TORONTO – If you’re a Netflix connoisseur, of Italian descent, or a food enthusiast, you’ve likely already watched or heard of Nonnas, the latest #1 streamed film in the U.S. Co-written by Liz Maccie and directed by her husband Stephen Chbosky, Nonnas is based on the true story of Joe Scaravella (played by Vince Vaughn), an Italian American who opened a restaurant in his mother’s name after her passing. The story goes that Scaravella was so enamored with the matriarchs in his life [and their cooking], that he honoured their memory and traditions by opening a restaurant in Staten Island.
Joe enlists the help of his friends to build the restaurant, from contractors and designers to the titular Nonnas who wind up running the kitchen. Four to be exact, and played by some of Hollywood’s royals: Susan Sarandon, Talia Shire, Lorraine Bracco and Brenda Vaccaro. The real-life Joe Scaravella was profiled in 2017 by the New York Times, and explained how much he missed his grandmother, Domenica, his mother, Maria, and his sister – after they all passed away.
“After losing all those matriarchal figures in my life, I wanted to try to recreate that, you know, grandma in the kitchen cooking”. Prior to opening the restaurant, Joe worked for the Metro Authority for more than a decade. He had no business plan for the restaurant, or any experience running a business, and of course no experience in the food industry. He simply opened “Enoteca Maria” in 2007, as a way to “comfort himself”.
Still operating today, the restaurant is open three days a week, and even invites community members to take up a free cooking program called “Food, Family, Culture and Nonna”. And while nothing in life is truly free, in this instance it just might be. The restaurant offers the free program in honour of Joe’s journey. In the film, Joe desperately tries to remember his Nonna’s recipes, especially her sauce. And so the restaurant’s free classes “aims to keep alive the passing down of technique and knowledge from one generation to another, and from one culture to another”.
It’s a feel-good film, earnest and well made. It offers some good performances and relatable drama. It’s a story about community, familial bonds and the value of tradition. It’s not pushing for an Oscar nod, or trying to revolutionize filmmaking. It’s a true story about a man who continues to honour the women who raised him.
Or at least that’s what I thought – initially. Until I learned it was an evil male-agenda piece and love letter to patriarchal tyranny. I mean, come on. It was obviously about four retirees relegated to toiling away in a kitchen to fulfill a man’s dream.
No, I don’t actually hold the above opinion. But amazingly, that was a major Toronto Reporter’s take. God help us.
Images courtesy of Netflix
Massimo Volpe is a filmmaker and freelance writer from Toronto: he writes reviews of Italian films/content on Netflix
