Nonnas is a movie that will work better for you if you have big family meals and/or an Italian upbringing. I think to the rest of us – or maybe just me – it loses something in the translation. Which isn’t to say its not a good movie, but that it’s a lot better in the nostalgia.

It stars Vince Vaughn as a guy who gets the idea of opening a restaurant that uses grannies – specifically Italian nonnas – as the chefs. Don’t give the customer the best cuisine in the world, give them the best cuisine their families made for them. It’s all about finding the right cute and argumentative old ladies (plus Susan Sarandon) and figure out how to make the restaurant work.

And it’s a heartfelt, loving, and slightly schmaltzy movie with an ending you can see coming from a mile away. Because it’s a feel good movie so it’s hard to argue with predictability. You want to know where it came from and how good it is, especially if its got a sauce pan full of the best red sauce. Magnifico!

It’s not my favorite chef life movie and I kept thinking what the life span of each of the chefs is gonna be for repeat business. Which I think is the wrong and more ghoulish way to think about it… not the intended message of the film. But I’m heartless that way, I guess.

The nonnas are well cast. I mentioned Sarandon who is doing her va-va-voom version of an old lady. She’s joined by Lorraine Bracco who I’ve always loved and am slightly concerned she’s playing an old lady now (time is the crucible in which we burn). And, hey, Talia Shire too… proving she still should have a place in Rocky/Creed movies.

Nonnas is a perfectly warm film that many will find a lot warmer than I did. And other, more jaded people will roll their eyes harder than me. I think I’m in the middle, not having the same experience with grannie’s cooking at Thanksgiving and Christmas. But that’s my loss.

Score: 82