No, I’m not Italian-American, but I’d like to think I qualify as Italian-adjacent. I grew up in an area that had quite a bit of first generation families whose parents were born in the “Old Country” and there were some wonderful family-style pizzerias in my neighborhood where many would frequent on weeknights. They would often say that Jewish and Italian families offered similar levels of guilt with different color tablecloths.
And my college roommate’s folks were old-school Sicilian who would often invite me for Sunday and holiday dinners where I would see the level of detail and abbondonza his mom would put into her “Sunday gravy”, which I was surprised to learn was anything but brown. The spices and herbs she’d tinker with were done with the precision of a laboratory scientist. And whether it was over veal parmigiana, pappardelle or, best of all, her perfecto spaghetti and sausages it taught me the true raison d’etre for Italian bread–to be a sponge to sop up every delectable drop of that red perfection.
So when I saw the tile advertising the Netflix original movie NONNAS which dropped last week I was intrigued enough by the premise to add it to my watchlist. And then when I saw the cast, I knew I had to set aside some time to see it. In-house scribe Brookie McIlvaine of TUDUM sets the table, so to speak:
Nonnas follows Joe (Vince Vaughn), who, after losing his mom and grandmother, turns to their generations-old recipes for solace and direction. With the money from his mom’s insurance and a little help from his friends, he opens Enoteca Maria, an old-school Italian spot staffed by four grandmothers, or “nonnas,” from different cities in Italy, who share their dishes with the neighborhood. Joe isn’t the only character craving the comfort of his family’s culinary traditions. He’s joined by Olivia (Linda Cardellini), with whom he reconnects at an Italian market years after standing her up at prom, and his best friend Bruno (Joe Manganiello), both of whom have experienced the power of a meal cooked with love. “I enjoy food and spending time with friends and family — [it’s about] connection, and sharing an experience with people you enjoy,” says Vaughn, of what drew him to the project. “It’s great to have the time with people. The family dinner table is an opportunity to laugh and to try not to argue.”
And although they’re on the other side of the dish, the four nonnas — Roberta (Lorraine Bracco), Antonella (Brenda Vaccaro), Teresa (Talia Shire), and Gia (Susan Sarandon) — are equally transformed by the restaurant, and the history and potential for rediscovery it presents.
That’s a damn impressive array of talent and beauty–yes, even now. Sarandon is particularly breathtaking even as she is pushing 80, drawing the occasional stinkeye from her castmates as perhaps the freest spirit of the bunch–never married, a hairstylist whose ability to work is being compromised by perhaps her one concession to age–persistent hand pain–and unashamed to share she’s sporting implants. But don’t kid yourselves–anyone familiar with the histories of Bracco, Vaccaro and Shire know quite well they were all exceptionally alluring characters in their day and with a little help from Sarandon turn out pretty radiant here. And I don’t just mean physically. Each with a storyline tinged with sadness and poignance, each looking for just one more chance to be significant to someone else. And they find a kindred spirit with Vaughn’s character, perhaps one of the most decent and determined he’s ever played and perhaps a reflection of the kind of person he’s matured into. A “nice-a boy” of the first order, and his vulnerability with Cardellini’s “the one that got away” can’t not bring a tear to your eye.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t note my particular selling point–the presence of yet another Sopranos beauty, Drea de Matteo, as Manganiello’s tanline-avoiding wife in a supporting role that’s a welcome respite from her more recent need to start an OnlyFans account. I’ll confess to adoring everything and anyone even remotely reminiscent of her, so the fact she gets to be a positive presence as well as disarmingly hot is something that I see as the as the cherry on the sundae, or, more apropos, the chocolate chip on the cannoli.
I’m relieved to note I’m hardly alone in my enthusiastic response, as VARIETY’s Selome Hailu reported last week:
“Nonnas,” the Vince Vaughn-led comedy film also starring Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Brenda Vaccaro, Linda Cardellini and Susan Sarandon, was the most-watched title on Netflix during the week of May 5-11. The movie debuted on May 9 and hit 15.3 million viewers in its first three days of availability.
Best of all, as TIME’s Olivia Waxman revealed, it’s all based on a true story where both the restaurant and Joe not only exist but are thriving:
Steps from the ferry terminal in the New York City borough of Staten Island, in a neighborhood overlooking the lower Manhattan skyline, is Enoteca Maria, a 35-seat restaurant where the chefs are grandmothers from all over the world.
TIME went to the real Enoteca Maria to chat with the owner Scaravella over espresso. Boasting grey curly hair, small wiry eyeglasses, and a t-shirt with Gene Wilder’s face on it from Young Frankenstein that said “I’m Alive!,” he paused the interview every now and then to receive deliveries of mozzarella and branzino. Superhero figures decorate the restaurant—Batman and Spiderman dangle from the ceiling—but he makes it clear that the real superheroes in the restaurant are the grandmothers in the kitchen. A portrait of Domenica, Maria and his sister Mariana hangs prominently on a wall.
“This is not a restaurant,” he says. “It walks like a restaurant, smells like a restaurant, talks like a restaurant, but it’s not a restaurant. It’s a cultural exchange.” Enoteca Maria began as an Italian restaurant, but the menu changed over time as grandmas from all over the place were invited to share their family recipes. When TIME visited in May, the restaurant was preparing to offer Mexican, Uzbek, and Greek menus all in one weekend.
Scaravella is passionate about global cuisine and preserving recipes. Along with showcasing food from different countries, Enoteca Maria offers a free class where participants can get one-on-one cooking tutorials from grandmothers. He hopes to eventually create an online group where people can post their own family recipes.
All I can say is–when that happens, I’m in. I’ve found remarkable comfort and peace of mind in even attempting to cook, and the memories I have of my roommates’ cuisines are as warm as any I have. If I can even develop a shred of their expertise with a legit recipe, I’d consider it a godsend. And you’d best believe the next time I’m in the area, assuming I’m still mobile if and when, I’m gonna find a way to somehow schlep to Enoteca Maria.
But I’m a realist. No way in hell do I expect to get in for Sunday dinner. As even I’ve learned, that’s reserved for family. But if you happen to have no such plans tonight, I can’t urge you enough to have NONNAS be your dessert. Pull up a chair and dig in!
Until next time…