This is a warm and friendly comfort-feed of a film

The Advertiser

23-05-2025

Nonnas
PG, 115 minutes
4 stars
This is a comfort-food movie. It's not out to surprise or overwhelm you, but offers warmth and likeability and familiarity served up with care.
One of the characters says, "Food is love" and the movie, streaming on Netflix, demonstrates how and why.
It's inspired by the true story of Joe Scaravella, a Brooklyn native who risked everything after his mother died. Scaravella, who worked for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, had no food-industry experience.
What he did have was a passion for the food his Italian-American mother and grandmother had made.
He wanted to pay homage to them with a place that served traditional recipes cooked by nonnas. Enoteca Maria, named after his mother, was the result. It's not really a spoiler to say the Staten Island restaurant is still going: this isn't the kind of movie that has an unhappy ending; it's about the beginning.
Vince Vaughn plays Joe in the movie. Vaughn has had a varied career ranging from comedy (Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball) to drama (True Detective, Hacksaw Ridge) and even horror (Freaky and the misbegotten remake of Psycho, for which we will forgive him). He makes the man likeable.
You want him to succeed when he's spending his inheritance and getting into debt for what his best friend Bruno (Joe Manganiello) fears is a doomed enterprise (though he still helps out with the renovations). Bruno's wife Stella (Drea de Matteo) is also very supportive. Joe is lucky there.
But the movie doesn't make things seem easy for Joe. He has to get his workmates to cover for him (he needs the money) and has to negotiate the details of a new enterprise. And soon he faces mounting debts, piles of bills, building inspections and other challenges.
Nobody said pursuing, much less achieving, a dream was as easy as having one.
The nonnas who are recruited are vital to the story and are played by seasoned and appealing actresses. Two are old acquaintances: Gia (Susan Sarandon), who was Maria's hairdresser and is a talented baker; and Roberta, Maria's best friend, (Lorraine Bracco), who welcomes time away from her nursing home.
Another lady, Teresa (Talia Shire), a former nun, is a walk-in who gets signed up and a chance encounter at a market reunites Joe with Olivia (Linda Cardellini), his high school crush.
She's with her neighbour Antonella (Brenda Vaccaro), who becomes the last of the nonna quartet whose recipes and culinary talents will be essential.
But then comes the final challenge: opening the place and attracting customers and reviewers. That's never easy for a new restaurant but being away from Manhattan and unknown makes It harder.
If you like looking at ingredients being prepped and food being cooked, you'll have a good time here and maybe even wish for more of those scenes. You might even be tempted to go and cook something yourself (or at least buy and eat it).
Some might find the presentation of Joe's childhood memories - and the adult relationships - a bit cliched but, having Italian-American relatives, I can confirm the centrality of food and family in that culture and the sometimes volatile nature of the relationships.
There's some predictable but enjoyable comedy as the feisty women from different places butt heads and show off their dishes. The women seem to be having a wonderful time.
Don't turn off as soon as the credits begin: little visual and factual morsels are sprinkled through the closing credits, providing evidence of and updates to the story - including the fact that he extended his recruitment to non-Italian nonnas.
Food is love, regardless of the culture.
Nonnas
PG, 115 minutes
4 stars
This is a comfort-food movie. It's not out to surprise or overwhelm you, but offers warmth and likeability and familiarity served up with care.
One of the characters says, "Food is love" and the movie, streaming on Netflix, demonstrates how and why.
It's inspired by the true story of Joe Scaravella, a Brooklyn native who risked everything after his mother died. Scaravella, who worked for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, had no food-industry experience.
What he did have was a passion for the food his Italian-American mother and grandmother had made.
He wanted to pay homage to them with a place that served traditional recipes cooked by nonnas. Enoteca Maria, named after his mother, was the result. It's not really a spoiler to say the Staten Island restaurant is still going: this isn't the kind of movie that has an unhappy ending; it's about the beginning.
Vince Vaughn plays Joe in the movie. Vaughn has had a varied career ranging from comedy (Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball) to drama (True Detective, Hacksaw Ridge) and even horror (Freaky and the misbegotten remake of Psycho, for which we will forgive him). He makes the man likeable.
