Poms is a movie that will make you stand up and cheer

Diane Keaton leads an incredibly game cast in this tenderhearted movie about aging, beauty, and finding fun in unconventional ways.

There’s a certain antagonism to saying a movie is one “your mom will love.” Is it because this phrase is generally attributed to movies directed and featuring women, usually ones past the age which Hollywood considers aesthetically pleasing? Interestingly, the interaction of society and age, and what is appropriate for a woman who hits a certain milestone, is at the center of director Zara Hayes’ new feature, Poms.

In 2014, an article was released discussing the Sun City Poms, a cheerleading squad composed of women in their late ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. The organization became a phenomenon, starting a string of cheer groups headed up by elderly ladies. Hollywood eventually came calling and Poms is inspired by those women.

Martha (Diane Keaton) has cancer and, without any family to leave things to, she goes to Sun Springs retirement community “to die.” Goaded by the pushy and outspoken Cheryl (Jacki Weaver), Martha decides to revive her old past as a cheerleader and start a squad in Sun Springs, eventually inspiring the women to enter a prestigious cheer competition.

During a recent interview with Zara Hayes, she mentioned her desire to show the “bitter and the sweet.” Right off the bat, the movie tells you Martha is dying of cancer. And while the conclusion is already written, the movie never mires itself in the horrors of the disease. We watch Martha struggle and end up in the hospital, but Poms isn’t about being inspirational in the face of the cursed cancer. It’s about embracing life and enjoying what you can in the time you have left.

Keaton’s Martha is a single woman who has seemingly never regretted being single or having children, one of many moments that flies in the face of conventional women-focused narratives. She’s cynical and, at first, despises the idea of being in a retirement community, content to sit at home and wait for the icy hand of the reaper to come for her. But through the persistence of the fun and bubbly Cheryl, Martha is forced to join in.

Keaton and Weaver are the mutual anchors of Poms, two opposites who find in each other a kindred spirit. Martha is standoffish and guarded with a sly edge of dark humor, baiting the resident chief of police by asking if he’ll “do what it takes” to stop her neighbor’s from leaving their Christmas lights up. Cheryl, on the other hand, is cute and frisky, aided by Weaver’s bright smile and twinkly personality. When things do turn serious, it’s not surprising to see them bond. Theirs is a friendship that doesn’t require lengthy passages of dialogue to be present and cemented.

The rest of the cast lacks the same amount of depth, but they’re all memorable and charming. Rhea Pearlman’s Alice is adorably diabolical (maybe) as a woman who might have offed her husband in order to participate, while Pam Grier is woefully underutilized as Olive, who’s husband is thoroughly intrigued by her being a cheerleader. The squad goes through the ups and downs of becoming a team – elements of which include being publicly humiliated and breaking up – but there’s never a hint of their friendship splintering. By the time the final climax hits and the group gets an opportunity to finally present their routine, you can’t help by cheer. Watching Keaton flail her arms and the other women shaking poms at the camera warms your soul.

Hayes and screenwriter Shane Atkinson aren’t just focused on the concept of “old women cheering,” but the societal thoughts that come up when the phrase is uttered. The script takes several moments to look at how people, particularly men, treat the ladies, commenting that “no one wants to see a bunch of old ladies in short skirts.”

Outside of the obvious sexism, the film also explores how often elderly women are infantilized. One of the cheerleaders has her money controlled by her husband and is generally treated like a child purely because she’s old. The script never seeks to preach about the need for elderly autonomy, but does leave the audience questioning at what point would we want our own civil liberties removed purely because we’re seen as a liability? When do we put away the things we love because we’re too old?

Poms isn’t going for any awards, but its rah-rah spirit is in the right place. Keaton and crew dance for all their worth with an infectious joy you can feel!