‘Nonnas’ review: Something to take home

Nonnas is an appealing little effort, one that doesn’t quite have the goods to be a classic but is charming regardless.

Typically, when reviewing a movie, I can safely admit that I have no working relationship with the filmmaker. But I cannot say the same about Stephen Chbosky. When I was 18, I had the good fortune of being an extra (and temporary stand-in) on his 2012 coming-of-age film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, an adaptation of his novel. While that doesn’t mean I was chatting with the man consistently (we interacted once or twice, maybe), I left with a decent understanding of his working process, particularly in how earnest and sincere he is as a storyteller. That’s more than I can say for most filmmakers and something that I keep in mind when evaluating his other work.

Watching Chbosky work, even from afar, it was clear that he brought a kind and familial energy. That warm, enthusiastic tenderness lent itself well to Perks, and it carried over to his follow-up feature, the sweet-natured Wonder. This made the disappointment of Dear Evan Hansen, his last movie, deeper. His heart was probably in the right place, but that misguided effort wasn’t the sort of film that could be saved. Not with that main star attached, at least. Chbosky fought a losing battle; while he’s not blameless, it is hard to fault him entirely. The filmmaker was trying to bring the same gentle coming-of-age appeal of Perks, but it just didn’t click.

So it makes sense that he went with a softer, more approachable, and more crowd-pleasing follow-up with the new Netflix original Nonnas. This tender-hearted restaurant dramedy is based on the life of Jody Scaravella, the owner of the Staten Island Italian eatery Enoteca Maria which prides itself on having a kitchen full of grandmothers making classic home dishes for the masses. Chbosky’s newest film is mushy and maudlin, as you would expect, but it’s also appealingly winsome in its unabashed probity. Aided by a grounded, steady hand that allows Chobosky to make several real-life characters feel authentic and vibrant, even when they verge on sitcom-y sappiness, the steaming title is an agreeable Mother’s Day recipe, made with just enough love to be irresistible.

Home is where the new start is.

As we see in this dramatized telling of this true story, “Joey,” Scaravella is a good little Italian boy who always felt most at home sneaking into his family kitchen, where his Ma and Nonna were making all sorts of Italian delights. Now grieving the loss of his matriarch, Joe (Vince Vaughn) wants to find a way to honor his dearly departed in this time of mourning. The solution comes around when he discovers an old-fashioned restaurant for sale. Despite the stern reluctance of his lifelong friend Bruno (Joe Manganiello), and his wife,Stella (Drea de Matteo), Joe goes ahead with the life-changing purchase. He also knows that he’s got an ace up his sleeve that no other restaurant, anywhere, can give hungry patrons: a place where anyone can have the luxury of a home-cooked Italian family meal at their leisure.

In recent years, it’s now common to put grandmothers at the forefront of your film for some easy laughs and heart-melting moments. Some of them, like the excellent The Farewell or the agreeable 80 for Brady, fare better than others, including the interminable Poms, Book Club, or seemingly anything that Diane Keaton has starred in over the past five years. So, there’s reason to be at least a little hesitant going into something as deliberately treacly as Nonnas. But that is where Chbosky’s graceful, delicate but considerate touch as a director pays rather handsomely.

Nonnas knows that it’s not re-inventing the wheel. But by following the old-fashioned manuals, while also giving it a very boost of love and care, Chobsky and screenwriter Liz Maccie present a homey tale that’s as warmingly familiar as it can be patently formulaic. It also helps that they are armed with a rich cast of familiar faces, including Susan Sarandon (Thelma & Louise), Lorraine Bracco (Goodfellas), Talia Shire (Rocky), and Brenda Vaccaro (Midnight Cowboy) as the titular nonnas, and Linda Cardellini (Freaks & Geeks) in a generic but winsome love interest role. This allows Nonnas to have a bleeding heart that matches Chobsky’s bright sincerity. And they’re all guided nicely by Vaughn, playing both into and against his usual type.

The dawn of the new Vaughn.

Following his movie star heyday back in the 2000s, Vince Vaughn has made some of the most interesting choices of his career lately. His work with writer-director S. Craig Zahler (Brawl in Cell Block 99, Dragged Across Concrete) is amongst his finest, while he continued to find a cutting edge with sinister parts in Arkansas and season two of True Detective. Furthermore, his multi-faceted role in Freaky allowed Vaughn to play with the star’s surprisingly varied range in compelling ways. It showcased how the actor could propel himself in his career’s second half.

On the surface, Nonnas is a pretty safe choice for the actor and executive producer, (and it is, by and large), but it’s also a bit of a challenge. The PG-rated family film is a noted departure from his typically foul-mouthed features, and Vaughn has never typically accustomed himself to being the more winsome, good-natured type of protagonist. He knows how to play the brash, arrogant jerk, but the grieving mama boy with his heart on his sleeve? It’s different. But it works here.

Vaughn leans into the movie’s sweet, casual appeal, turning down his register but not turning off the appeal. There’s a risk of the actor feeling uncomfortably off in this more wholesome role. But Vaughn allows Joey to carry his usual hardball energy without the crass machismo that often is associated with his star persona. It’s a sneakily worthwhile turn, one Vaughn plays quite affably.

But affable is basically the name of the game here. If you are looking for something casually and appealing light to watch with your mom on a lazy Sunday (as I did), Nonnas is a good way to go.

The bottom line.

Nonnas isn’t quite as rich and delectable as a home-cooked meal from your mom. It’s more like the warm, microwaved leftovers. Though not quite as savory and irresistible as the best mom dishes,  it’s still filled with cheesy and gooey delights. Not quite what you crave, but it’s filling and satisfying anyway. Nonnas is certainly better than the typical preprocessed food that you typically get from Netflix. In any case, Nonnas is an appealing little effort that doesn’t quite have the goods to be a new Mother’s Day classic. Fortunately, it is filled with enough of that tender, light Chobosky charm that you can’t help but gorge in its simple, easy bites. And sometimes, that’s all you need.

Nonnas is now streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of Netflix. Read more articles by Will Ashton here.

Will Ashton