Best known as a TV actor, Zach Braff made his debut as a feature director via 2004’s cult hit Garden State. With 2017’s Going in Style, we get Braff’s third effort as a big-screen filmmaker.

Willie Davis (Morgan Freeman), Joe Harding (Michael Caine) and Al Garner (Alan Arkin) are all retired former co-workers who pal around together. They enjoy this lifestyle until a corporate raid eradicates their pensions and leaves them financially high and dry.

Now without the funds to get by, Joe comes up with an improbable plan: the three elderly men will rob the bank that caused the merger that eliminated their pensions. With no experience in the criminal world, Willie, Joe and Al attempt to make this crazy scheme work.

This 2017 film acts as a remake of a 1979 flick with the same title. That one featured George Burns as Joe, Art Carney as Al and Lee Strasburg as Willie.

While not a smash, the 1979 Going became a moderate hit, as it landed in 26th place for that year’s releases. That looks very good compared to the 61st place the 2017 edition ranked in the US box office.

That said, no expected a comedy that starred three elderly actors to turn into a smash. Besides, the 2017 Going only cost $25 million, so with an $85 million worldwide gross, it turned a decent profit.

I saw the 1979 Going as a 12-year-old and enjoyed it, though I doubt I’ve seen it since my youth. Of course, I come at a movie about old folks much differently at 57 than I did at 12, which makes me substantially closer to the 2017 flick’s target audience.

I should check out the 1979 version again and see how it holds up and compares to the newer one. On its own merits, though, the 2017 Going seems pedestrian.

The film portrays the casual indignities related to how society treats the elderly. These points seem valid, as we can the patronizing ways many deal with older folks.

However, in a clear case of “having cake/eating it too”, Going also pokes fun at the film’s octogenarians for their age-related domains. These moments feel trite and without cleverness.

Indeed, much of Going lacks creativity. It follows a fairly predictable path and does so without real freshness.

Since I barely remember the 1979 film, I can’t blame the easily anticipated elements on familiarity with the story and characters. The issue stems from the fact that the 2017 Going just follows the same path as too many comedies about the elderly and doesn’t find its own road.

Of course, the robbery plot adds a curveball – in theory. However, that side of the tale also feels stagnant, as it churns the same kind of clichés we’ve seen in other films that deal with bumbling amateur crooks.

All that said, the 2017 Style keeps us with it due to the charms of its actors. With Freeman, Caine and Arkin as our leads, filmmakers would need to suffer from severe incompetence to make the end result unwatchable.

Indeed, those three could carry many an inferior script, and they do so here. Throw in a fine supporting cast that includes Ann-Margret, Matt Dillon, Christopher Lloyd and others and the actors manage to ensure the movie goes down painlessly.

I just wish I could say more for the 2017 Style than that. While it becomes a watchable affair, it lacks the spark and charm it needs to turn into anything more.

Going in Style appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a pleasant presentation.

Sharpness was positive. Only minor softness crept into wide shots, so the image remained pretty tight and well-defined at all times.

I noticed no issues with shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes failed to appear. Print flaws also failed to mar the presentation.

Going went with a palette that provided a fairly standard combination of orange/amber and teal. Within the movie’s color design, the tones seemed solid.

Blacks were dark and deep, while shadows demonstrated nice smoothness. This was a consistently satisfying image.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix of Men showed scope generally typical of the comedy soundfield. That said, a few elements occasionally allowed it to open up in a satisfying manner.

In particular, the handful of bits with gun violence – such as during robberies – kicked to life. The mix did use the score and songs in a broad, engaging manner, though, and the whole package fit together smoothly.

Audio quality seemed good. Speech was distinctive and natural, without edginess or other issues.

Music seemed warm and dynamic, while effects showed nice clarity and accuracy. Bass response delivered nice punch. The mix suited the story and shifted into higher gear when necessary.

The disc includes an audio commentary from director Zach Braff. He offers a running, screen-specific look at story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, music, photography, editing, stunts and action, and connected topics.

On the negative side, Braff ladles out far too much happy talk, as we get tons of praise across the track. He also never mentions the 1979 movie, which seems odd as I figured he'd make some reference to its adaptation.

On the positive side, Braff gives us a lot of good information about the production. These elements become enough to make this a worthwhile discussion.

11 Deleted Scenes span a total of 13 minutes, 11 seconds. These mainly mix a bit of exposition, extensions of existing scenes and minor comedy beats.

Nothing here seems especially compelling. None of them flop but I don’t see how any would’ve improved the movie.

The disc opens with an ad for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. No trailer for Going appears here.

A second platter delivers a DVD copy of Going. It boasts the commentary but not the deleted scenes.

Thanks to the presence of an overqualified cast, Going in Style keeps us with it. However, it never becomes anything especially clever or insightful, as it mines predictable comedic territory. The Blu-ray comes with good picture and audio as well as a few bonus materials. Though never a memorable movie, the strengths of its legendary stars make it moderately enjoyable.