You want him to succeed when he's spending his inheritance and getting into debt for what his best friend Bruno (Joe Manganiello) fears is a doomed enterprise (though he still helps out with the renovations). Bruno's wife Stella (Drea de Matteo) is also very supportive. Joe is lucky there.
But the movie doesn't make things seem easy for Joe. He has to get his workmates to cover for him (he needs the money) and has to negotiate the details of a new enterprise. And soon he faces mounting debts, piles of bills, building inspections and other challenges.
Nobody said pursuing, much less achieving, a dream was as easy as having one.
The nonnas who are recruited are vital to the story and are played by seasoned and appealing actresses. Two are old acquaintances: Gia (Susan Sarandon), who was Maria's hairdresser and is a talented baker; and Roberta, Maria's best friend, (Lorraine Bracco), who welcomes time away from her nursing home.
Another lady, Teresa (Talia Shire), a former nun, is a walk-in who gets signed up and a chance encounter at a market reunites Joe with Olivia (Linda Cardellini), his high school crush.
She's with her neighbour Antonella (Brenda Vaccaro), who becomes the last of the nonna quartet whose recipes and culinary talents will be essential.
But then comes the final challenge: opening the place and attracting customers and reviewers. That's never easy for a new restaurant but being away from Manhattan and unknown makes It harder.
If you like looking at ingredients being prepped and food being cooked, you'll have a good time here and maybe even wish for more of those scenes. You might even be tempted to go and cook something yourself (or at least buy and eat it).
Some might find the presentation of Joe's childhood memories - and the adult relationships - a bit cliched but, having Italian-American relatives, I can confirm the centrality of food and family in that culture and the sometimes volatile nature of the relationships.
There's some predictable but enjoyable comedy as the feisty women from different places butt heads and show off their dishes. The women seem to be having a wonderful time.
Don't turn off as soon as the credits begin: little visual and factual morsels are sprinkled through the closing credits, providing evidence of and updates to the story - including the fact that he extended his recruitment to non-Italian nonnas.
Food is love, regardless of the culture.
Nonnas
PG, 115 minutes
4 stars
This is a comfort-food movie. It's not out to surprise or overwhelm you, but offers warmth and likeability and familiarity served up with care.
One of the characters says, "Food is love" and the movie, streaming on Netflix, demonstrates how and why.
It's inspired by the true story of Joe Scaravella, a Brooklyn native who risked everything after his mother died. Scaravella, who worked for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, had no food-industry experience.
What he did have was a passion for the food his Italian-American mother and grandmother had made.
He wanted to pay homage to them with a place that served traditional recipes cooked by nonnas. Enoteca Maria, named after his mother, was the result. It's not really a spoiler to say the Staten Island restaurant is still going: this isn't the kind of movie that has an unhappy ending; it's about the beginning.
Vince Vaughn plays Joe in the movie. Vaughn has had a varied career ranging from comedy (Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball) to drama (True Detective, Hacksaw Ridge) and even horror (Freaky and the misbegotten remake of Psycho, for which we will forgive him). He makes the man likeable.
You want him to succeed when he's spending his inheritance and getting into debt for what his best friend Bruno (Joe Manganiello) fears is a doomed enterprise (though he still helps out with the renovations). Bruno's wife Stella (Drea de Matteo) is also very supportive. Joe is lucky there.
But the movie doesn't make things seem easy for Joe. He has to get his workmates to cover for him (he needs the money) and has to negotiate the details of a new enterprise. And soon he faces mounting debts, piles of bills, building inspections and other challenges.
Nobody said pursuing, much less achieving, a dream was as easy as having one.
The nonnas who are recruited are vital to the story and are played by seasoned and appealing actresses. Two are old acquaintances: Gia (Susan Sarandon), who was Maria's hairdresser and is a talented baker; and Roberta, Maria's best friend, (Lorraine Bracco), who welcomes time away from her nursing home.
Another lady, Teresa (Talia Shire), a former nun, is a walk-in who gets signed up and a chance encounter at a market reunites Joe with Olivia (Linda Cardellini), his high school crush.
