Vince Vaughn: ‘Nonnas' Is an 'Outlaw Movie' Amid Changing Industry as Netflix Film Extends Hot Streak
Based on a true story, director Stephen Chbosky's feature centers on Staten Island restaurateur Joe Scaravella (Vaughn), who is grieving the loss of his mom when he sets out to open an eatery with actual Italian grandmothers working in the kitchen. Co-starring Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire and Brenda Vaccaro, the title topped Netflix's English-language film charts for its first two weekends, collecting 15.3 million views in its initial three days and a total of 33.3 million in 10 days, according to the streamer's internal rankings.
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During a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter to celebrate the film's popularity, Vaughn discusses how the movie's specificity makes it more accessible, potential sequel conversations and why Hollywood has hit 'an all-time peak of overthinking.'
Congratulations on the film's success. What does this tell you about what audiences look for in a movie?
These actresses are tremendous, and [it's] like what the real Joe did by taking these women who are phenomenal at their craft. In that case, it was cooking and giving them an outlet to be able to do that and celebrate something that they're terrific at. Stephen, in this movie, really dug that with a lot of these actresses [who] have always been terrific. So the movie, in a way, is an extension and does a similar thing that the actual restaurant Enoteca Maria did.
There are always conversations in Hollywood about whether movies should be led by 'women of a certain age.' Do higher-ups have concerns when films like yours are getting made?
[The movie is] dealing with a stage of life where Joe loses his mom, and now he's being forced into a new phase of being without a family and stepping into a parent or leadership role, even with these nonnas of having a vision. That's something that all human beings go through. We've exhausted ourselves with these [focus] groups and IPs. It's almost like what happened to the car industry, where everything is so quarterly and broken down and just following these ideas. It feels like we've hit an all-time peak of overthinking and using rules to the point where you step back and see something like this. Everyone has a mom — whatever that dynamic is like — or a grandparent, and [then there's] eating. So there are certain things that are just the human experience that are universal.
You make me laugh when you say that because I just started to think, 'Is there going to be a flood of Mother's Day movies?' I don't know. I just feel like it's not that hard. People are really nervous. I always hear stuff like, 'People have a TV,' but horror movies continue to open [at the box office]. The people who go to horror movies don't have a television? Or is it something that's a little more dangerous, and there's an audience that wants that community experience. And if that's true, potentially it wouldn't just be horror or action that people would want that community experience for.
It's always nice when you're in something that's working, and what's interesting about Nonnas is, it's really a movie that you could watch with all ages. It's definitely something that's feel-good, and the fact that that's not the norm of a movie to be made, but that's this outlaw movie, is interesting in this moment in time. It is a movie that you could share multi-generationally.
Not unlike the film industry, the restaurant industry is facing a tough moment, and mom-and-pop eateries like Joe's appear to be struggling more than ever. Did this film give you insight into that world?
The fun of cooking and of making films is that you're doing a creative process that you want to share. Part of the thing that works here is that you're dealing with people really doing their best to cope with these stages of life. The more things are specific, the more they're universal. This happens to be Staten Island and Italian, but that actually makes it more universal to the human experience. In the town that we're in now, sometimes the idea is, 'How do you expand it?' [Kurt] Vonnegut has that great quote that, if you open the window and try to please everyone, you'll catch pneumonia. It's just a reminder that, whether it's Boyz n the Hood or Ordinary People — both really great stories about the human experience — the more it is attempting to reflect of something in an authentic way, I always feel it's more universal, especially in this visual media.
Is it now impossible to get a table at Joe's restaurant, given the success of the movie?
He had like 350 messages and couldn't return them all. He's a fascinating guy. To go back to your early point about these mom-and-pop restaurants, he really was focused on creating this experience and giving an opportunity for these nonnas to be able to cook. I find it somewhat refreshing that he's less driven by, 'How do I monetize it?' We did make the movie independently, but we were really grateful when Netflix came in and recognized that this is a story that people could connect to.
The film's actresses have joked that you were the movie's token male. What was the energy like with all of you?
We joked around a lot. Ultimately, the story is Joe's, in that he has this dream to create this opportunity. I really love all of them. I was raised with my grandmother in the house and really enjoyed talking to her. There's so much to take from people who have experience and are also wise and talented, and all of these actresses are definitely that. I really took advantage of just hearing them talk and their thoughts on life, relationships, acting, how they approach scenes, what was it like to make this movie or that movie.
Has there been any talk of a sequel?
Yeah, Nonnas 2: This Time It's Personal is the working title. (Laughs.) There has been some. There's always that with movies. If there's a story that's great and its own story to be told, then that could be a lot of fun.
Speaking of sequels, is there any progress you can share about ?
There's always talk of these. Dodgeball, actually, there's an idea that's pretty good, but nothing for sure. I'm going to start the second season of Bad Monkey, which is great, and then I have another thing I'm going to do, but I would definitely … It's always about if the story's right, if the extension is something that makes sense. There are ideas that are good with some of these, but you never know what transpires and if it makes sense for everybody. But I'm definitely open to it. I love a lot of those movies and definitely open if something comes to pass.
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