From grief to gratitude: how 'Nonnas' serves up love and healing through grandmother's recipes

I don’t know about you, but seeing Vince Vaughn on screen is always a treat. From "Wedding Crashers" to "Dodgeball", the man's unmatched comedic timing makes him a walking punchline with heart.

So it was surprising (in a good way) to see him in something a little more grounded and heartfelt. Vaughn’s been lighting up our screens since the mid-'90s, but Netflix's "Nonnas" lets him flex some emotional muscle we rarely see. And you know what? He pulls it off.

"Nonnas", based on a true story, is a love letter to the women who’ve kept families full, connected and comforted for generations: grandmothers, mothers, aunties. And through food, glorious, healing, life-giving food.

From homemade pasta to the kind of soup that could cure a heartbreak, the film wraps you up in nostalgia from the first scene.

Joe (Vaughn) is mourning the loss of his mother. He’s stuck. But memories of their kitchen rituals, lit like golden snapshots from childhood, stir something deep.

When he inherits her life insurance, he takes a leap: opening a restaurant where the only chefs are Italian grandmothers. It’s chaotic (as some golden oldies can be), touching, and surprisingly funny because these nonnas come with sass.

What "Nonnas" does beautifully is remind us how grief and comfort often sit side by side at the table. Whether it’s dishing up warm soup after a funeral or recreating your late mother’s stew in your tiny apartment kitchen, food gives us a way to hold on even when everything else has changed.

It’s the small rituals: peeling vegetables the way she did, boiling rice with the same pinch of salt, smelling onions on the stove that suddenly takes you back.

Vaughn’s Joe finds healing not in therapy, but in recreating the meals that made his childhood whole. That emotional layer sneaks up on you.

This film also reminds us that food is never just food. It’s a cultural heirloom. Across the world, there’s always that one dish that says, “home”. For many of us, food was how love was served, in pots, plates and plastic containers sent home after family gatherings.

Watching "Nonnas" might make you think of your own gran's Sunday lunch: chicken so soft it fell off the bone, roast potatoes that could end wars, and that secret gravy recipe no one’s quite managed to recreate.

Whether it's pap and stew, biryani, or koeksisters, we all have those dishes that carry our families' stories. As the film suggests, “One does not grow old at the table.”

Because when we eat these meals, we are reminded and reconnected.

The supporting cast is pure magic. Susan Sarandon is looking fabulous as always, and legends like Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire and Brenda Vaccaro add plenty of spice. Their onscreen chemistry feels like you’re watching real aunties argue over how long the pasta should boil.

While the plot is simple, the message lingers: food is memory. Food is connection. Food is healing. "Nonnas" doesn’t reinvent the recipe, but it doesn’t have to. It brings enough heart, humour, and flavour to leave you smiling and probably craving your grandmother’s cooking.

So yes, "Nonnas" is about Italian grandmothers. But it’s also about yours.

*** solid and enjoyable, though not groundbreaking.