.
After putting up the sign to sell the restaurant, Joe finally opens his mother’s letter that she wrote during her last days. There he finds the recipes for his nonna’s Sunday gravy, the one he tried so hard to recreate. Just then, Bruno and Stella come to give Joe a pleasant surprise. It appears that Durant, after tasting the food left by Joe, did send one of his junior critics to check ‘Enoteca Maria’ out. That critic has published a glowing review of the restaurant. Spurred by this win, Joe reopens his restaurant as customers start to flock. Eventually, ‘Enoteca Maria’ becomes a huge hit for its family dinner-like atmosphere and unique food. Joe buys Bruno’s car back. Olivia and Joe seem to hit it off. The nonnas become the rage of the town. Everything is fine and dandy.
Is There a Real Restaurant that Inspired ‘Nonnas’?
Yes, the film “Nonnas” does appear to be a biographical retelling of Joe Scaravella’s success. ‘Enoteca Maria’ is a real restaurant set up in 2007. As shown in the film, the restaurant features a rotating roster of nonna chefs. Not only that, Scaravella has opened the restaurant to include non-Italian grandmothers since 2017. He no longer needs to scout for nonnas, as people from all over the world write to him asking him to give their grandma a chance. The film shows a glimpse of that during the credits.
Nonnas (2025) ‘Netflix’ Movie Review:
Directed by Stephen Chbosky (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”), “Nonnas” is a relatively safe interpretation of a heartwarming story. With its sweetly inspiring premise, it is quite hard to go wrong, and the film does not. Having said that, “Nonnas” doesn’t particularly elevate itself to become something more than a sentimental retelling. It is not like there was a dearth of ingredients. On top of an interesting plot, a gloriously assembled pool of talented cast members raises the bar of expectation. All it needed was a bit of pizzazz in its screenplay (by Liz Maccie) to be as remarkable as the real-life story of the restaurant championing grandmothers.
The film had an all-star cast as the titular nonnas. Susan Sarandon’s sexy Gia is well complemented by Talia Shire’s adorably innocuous Teresa. Lorraine Bracco’s formidable Roberta finds the perfect pairing with Brenda Vaccaro’s proud Antonella. However, it is largely a Vince Vaughn vehicle. The star of many hit comedies accentuates the sincerity of Joe Scaravella’s dream. With cinematographer Florian Ballhaus, Chbosky shows a great knack for visually capturing the delectability. Despite the predictably restrictive structure of a feel-good movie, it is hard not to be swayed by the earnest love of food displayed in “Nonnas.”