She's with her neighbour Antonella (Brenda Vaccaro), who becomes the last of the nonna quartet whose recipes and culinary talents will be essential.
But then comes the final challenge: opening the place and attracting customers and reviewers. That's never easy for a new restaurant but being away from Manhattan and unknown makes It harder.
If you like looking at ingredients being prepped and food being cooked, you'll have a good time here and maybe even wish for more of those scenes. You might even be tempted to go and cook something yourself (or at least buy and eat it).
Some might find the presentation of Joe's childhood memories - and the adult relationships - a bit cliched but, having Italian-American relatives, I can confirm the centrality of food and family in that culture and the sometimes volatile nature of the relationships.
There's some predictable but enjoyable comedy as the feisty women from different places butt heads and show off their dishes. The women seem to be having a wonderful time.
Don't turn off as soon as the credits begin: little visual and factual morsels are sprinkled through the closing credits, providing evidence of and updates to the story - including the fact that he extended his recruitment to non-Italian nonnas.
Food is love, regardless of the culture.
Nonnas
PG, 115 minutes
4 stars
This is a comfort-food movie. It's not out to surprise or overwhelm you, but offers warmth and likeability and familiarity served up with care.
One of the characters says, "Food is love" and the movie, streaming on Netflix, demonstrates how and why.
It's inspired by the true story of Joe Scaravella, a Brooklyn native who risked everything after his mother died. Scaravella, who worked for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, had no food-industry experience.
What he did have was a passion for the food his Italian-American mother and grandmother had made.
He wanted to pay homage to them with a place that served traditional recipes cooked by nonnas. Enoteca Maria, named after his mother, was the result. It's not really a spoiler to say the Staten Island restaurant is still going: this isn't the kind of movie that has an unhappy ending; it's about the beginning.
Vince Vaughn plays Joe in the movie. Vaughn has had a varied career ranging from comedy (Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball) to drama (True Detective, Hacksaw Ridge) and even horror (Freaky and the misbegotten remake of Psycho, for which we will forgive him). He makes the man likeable.
You want him to succeed when he's spending his inheritance and getting into debt for what his best friend Bruno (Joe Manganiello) fears is a doomed enterprise (though he still helps out with the renovations). Bruno's wife Stella (Drea de Matteo) is also very supportive. Joe is lucky there.
But the movie doesn't make things seem easy for Joe. He has to get his workmates to cover for him (he needs the money) and has to negotiate the details of a new enterprise. And soon he faces mounting debts, piles of bills, building inspections and other challenges.
Nobody said pursuing, much less achieving, a dream was as easy as having one.
The nonnas who are recruited are vital to the story and are played by seasoned and appealing actresses. Two are old acquaintances: Gia (Susan Sarandon), who was Maria's hairdresser and is a talented baker; and Roberta, Maria's best friend, (Lorraine Bracco), who welcomes time away from her nursing home.
Another lady, Teresa (Talia Shire), a former nun, is a walk-in who gets signed up and a chance encounter at a market reunites Joe with Olivia (Linda Cardellini), his high school crush.
She's with her neighbour Antonella (Brenda Vaccaro), who becomes the last of the nonna quartet whose recipes and culinary talents will be essential.
But then comes the final challenge: opening the place and attracting customers and reviewers. That's never easy for a new restaurant but being away from Manhattan and unknown makes It harder.
If you like looking at ingredients being prepped and food being cooked, you'll have a good time here and maybe even wish for more of those scenes. You might even be tempted to go and cook something yourself (or at least buy and eat it).
Some might find the presentation of Joe's childhood memories - and the adult relationships - a bit cliched but, having Italian-American relatives, I can confirm the centrality of food and family in that culture and the sometimes volatile nature of the relationships.
There's some predictable but enjoyable comedy as the feisty women from different places butt heads and show off their dishes. The women seem to be having a wonderful time.
Don't turn off as soon as the credits begin: little visual and factual morsels are sprinkled through the closing credits, providing evidence of and updates to the story - including the fact that he extended his recruitment to non-Italian nonnas.
Food is love, regardless of the culture.