Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Mild language, drinking in family tale based on true story.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Nonnas
What's the Story?
In NONNAS, Joe Scaravella (Vince Vaughn) has just lost his mother and is left adrift. Best friend Bruno (Joe Manganiello) is worried about him, so when Joe decides he wants to open a restaurant dedicated to his mother using family recipes, Bruno supports him despite misgivings. Joe hires a group of grandmas ("nonnas") to do the cooking (Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, and Brenda Vaccaro). They are a strong-willed bunch, but they make impossibly delicious food. One of them is neighbors with Olivia (Linda Cardellini), an old high school crush of Joe's, and the two rekindle their friendship. Even though the food is delicious, customers aren't coming and the bills start piling up. Will they make it?
Is It Any Good?
This true story-inspired film brings the nostalgia, cooking up a memorable world of likable characters, though it also throws some stereotypes into the recipe. Early scenes in Nonnas feel overly romanticized, with yellow-tinged memories of happy Italian American family gatherings and mammas hand-rolling pasta in kitchens to hand-clapping Italian tunes. Fiery Italian women "spit" on each other's native regions of the motherland. When did we start reducing cultures to such simple shorthand?
Thankfully, Nonnas keeps baking, building appealing characters and a story to care about. You might start out hungry, but chances are you'll leave feeling full. The cast is the key. Vaughn and Cardellini are commendably subdued and well matched as aging potential love interests. And Sarandon, Shire, Bracco, and Vaccaro deserve a film of their own. As the four nonnas, they star in one of the film's best scenes after a day off (and some heavy drinking), when they share confidences that only the other older women could appreciate. "Here's to living our lives very well," they toast. Indeed.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the fact that Nonnas is based on a true story. Does this make you care more about the characters? Does it inspire interest in the actual people (and restaurant)?
Do you feel the film falls into any stereotypes of Italians or Italian Americans? How so, or not?
How do the characters demonstrate teamwork, both in pulling each other out of grief and challenging times, and also in pulling together to launch a successful restaurant?
Did any aspects of Nonnas feel predictable to you? Explain. How could the story have been structured differently?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 9, 2025
- Cast : Vince Vaughn , Lorraine Bracco , Susan Sarandon
- Director : Stephen Chbosky
- Inclusion Information : Middle Eastern/North African Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Bisexual Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Cooking , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Teamwork
- Run time : 114 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : suggestive material, language and thematic elements
- Last updated : February 12, 2026
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate