Joe is a mean hard as nails doesn't give a crap cantankerous old man in a wheelchair. (mutantreviewers.wordpress.com)
It's not a wholly fresh plot, as we've seen cantankerous old man's heart is thawed by spirited young person many times before, in such films as True Grit, and especially Pixar's Up. (qwipster.net)
It's not exactly manipulative in the traditional sense, but it was designed to get the tears rolling, tears of happiness at seeing this cantankerous old man finally overcoming every obstacle in front of him, some of these by his own doing. (rottentomatoes.com)