Parents' Guide to Never Too Late

The talented cast turns this somewhat predictable plot into a feel-good, if familiar, movie about tough old veterans reuniting for one last important mission. Director Mark Lamprell's ensemble dramedy centers on a foursome of tough men who command respect, even as their memories and bodies are beginning to fail them. The story has occasional heavy themes -- as stories about older protagonists, much less former prisoners of war, tend to -- but they're not nearly as dark as they could be, and there's a good bit of accompanying humor. As the group of grumpy vets with distinct personalities and skills comes together again, they also expectedly bring out the best and worst in one another.

One odd misstep is a second-act revelation about the retirement home's Asian Australian administrator's background. It's hard enough to believe that all of the British and Aussie Chainbreakers would have ended up in the same facility, but to add such a big twist about Lin (Renee Lim) is definitely eyebrow-raising and unnecessary. It would have been preferable to have more interactions between young Elliot and the veterans. Because Bronson and Norma are separated for most of the movie, their romance is conducted mostly through phone calls and letters, but it's still quite sweet. There's a considerable Notebook vibe to the situation (no flashbacks, though) and, by the movie's crowd-pleasing end, viewers will be applauding for second-chance love.