On May 09, 2025, Stephen Chbosky dropped another tear-jerker comedy on Netflix titled ‘Nonnas’. If you have watched Wonder and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky wrote and directed those movies. So, Nonnas also had his natural element he often uses in his movies, a beautiful blend of multiple emotions. But before we dive a little deeper, I have a one-liner review of the movie if you’re in a hurry: Nonnas is a 1 hour 51 minutes delight that you can always tune in to and have a fine experience packed with tons of emotions.
What is Nonnas About?
It’s not just the fact that Stephen Chbosky directed it or the fact that I loved the movie; it’s all about the inspiration for the story and its presentation. The kind of script Nonnas followed, the direction felt just right. It kept the pace tuned at the right speed from every conversation to the climax.
Released just near Mother’s Day 2025, Nonnas is the story of Joe Scaravella, who owns a famous restaurant on Staten Island, Enoteca Maria. It takes you on this beautiful journey of how he transitions his grief for his mother’s loss into a heartfelt restaurant where Italian nonnas serve their special menus. Even the name of the restaurant honors her legacy.
I will quote Mr. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian here, for this feeling of the movie is something that he has expressed perfectly.
“We’ve seen a great deal of stories based around sons and their fathers, but it’s uncommon to explore what a mother means to a man in the same serious way, a strangely untapped relationship on screen.”
Nonnas’ Plot Triggered Familiar Feelings
The story of Mr. Scaravella is something that felt personal to me a little. Learning a little bit of cooking out of curiosity while mom or grandma cooked is something that felt eerily familiar. Anyway, when such an experience becomes history, when you know you won’t get to taste their food again, you start experimenting with cooking a lot more yourself.
It’s not like you want to become a grand chef or something; it’s the taste that you want to feel again. One could call it a coping mechanism, others could call it a way to remember the folks who fed you, raised you. Either way, Stephen Chbosky’s film did a wonderful job of representing this feeling on-screen.
I also loved the way the bonding between Nonnas was written. Their personalities and how the whole group complemented each other were perfectly done.
The plot progresses in a beautiful way. It takes its time, but not too much, and doesn’t force you to feel something you won’t. At every phase, whether it’s the funny banter between Nonnas or a moment of building anxiety for a span of a second, the movie does it right.
My Only Complaint?
We should have gotten to know more about Nonnas and their lives before the restaurant. I was especially interested in the kind of life Teresa had led as a nun.
Beyond that, the banters between Adelina and Teresa felt resolved quite fast. After all, Scaravella had himself said,
“Adelina and Teresa did not like each other if somebody made something that was better than the other person made it.”
Adding a little more of it could feel more natural because when you watch the movie, they end up patching up quite fast.
I also felt another crucial part was left out. I read this article by Time, which quoted Joe saying,
“My grandmother would make a pot of sauce that would stay on the stove all day, and you would pick at it all day. You can’t do that, as far as the health department is concerned.”
Which means he had to train nonnas to comply with the health codes in order to run the restaurant safely, and it was quite a battle for him. It could be a funny sequence, making the movie more entertaining, realistic, and grounded.
Cast and Performances in Nonnas (2025)
Vaughn, known for fast-talking roles in Swingers and Wedding Crashers, delivers a surprisingly tender performance as Joe. His sincerity anchors the film, portraying a man driven by love rather than ambition.
However, the real stars are the nonnas.
Susan Sarandon shines as a glamorous pastry chef, blending wit and vulnerability in scenes that range from hilarious to heartbreaking. Her limoncello-fueled heart-to-heart with the other nonnas is a standout, showcasing her ability to elevate every moment.
Lorraine Bracco, as a tough-yet-tender nonna, softens beautifully when reminiscing about Joe’s mother, her late friend. Brenda Vaccaro brings humor and depth as the group’s joker, while Talia Shire’s portrayal of a devout nonna rediscovering purpose is quietly powerful.
Together, they defy Hollywood’s tendency to sideline older actresses, proving that women over 60 can be complex, flawed, and fiercely independent. Linda Cardellini and Joe Manganiello round out the cast as Joe’s love interest and best friend, adding warmth and relatability to the ensemble.
So, Here’s my Review of Nonna
I can’t help but deduct 1 point from the movie, despite I loved it. As I said above, there were some things that I felt could make this movie feel more grounded, but were skipped. While it didn’t make the movie worse, it certainly would have made it 5/5 to see the challenges of running a restaurant in a more realistic way, which exists beyond passing the health department inspection or convincing huge food critics to visit.
As for the songs, I love’em, and so did the cinematography. It was how Stephen made his movies, Tender and heartfelt.
Well, that is all for this review today. To put it all in a single sentence, go and watch Nonnas on Netflix. It will give you a good time.
But before you go, don’t forget to subscribe to CineCinnati for handpicked movies reviewed by a fellow fan so you don’t have to rely on ratings or critics’ reviews that can be manipulated.
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FAQs
Yup! Nonnas follows the story of Joe Scaravella and his first staff of Enoteca Maria, an Italian restaurant he built as a tribute to his mom.
Yes! Nonnas is a perfect family movie with almost nothing inappropriate that should be concerning for kids. Keep an eye out for the language, though, but it’s entirely clean.
It’s an emotional story of a son’s love for his mother and his Nonna which inspires him to open a real restaurant. It’s a beautiful tale of how important maternal figures are in men’s lives and how their impact remains long-lasting even when they’re gone.
