The movie Nonnas (2025) begins by taking us back to 1970s Brooklyn, where a young boy named Joe Scaravella is surrounded by the warmth of his family. We see Joe entering the kitchen, where his nonna and mother are cooking together for friends and family. They invite Joe to join them, teaching him their cherished recipes and sharing moments of joy, including dancing around the dinner table. This opening scene sets the tone of food as more than just nourishment — it is love, memory, and connection.

Fast forward to the present day: Joe has just lost his beloved mother, Maria. Grieving deeply, he seeks comfort in the kitchen, trying to recreate the family dishes he grew up with. Despite his efforts, some recipes, especially his nonna’s famous Sunday gravy, elude him — he cannot quite capture the elusive flavor that made them so special. During this period, he visits his mother’s best friend Roberta in a nursing home, who gives him a letter from his mother, but Joe is not yet ready to open it.

Joe’s friends, Bruno and Stella, visit him and encourage him to do something meaningful with his mother’s life insurance money. Joe visits an open-air market on Staten Island, stirring memories of childhood trips with his mother and nonna. There, he unexpectedly encounters Olivia, his high school crush, and Antonella, her older neighbor — Olivia is pursuing law school now, still a bit miffed at Joe from their past but moved on.

Inspired by a closed restaurant space on Staten Island, Joe decides to risk everything and open his own restaurant, Enoteca Maria, named in honor of his mother. His vision is unique: the kitchen will be staffed by nonnas — Italian grandmothers — who cook the kinds of meals that remind patrons of home and family.

Initially, Joe faces resistance from locals skeptical of the venture. He enlists his best friend Bruno as contractor, and together they renovate the space into a classic Italian eatery. Joe begins recruiting the chefs: Antonella, Roberta (his mother’s best friend), Gia (Roberta’s former hairdresser), and Teresa, a bold walk-in applicant. These strong-willed women — each from different Italian backgrounds — initially clash, their diverse perspectives and stubbornness threatening to unravel the kitchen. But Gia, sensing their fracturing, invites them for a private pampering session at her salon, helping forge a sisterly bond among them.

The restaurant's early days are bumpy: the nonnas' antics sometimes land them in hot water, and Joe’s lack of formal restaurant experience causes problems. Yet, the kitchen is filled with laughter, heated debates over recipes, and heartfelt stories from each woman, revealing their pasts and their reasons for embracing this second chance. Over time, the nonnas and Joe become a family, overcoming personal hurdles that include loneliness, regret, and the need for belonging.

Bruno, Joe's steadfast friend, has his own arc as he honors his late father through a shared passion for classic cars, mirroring Joe's culinary journey of remembrance through food. Together, these chosen and blood families intertwine in the warmth of the restaurant’s welcoming atmosphere.

By the end, Enoteca Maria blossoms into a beloved community hub where the nonnas’ meals stir nostalgia and comfort for all who enter. Joe’s dream proves successful, not just as a business but as a living tribute to his mother and nonna. He finds healing through the food and the family he has rebuilt, and the nonnas find renewed purpose and joy in their golden years.

The movie closes on a triumphant note, celebrating the power of food to unite across generations and the beauty of chosen family bonds forged through love, respect, and a shared passion for tradition.

The nonnas come from different Italian backgrounds and have distinct personalities. Roberta is from Sicily, Antonella is from Bologna, and Teresa is from the Bronx. Initially, they clash due to their different backgrounds but eventually bond and become friends, especially after a pampering session at Gia's salon. Each nonna brings her own family recipes and stories to the restaurant, contributing to its unique atmosphere.

Joe's deep connection to his mother and nonna, especially through the family recipes and memories of cooking together in the kitchen, inspires him to open the restaurant. After his mother's passing, he tries to recreate the dishes they used to make but struggles to replicate his nonna's Sunday gravy. This emotional bond and desire to honor their memory motivate him to create Enoteca Maria, a restaurant staffed by nonnas to bring authentic, heartfelt Italian food to the community.

Joe's deep connection to his mother and nonna, especially through their cooking and family recipes, inspires him to open the restaurant. He tries to recreate the dishes they used to make, particularly struggling to replicate his nonna's Sunday gravy. The restaurant is a tribute to their memory and the comfort their food provided, symbolizing family and heritage.

Joe faces resistance from Staten Island locals who are skeptical about his restaurant staffed by nonnas. He also lacks experience in starting and operating a restaurant, which causes doubts from his friend Bruno. Additionally, the nonnas initially clash due to their different backgrounds, and their antics sometimes land the restaurant in hot water. Despite these challenges, Joe perseveres with the help of friends and the nonnas themselves.

The nonnas, initially from different backgrounds and somewhat at odds, grow closer after bonding activities like a pampering session at Gia's salon. Joe treats the nonnas with patience and respect, and over time, they consider themselves a family. The restaurant becomes a source of purpose and pride for the nonnas, improving their lives and creating a chosen family dynamic.

Nostalgia and family heritage are central themes. Joe's motivation to open the restaurant stems from his desire to honor his mother and nonna by preserving their recipes and the feeling of family gatherings. The food serves as a connection to the past and a way to bring people together, emphasizing the importance of both biological and chosen family. The restaurant embodies this by featuring nonnas cooking traditional dishes, evoking memories and community.

The movie Nonnas (2025) is broadly considered family-friendly and heartwarming, focusing on themes of family, culture, food, and community, reflecting the true story behind an Italian-American restaurant. It emphasizes positive messages such as love, forgiveness, and the importance of generational bonds, making it suitable for most audiences, including families.

However, there are some elements to consider for children or sensitive viewers:

• Mild romantic elements and some discussions about feelings and relationships occur but without explicit content.
• Light foul language and some suggestive material are present, though not excessive.
• A homosexual character appears, treated respectfully within the story.
• Alcohol consumption is shown throughout, including brief scenes of drunkenness.
• The film includes a flashback of a funeral and deals with grief, which might be emotionally sensitive for some children or sensitive viewers.
• Food fights and some humorous insults between characters, which are playful and good-natured in tone.

Overall, caution is suggested for older children and sensitive adults, primarily due to mild language, alcohol use, and emotionally mature themes like grief and loss. There are no reports of graphic violence or explicit adult content that would make it inappropriate for families with younger kids, so it could be suitable with parental guidance depending on the child’s sensitivity.

In summary, Nonnas is predominantly a comforting, family-centered film with minimal potentially objectionable content, mostly relating to moderate language, brief alcohol use, and emotional themes.

In the 2025 movie Nonnas, there is no indication from the available information that any characters die during the film. The storyline centers on Joe Scaravella, who opens a restaurant staffed by Italian grandmothers ("nonnas") to honor his late mother and create a community space. The plot focuses on themes of family, memory, and community rather than character deaths.

Specifically, the film recounts Joe's grief for his mother, but she is already deceased before the main storyline begins, and her passing motivates Joe's actions. There are no reports of deaths occurring among the main characters, including the nonnas who cook at the restaurant or Joe’s family and friends. The film emphasizes connection and healing over loss during its narrative arc.

Therefore, no characters die in the events depicted within Nonnas itself.