It’s relatively straightforward to approach 80 For Brady with skepticism. That is Tom Brady producing film about a gang of incredibly adorable old ladies who are fascinated with how good-looking and talented he is at a time when Brady’s place in the public consciousness is drying up, which smacks of poorly disguised ulterior motives. To be clear, 80 For Brady never goes beyond that apparent reason for being. But even so, it’s difficult not to be taken in by the main cast, even if the film they’re in is frequently purposeless as a story and witless as a comedy.
80 For Brady was loosely inspired by real-life group of older women whose obsession with the football star, Tom Brady, brought them to the 2017 Super Bowl. The film is about the group’s shared love of the legendary quarterback and the power they discovered in his on-field performance while Lou (Lily Tomlin) was undergoing chemotherapy. Recognizing that time is running out and that they may never get another chance to see Brady play in the Super Bowl, the women enter a radio competition to win tickets to the game, which sends them on an adventure that is greater than any of them intends and goes way beyond the tendril of a true story on which the film is based.
This isn’t essentially a disapproval of the film, but it demonstrates director Kyle Marvin’s lack of a clear vision of what 80 For Brady is supposed to be other than a tolerable time-waster. Each main character has a distinct mini-arc with vastly differing tenuous relevance to the concept of old ladies getting involved in football-themed tomfoolery. However, any plotting in the film is primarily a ruse to get from one humorous moment to the next, and there is little cohesiveness in how successfully that humor is presented.
Though the screenplay by Sarah Haskins and Emily Halpern isn’t dull and unfunny, the film somehow never decides what it would want the audience to laugh at. A punchy or witty line of dialogue might elicit an isolated chuckle, but the film can’t quite decide whether its main characters are meant to be laughing with us or are the punchline. Running gags, such as Betty’s (Sally Field) assertion that her fanny pack is “strap-on,” never got funnier with repetition. It would’ve been more amusing to leave it as a one-time joke. The tone varies between cute and grounded and psychedelic drug fantasy, making it difficult to gauge how heightened the film’s reality is intended to be. 80 For Brady frequently relies on slapstick humor and celebrity cameos to compensate for its lack of wit, but hanging out with Guy Fieri and Billy Porter is a poor alternative to actual jokes.
Fortunately, the primary cast is talented enough so that their authentic chemistry can overcome the film’s many comedic flaws. Despite having a nonsensical delirious connection with Tom Brady’s television likeness, Lily Tomlin holds the emotional component of the film together with plenty of grace that one forgets how much further beneath her the material is. Betty, played by Sally Field, is an entertaining take on the fitting genius wife of an absent-minded husband (Bob Balaban). In contrast, Trish, played by Jane Fonda, is compelling erotic author who wants to be loved and is obsessed with the football player Rob Gronkowski. Unfortunately, Rita Moreno’s character, Maura, is the weakest player, as she must be a newly grieving widow and an uninformed tagalong in well over her head. However, even if the scenes don’t add to a complete character, Moreno can deliver what each stage requires.
Score: 2.5 out of 5
Ultimately, these four women save 80 For Brady from itself. Despite being a distinctly average effort, it manages to be watchable and endearing because Field, Fonda, Tomlin, and Moreno are all such likable characters. Admittedly, the film isn’t particularly unique, extremely funny, or noteworthy, but as intense as this attempt at Brady brand recovery could have been, it’s a tribute to the gravitational appeal of timeless stars who know how and where to carry a film to the end zone for a touchdown.
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