Parents' Guide to The Senior

It hits every familiar beat of the "inspiring sports drama" formula, and yet this drama doesn't feel artificial; it's heartfelt and genuine enough that it comes across as human. The Senior plays a lot like irresistible-underdog movies The Rookie—about a 35-year-old who gets his first shot on a Major League Baseball team—and Rudy, which tells the story of a college student who's thought to be "too small" to play football. Many of the same elements are here, including the non-believers (just count the minutes until someone calls Mike "old man," "grandpa," or even "wrinkles") and the family members who, worried about debilitating injuries, try to get the hero to quit. There are the expected scenes of Mike becoming fast friends with some of his more open-minded teammates—and enemies with the close-minded ones ("he's wasting everyone's time!" one angry player shouts). He's shown training relentlessly and then, just as relentlessly, doing physical therapy to recover from an inevitable injury.

Most importantly, there's The Big Game, which, here, is final game of the season. Viewers are kept in suspense as the first half comes and goes and Mike doesn't play. And then we get an ending so miraculous that it's hard to believe it's still a "true story." But it doesn't matter; we're here for it. Chiklis is a big reason for The Senior's success; he clearly put a lot of physical work into the role, and his emotional effort matches that. Coming from Angel Studios release, the film ends with the expected credits footage of the real Flynt (he meets and talks with Chiklis) and a "pay-it-forward" QR code, all of which tries a little too hard to sell the movie's attributes. But viewers do have the option of skipping the credits and forming their own opinions.