Nonnas review: A taste of tradition and a feast of memories take the form of a feel-good film

In Nonna's, Sunday Gravy isn't just a sauce. It's a warm embrace that blends memories, regrets, and second chances. Inspired by the true story of Enoteca Maria, the film serves up a dish that goes beyond comfort food. It's about the family you choose, the strength you find in unlikely places, and the taste of memories that never left.

Instead of sugarcoating the story, however, Nonnas keeps it grounded. Opening a restaurant isn't a fairy tale, and not every recipe has a happy ending. Spoiler: But this one actually did.

Real nonnas in a kitchen full of stories

For Joey, that Sunday Gravy is more than a sauce. It's a link to his mother, a recipe passed down through generations that he desperately tries to keep alive in a restaurant where every dish tells a story. But the food is just one ingredient in a mix of complicated flavors.

There's Roberta, the ill-tempered Sicilian who has distanced herself from her children. There's Antonella, whose sharp tongue hides a soft spot for her newfound friends. And there's Teresa, a retired nun whose secret love for another woman named Isabella led her to leave the convent behind.

And then there's Gia, the fiercely independent woman who says marriage is too boring for her. After a double mastectomy, she proudly flaunts her silicone breasts, embracing her unapologetic attitude with every bite she serves. Together, these nonnas bring their pain, humor, and untold stories into Joey’s kitchen while cooking (and before and after), turning an almost-failing restaurant into a melting pot of past and present, laughter and tears.

Enoteca Maria: From empty tables to full hearts

At that moment in the film, just when it seems like Joey’s dreams have gone up in smoke, he makes a decision that will turn the tables in his favor: he throws a final dinner with all the food that would have otherwise gone to waste. In a scene that’s as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, the restaurant fills up with friends, neighbors, and the family they’ve created.

Before that night, Joey had tried everything. Sending emails, inviting critics, even taking food to a well-known food critic who dismissed him without a second thought. And it was that very effort that paid off in the end.

One of the women who had been in the restaurant during that impromptu dinner was a food critic, one who only writes about the best places in town. Her review is glowing, calling the Enoteca Maria a place where generations of recipes and stories are served with love and urging readers to run, not walk, to experience the best Italian food they’ll ever taste (and the capuzelle, the lamb-head dish that becomes almost a character in itself in this feel-good film).

Enoteca Maria, nonnas and a new beginning

Joey finally gets what he had been working toward since he decided to do something great in his life with the money his deceased mother left for him. The restaurant is packed, the nonnas are smiling, and the sounds of laughter and clinking glasses fill the space that for a time (that seemed to last forever since it opened) used to echo with silence.

Roberta picks up the phone and calls one of her children, her hands shaking but her voice steady. Teresa watches as her relatives enjoy a meal cooked with love. And Gia, the hairdresser-turned-pastry-chef? She’s right where she wants to be, surrounded by her chosen family, raising a glass with a smirk that says she wouldn’t trade that for anything.

For Joey, the moment is everything he dreamed of. With the restaurant finally thriving, the community is embracing the nonnas and their food, and Joey gets to step away from the job he wasn't very fond of (and where his efforts were never recognized) in order to focus on what truly matters for him. And when Olivia moves her wedding ring to her right hand, signaling she’s ready to let go of the past? Joey doesn’t hesitate. He kisses her, the future suddenly looking brighter than it ever has.

Nonnas: A recipe for the soul

Nonnas could have easily fallen into the trap of turning these women into cinematic clichés. The grumpy Sicilian, the flirtatious diva, the saintly ex-nun. Instead, the film treats them with care, giving each woman a story that’s messy, complicated, and deeply human.

The comedy is always well-placed and never makes fun of them. The fact that Roberta finds Gia attractive even while she's doing mundane household tasks is more than simply a joke. It brings up the bittersweet memories of Roberta's years of self-doubt, which she has cloaked in laughter.

And then there’s the way the film handles loss. From Joey’s grief over his mother to Teresa’s forbidden love to Olivia’s struggle to move on from her late husband, Nonnas serves a banquet of unresolved pain, but it never forces a melodramatic resolution. Instead, it lets these characters find solace in small, quiet ways. A phone call. A shared meal. A dance in the kitchen.

Nonnas: A love letter to Enoteca Maria

In the end, Nonnas isn’t just about saving a restaurant. It’s about creating a place where stories, recipes, and hearts can heal. It’s about a group of women who thought they were too old to start over but ended up building something bigger than any of them imagined. And for Joey, it’s about finally stepping into a life that honors both his mother’s memory and his own dreams.

Inspired by the real-life Enoteca Maria, Nonnas is a feast that serves more than food. It’s a celebration of the family you choose, the scars you carry, and the recipes that keep memories alive long after the last bite.

Rating with a touch of flair: 5 out of 5 Capuzzelle

Nonna's is like a perfectly simmered Sunday Gravy, rich, warm, and layered with just the right amount of sweetness and spice. It’s a film that doesn’t just feed the soul; it fills it to the brim.