Nonnas is a Hot Plate of Pasta Al Dente
Nonnas is the kind of movie you want to watch on a rainy day when you’re feeling down and need a hug.
Written by Lara Rosales
If you are looking for a movie that will feel like a cozy hug and a hot plate of your favorite pasta, Nonnas is the movie for you. Starting off with the perfect soundtrack, the movie transports you into the heart of an Italian family with all that implies. The loud conversations, plates upon plates of food being served, kisses from family members going back centuries, and a mix of Italian and English being spoken. That is the essence of the film – good food and family, whether by blood or choice.
While there is a beautiful storyline, a heartwarming Joey (Vince Vaughn), and the perfect combination of nonnas, the main character of the movie is the restaurant with all its glorious food. Nothing happens in this film without food being at the heart of it. Joey’s memories of his mom and nonna involve the three of them in the kitchen. When Joey visits Bruno (Joe Manganiello) to apologize, he brings over one of his favorite foods. Even when they’re sitting at the table, as Joey announces they have to close the restaurant, there is bread there. Every important moment of the movie either happens at the restaurant or has food surrounding it.
But the food isn’t just food. It is a symbol of love, family, grief, memories, laughter, and tears. Everything Joey and the nonnas go through is encompassed in their food and the love they put into it. And that is exactly what makes the movie so special.
Even though Joey is a great character and viewers enjoy the time the movie spends on him, the nonnas are the ones who fully captivate the audience. There would be no restaurant without them, and there would be no movie without Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, and Brenda Vaccaro. Just like the nonnas are the heart and soul of the restaurant, they are the heart and soul of the movie.
Ever since movies like Book Club (2018) premiered, the industry has been more open to giving us movies that focus on older women. The list isn’t that long, but it’s nice to see Nonnas joining it by telling the story of four very different women. Women who would have absolutely stayed out of each other’s paths if it weren’t for Joey. Antonella (Vaccaro) says it perfectly when she tells Gia (Sarandon) that if her husband were still alive, they wouldn’t be friends. But by Joey bringing them into the restaurant and giving them a purpose at a stage in their lives that they didn’t think they could try something new, he also opened the door for friendships to flourish and a found family to come to life.
Throughout the movie, each of these women has their moment to shine, showcasing why they were all the perfect choice for their roles. However, the best scenes happen when they are working in sync. Antonella and Roberta’s (Bracco) fight in the restaurant, Gia trying their sauces for the first time, and the four of them talking in Gia’s salon after sharing one too many glasses of limoncello. Their chemistry and their individual understanding of the characters they play are what make this group of women stand out and take the movie over the finish line, beyond the expectations viewers might have had when pressing play.
What must be highlighted is Teresa’s (Shire) storyline, the moment she says the love of her life was Isabella. The reaction of the other women has more to do with the fact that Teresa had to hide who she loved than with who she loved. That is the beauty of incorporating queer stories into storylines without making a “big deal” out of them. The beauty of proving that queer people are “normal” and present in every stage of life.
As mesmerizing and captivating as these women are, none of that would happen without Joey. His character ties the movie together, portraying the rawness of grief. He is also the perfect embodiment of what going after your dreams looks like when you don’t give a damn about what might happen. He takes a chance despite what everyone else thinks, and that is what adds to the beauty of the movie. His love for his mother and nonna, their food, Bruno and Stella (Drea de Matteo), and eventually the restaurant and the new nonnas is the love story that matters most.
Nonnas doesn’t need the love story between Olivia (Linda Cardellini) and Joey. While it adds a little bit of depth to Joey’s storyline, it is completely irrelevant to the full picture. Olivia’s character could have been a random woman who helped Antonella, or a random woman who became a server at the restaurant, and it would have had the same effect. Yes, it’s cute that Joey has a chance at love again, but it isn’t the love story we’re rooting for. In the end, we’re rooting for the restaurant and this found family to succeed because we see the love they have put into it.
It is the kind of movie you want to watch on a rainy day when you’re feeling down and need a hug. The kind of movie that will hold you in its embrace for as long as it lasts and make you feel part of a dysfunctionally loving family. The kind of movie that leaves you with a warm and fuzzy heart and the biggest craving for good Italian food.
Nonnas is now streaming on Netflix.
Photos : Netflix
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