Most of the time, if you hear some film followers of a sure age complain “They certain don’t make them like they used to,” they’re referring to, and certain wishing for, one thing on the order of “The Final Rodeo.” Easily directed by Jon Avnet (“Fried Inexperienced Tomatoes,” “Up Shut & Private”) from a script he co-wrote with lead actor Neal McDonough and Derek Presley, this totally predictable however undeniably participating faith-based drama is an inoffensively old school leisure that, with solely minor tweaking, may cross for a Walt Disney Studios launch of yore.

McDonough, a veteran actor continuously seen as a black-hearted robust buyer in such TV collection as “Justified,” “The Flash” and “Yellowstone,” and most just lately showcased as a worthy foil for Sylvester Stallone in “Tulsa King,” is each bit as efficient right here as a personality who stays staunchly on the facet of the angels. McDonough performs Joe Wainwright, a former champion bull rider who retired from rodeoing after sustaining severe neck accidents throughout a detailed encounter with an particularly nasty bovine. Thoughts you, the bull wasn’t fully accountable: Joe recklessly mounted the animal after a bout of heavy ingesting, a foul behavior that began across the time he misplaced his beloved spouse (Ruvé McDonough, the actor’s real-life spouse, seen fleetingly in flashbacks) to most cancers.

Joe’s subsequent prolonged restoration required his daughter Sally (Sarah Jones) to roughly put her life on maintain whereas serving as her father’s caregiver. She hasn’t complained about having to shoulder that duty — properly, not a lot — however she places her foot down and expresses industrial-strength disapproval at any time when Cody (Graham Harvey), her younger son, expresses a want to observe in his grandfather’s bootsteps.

Fortuitously, as “The Final Rodeo” begins, Cody seems way more involved in baseball. Sadly, whereas he’s present process medical therapy after being beaned by a ball throughout a Little League sport, Cody is recognized with a mind tumor. Naturally, Sally doesn’t have practically sufficient insurance coverage to cowl the huge medical payments for her son.

If it looks like you’ve heard this tune earlier than, just lately, it’s in all probability as a result of there was the same setup simply final 12 months in “Journey,” Jake Allyn’s impressively suspenseful drama a couple of rodeo household pushed to extremes (i.e. relieving a drug vendor of his ill-gotten acquire) to pay for his or her younger daughter’s most cancers therapy.

In “The Final Rodeo,” Joe makes an attempt one thing arguably much more harmful to assist his grandson. What may that be? Properly, take one other take a look at this film’s title.

As destiny and screenwriting contrivance would have it, there’s a fortuitously timed Legends Rodeo competitors sponsored by the Skilled Bull Using Affiliation slated to start upstate quickly in Tulsa, Oklahoma. To get his arms on $1 million in prize cash, all Joe has to do is drag his battered f50-something physique again into form, ignore the not-unreasonable dire warnings of his daughter, persuade his extremely skeptical however deeply spiritual rodeo buddy Charlie Williams (Mykelti Williamson) to teach him, and cajole glad-handing, image-conscious PBR overlord Jimmy Mack (Christopher McDonald) to rubber-stamp his late software to turn into the oldest competitor ever within the historical past of the Legends occasion.

Nothing to it, proper? Credibility isn’t stretched a lot as it’s scrupulously ignored all through a lot of “The Final Rodeo.” Certainly, the film conceivably might need been laughed off the display had been it not for unflappable sincerity and indefatigable dedication that Neal McDonough brings to the desk. Together with his firmly set jaw, steely blue eyes, and authoritative (albeit sometimes shaky) gait, the actor enhances the emotional persuasiveness of his efficiency with a particular physicality that goes a protracted solution to making the viewers imagine Joe can deal with himself in any scenario, whether or not he’s driving a bull that fairly clearly doesn’t wish to be ridden, or holding his personal in a barroom brawl.

On the similar time, nonetheless, McDonough conveys adequate undercurrents of vulnerability to generate sympathy, particularly whereas he’s been being razzed by a lot youthful opponents — together with a smugly cocky defending champ performed by real-life PBR star Daylon Ray Harrington — and different former admirers who jeeringly insist that he’s stayed on the celebration too lengthy.

The bull driving sequences are usually convincing, although it’s not terribly troublesome to discern the place stunt doubles are employed. To their credit score, the writers cease wanting springing miracles to make sure a contented ending, and really inject a observe of realism with a third-act Plan B that, in actual life, actual folks would have proposed lots earlier.

Supporting gamers are properly solid throughout the board, with Williamson properly tempering his character’s heartfelt exhortations to belief God in order that Charlie comes throughout as supportive, not preachy. Christopher McDonald sometimes evokes recollections of the officious host he performed manner again in “Quiz Present,” which isn’t a foul factor in any respect.