Nonnas (2025) is directed by Stephen Chbosky and written by Liz Maccie. It stars Vince Vaughn, Lorraine Bracco, Linda Cardellini, Susan Sarandon, Talia Shire, Brenda Vaccaro, Joe Manganiello, Drea de Matteo, Michael Rispoli, Jimmy Smagula, Adam Ferrara, Kate Eastman, Tammy Pescatelli, Ali Lopez-Sohaili, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Taylor Sele, Richie Moriarty, and Karen Murphy. Based on a true story, the film follows Joe Scaravella (Vaughn), a middle-aged New Yorker, as he struggles to find purpose in life after his beloved mother passes away. After finding solace in recreating his Italian mom’s old recipes, Joe decides to honor her legacy by opening a family restaurant in Staten Island. The difference is that his kitchen is run entirely by Italian mothers, also known as ‘Nonnas.’ Together, Joe and his team of Nonnas face all the trials and tribulations of opening a restaurant in NYC, but that’s not all; They also begin to form the kind of family each of them either lost or never had. 

Vaughn is appropriately cast as Joe, a middle-aged Italian mama’s boy (for lack of a better term) with a big heart. Joe is never a particularly emotional character, but he’s energetic, which perfectly suits an actor like Vaughn. It doesn’t seem to be a very challenging role for him, but it also never feels like he’s phoning it in. Considering the character’s desire to honor mothers of all shapes & sizes, it makes sense that he often takes a back seat and allows the Nonnas to be the emotional core of the story. 

The appropriate casting extends to the film’s four nonnas, each of whom is portrayed by a veteran Italian-American actress. All four are welcome additions, but Bracco and Sarandon receive much more substantial roles. They lend the otherwise formulaic script a level of prestige that makes its clichés easy to overlook. I do wish each of their arcs were more clearly defined by the end, but there’s enough payoff for them as a group that it makes up for their lack of individual catharsis. 

The script’s slow-burn tearjerker approach is nothing new, but it’s handled with lots of tender love and care, just like a nonna’s cooking. The first half struggles to engage the viewer, but that all changes in the second half when the script starts to pay things off on an emotional level. The stakes are kept extremely small, which ultimately disarms the viewer, making them unusually susceptible to a heartbreaking right hook. Things never get too serious or sad, but it fits the film’s aspirations to work as a kind of heartwarming hug. 

Besides the generally formulaic approach, the only issues that really plague the film are that its nostalgic, overly heartwarming tone occasionally goes way too far. For example, I couldn’t help but cackle when an adolescent Joe asks his mother how she knows her recipe measurements, and she tells him that she feels it in her heart. Why not, ya know, something like “taste as you go?” I’m pretty sure feeling with your heart is what they do at my local Dominos, and let’s just say I wouldn’t particularly describe their food as consistent.

Overall, this is a perfectly serviceable yet wildly formulaic tear-jerker that’s certain to please most mothers. The capable cast elevates the otherwise stock material, easily making this a swift 2-hour watch. It’s a compelling true story that sounds a lot more fun (and funny) than it actually is, but that doesn’t mean it’s a trainwreck either. I wouldn’t recommend it due to its lack of original ideas, but I also think most people will, to some extent, enjoy the experience. C+