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I’d be lying if I said this month’s newest Netflix title, Nonnas, is a good movie. It’s definitely better than director Stephen Chbosky’s last production, a (horrendous) adaptation of an (equally horrendous) Broadway musical in Dear Evan Hansen. However, it’s still not as good as, say, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which he also directed. With that said, anyone who has (or had) a nonna may find enjoyment in watching Joe Scaravella (Vince Vaughn) accomplish the impossible, with a group of Italian grandmothers at his side.
The Premise of Nonnas
There’s nothing quite like dinner at Nonna’s—the incredible smell of food as you walk into their house, the welcoming environment you immediately feel, as if it’s your home away from home. The moments you spend with your Nonna, whether at the dinner table or beyond, are indelible memories you will hold onto for the rest of your life. That’s what Chbosky and screenwriter/ co-producer Liz Maccie set the table (pun intended) when presenting a young Scaravella remembering the time he spent at Nonna’s, while she was making her Sunday gravy for the whole family.
The staggering close-ups of beautifully presented food by cinematographer Florian Ballhaus capture the aroma of Nonna’s lasagna without the need for 4D. Additionally, the inviting atmosphere that production designer Diane Lederman’s (The Leftovers, The Americans, Russian Doll, Carry-On) visual language presents puts us right at ease.
Of course, a Nonna isn’t eternal, and the film cuts to many years later, Scaravella having buried his mother, undergoing a midlife crisis, exacerbated by a job he doesn’t like, and being encouraged by his best friend, Bruno (Joe Manganiello), and his wife, Stella (Drea de Matteo), to find something to enjoy—and hold onto—before it’s too late.
The Nonnas of Nonnas
One day, on Staten Island, he stumbles upon a rundown restaurant for sale. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, he purchases it to transmit his mother’s and Nonna’s cooking for the world to taste. He names it Enoteca Maria, and enlists real-life Italian grandmothers to cook for him: Roberta (Lorraine Bracco), Antonella (Brenda Vaccaro), Teresa (Talia Shire), and pastry chef Gia (Susan Sarandon).
All of them have emotional baggage to unpack over the course of 111 minutes, in this quasi-heartwarming comedy that will probably only work if you (like me) have an Italian grandmother. Seeing Roberta and Antonella go head-to-head on who cooks what best is a classic example of “Nonna Civil War” and isn’t at all exaggerated. That’s what makes it funny—Bracco and Vaccaro don’t need to add more than what’s on the page. They fundamentally understand how Nonnas are not only protective of their heritage (as illustrated in the butting of heads between Bologna and Sicily), but of their cooking, as well.
You cannot, under any circumstances, ask your Nonna to do things differently—the recipe is the recipe, and it usually speaks for itself. That’s why the interactions between each respective grandmother, regardless of where they come from, feel legitimate and true to the real-life story of Joe Scaravella, who also fleetingly appears at the movie’s end, celebrating the grandmothers of the Netflix movie—and the ones who cook for him as Enoteca Maria is still going strong to this day.
Vince Vaughn’s Role
In fact, Vaughn may be the most miscast of the bunch. He is of Italian descent, but there’s something about his portrayal of the character that feels emotionally limited, even when he pours his heart out and shares his grief with Olivia (Linda Cardellini), an old flame of his with whom he coincidentally reunites. Vaughn has reinvented himself as an actor as of late, most notably thanks to S. Craig Zahler, who finally showed the world what he can do with incredible performances in Brawl in Cell Block 99 and Dragged Across Concrete. The same can’t be said for his comedic performances, which teeter the line between mawkish and faux-sentimentality, while having a style of comedy that doesn’t work in Nonnas’s favor.
Grief in the Netflix Movie
The film is a more patient and slow reckoning of one’s grief, not only through Scaravella, but to everyone working at Enoteca Maria and beyond. Locals are outraged at the fact that he threw the previous owner’s name on the floor, which leads to market owner Al (Michael Rispoli) encouraging the community to boycott the restaurant, even if Scaravella meant no ill will towards the building’s legacy. Grief is difficult to process, and, as Olivia so smartly says, “[I]t doesn’t have a timeline. So why should we?” All of us will experience this inevitability differently; how we move on from it matters. We will all eventually go six feet underground, so what should we do with this life before it happens?
Scaravella is reminded of this while spending time with nonnas with distinct backgrounds and challenging experiences that eventually brought them to the same place. The emotional core of the movie is there. Plus, each veteran is having the time of their lives bringing color to their respective portrayals of the Nonnas. One particular scene, wherein they share their deepest regrets and vulnerabilities, may (or may not) produce a few tears in your eyes, depending on your connection with nonnas.
Final Thoughts on Nonnas
However, as Scaravella’s restaurant, in real life, has expanded to “Nonnas of the world,” it will not be hard for anyone to emotionally connect with such a warm-hearted and comforting movie as this. It doesn’t reinvent the aesthetic and thematic wheel, but sometimes all you need is a good plate of comfort food. That’s precisely what’s being delivered, in balanced doses, with Nonnas. In that regard, Chboksy (mostly) succeeds, and the future of his filmography looks bright, provided he never directs something like Dear Evan Hansen ever again.
3.5/5
Stephen Chbosky and Liz Maccie’s Nonnas is now streaming on Netflix!
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