80 For Brady is a football comedy that leaves its talented quartet in material that often begs for a Hail Mary but ends up playing defense by being corny and derivative.
The movie is inspired by four real-life friends who were passionate about the New England Patriots and their star quarterback, the eponymous Tom Brady.
Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field are the four lifelong friends who decide to take a chance and watch Brady play at Super Bowl LI in Houston after winning tickets.
When they arrive in Houston, they’re treated to the NFL Experience. Their time consists of Tomlin throwing footballs a long way against younger guys and beating them to claim their jerseys and Field’s character entering a hot wing eating contest hosted by Guy Fieri, who plays himself in a cameo.
The movie tries to offer some unnecessary suspense, as in one scene where Field loses the tickets in her fanny pack, and the outcome of whether the girls will get to the big game is in doubt even though it’s not. This plot contrivance gets a penalty for being too predictable.
Fonda’s character is a romance novelist who finds some inspiration when she has a fling with a fan (Harry Hamlin), but it’s all by the numbers and Moreno gets some stifled laughs when she accidentally ingests a substance that makes her enter a poker game where everybody looks like Fieri.
80 For Brady is a movie where these girls give their all, but the script lets them down. Any attempts at comedy are muted and the characters themselves are only semi-interesting. Tomlin’s scenes do occasionally work and Field is perhaps the most grounded of the four and her scenes do give the movie genuine charm.
I didn’t have too many expectations for 80 For Brady, but I was expecting it to be a little more engaging, given the talents of these women. Not to mention, it gives off too much of a self-indulgent product placement. Everything related to Brady himself is peppered throughout. It might as well have been a 98-minute infomercial.
80 For Brady might be a touchdown with its target audience, but for me, it fumbles repeatedly. This is 2023’s first disappointment.
Grade: C+
(Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some drug content and some suggestive references.)
