Finding Your Feet works perfectly as counterprogramming to youthful films like Ready Player One and Blockers. The film’s cast of seniors aren’t fluent in VR, social media, and emoji’s. They prefer naps, sensible shoes, and meeting face-to-face – madness, right? Director Richard Loncraine’s warmhearted dramedy isn’t for the young but it is for the young at heart. Finding Your Feet tells an uplifting story and features charming performances from its overqualified cast. If you think emoji-speak is harder to crack than the Da Vinci Code, you may want to give this movie a shot.

Sandra’s (Imelda Staunton) life is all champagne wishes and caviar dreams. She’s a well-to-do housewife and grade ‘A’ snob who lives in a mansion with her successful husband, Mike (John Sessions). The story begins with Sandra hosting a snazzy retirement party for her husband. As if Sandra’s head isn’t big enough, Mike is about to receive a medal of distinction, marking her an official “Lady.” But before the anointment, Sandra stumbles upon her husband and her close friend getting frisky. After discovering Mike’s carried on the affair for five years, Sandra decides it’s time to leave.

With nowhere to go and no real friends to turn to, Sandra shows up at her estranged sister’s door. They haven’t seen each other in ten years and it’s easy to see why. Sandra is the kind of uptight person who sees kids in hoodies walking her way and crosses the street. Her sister Bif (Celia Imrie) is the type who protests police brutality against those kids in hoodies. With a turquoise streak in her hair and the scent of marijuana wafting through her cluttered apartment, she’s a total bohemian. And stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but for Sandra to “Find Her Feet,” she will have to learn a few life lessons from her free-spirited older sister.

If you’re familiar with odd couple movie tropes, then you’ll get where this movie is headed after the first ten minutes. The free-wheeling spirit and the stick-in-the-mud paring has been done to death but there’s a reason why writers keep churning out these stories: They’re simple and effective. It’s all but certain these characters will find common ground. The meat of the story is how they go about doing so. Even though the plot’s seams were visible, I always felt like the film was in steady hands, allowing me to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

Finding Your Feet features a cast of heavy-hitters. At this point in their careers, fine performances from Imelda Staunton and Timothy Spall are givens. Staunton dives into her role, making it appear that high-class snob is her default setting. Staunton’s character is the broadest of the three leads but she sells her transformation into a better person. Spall, instead, brings a wealth of humanity to his performance. I’ve seen Spall in countless roles over the years but don’t recall seeing him play someone so gentle. I was floored by how much emotion Spall conveys through his big sad eyes. I have a soft spot for Imrie’s Bif. She’s the sort of cool older sister that I’ve always wanted. She’s kind, funny, and empathetic in ways that more of us should aspire to. I found myself leaning in a little each time Bif appeared in a scene.

Loncraine knows when to hang back and let his cast carry the movie. He creates a natural look and feel with subtle camera work and music queues that don’t distract from the performances on screen. Michael J. McEvoy’s score drifts in and out like the tide, with soft piano music that’s as gentle as a lullaby. And Loncraine’s unobtrusive camera always remains steady, slowly gliding along with the action before locking in place. Loncraine often frames the action as though we’re looking through a window into the real world. Nothing feels stylized and polished. Everything from Bif’s humble apartment to the local markets has a lived-in feel.

I enjoyed watching a dramedy about people in their 60’s that didn’t portray them as wacky old farts (or sad old farts). Charlie, Sandra, Jackie (Joanna Lumley), and Bif don’t feel like caricatures of what a senior should be. They feel like well-rounded people who happen to be old. They have many interests, they’re full of life and even romantic. Old age complicates their health, friendships, and love life but it’s not what defines them. That’s an important distinction that many screenwriters gloss over when creating characters.

Finding Your Feet’s entertaining (though predictable) story packs some unexpected emotional punch. The film walks right up to the edge of sappy but the veteran cast’s strong performances keep the story grounded in real emotions. This is a film custom built to please moviegoers who don’t go to the multiplex for popcorn flicks. If your idea of “A Quiet Place” is at home in bed atop your orthopedic mattress, then Finding Your Feet may be right up your alley.