Poms (2019)

Poms is the kind of crowd-pleaser that sneaks up on you: a warm, funny shot of late-in-life reinvention that treats its characters like full human beings, not punchlines. Diane Keaton brings a bracing, guarded intelligence to Martha, and Jacki Weaver is pure sunshine-with-edges as the neighbor who coaxes her back into the world; together they make the movie’s friendship feel earned, not manufactured. The vibe is bittersweet and buoyant—more “laugh through the lump in your throat” than broad comedy—as it finds real dignity in aging, illness, and the stubborn decision to try something new anyway. It’s not for viewers who can’t stand a familiar underdog rhythm, but if you’re open to an earnest story with a genuinely uplifting spirit, it’s easy to leave this one smiling.

Poms is clearly trying to be an uplifting, “it’s never too late” crowd-pleaser, mixing grief, aging, and second chances with a feel-good sports-movie structure. The problem is it plays like a checklist of inspirational clichés, with a thin, predictable script that doesn’t dig deep enough into its characters to earn the bigger emotional beats. Diane Keaton and Jacki Weaver do what they can, and there are a few genuinely warm, charming moments when the ensemble clicks, but the movie often settles for easy sentiment instead of sharper comedy or real insight. If you’re allergic to formula, manipulative tearjerkers, or stories that feel like they’re coasting on their premise, this will probably test your patience—but if you just want a gentle, low-stakes comfort watch, it may do the job.