A group of friends made it their life-long mission to go to the Super Bowl and meet NFL superstar Tom Brady.
Chuck says:
Without question, “80 For Brady” is an innocuous movie, one that would hardly warrant mentioning if it weren’t for the big names involved. Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Lily Tomlin lend their star power to this lightest of light comedies as do a bevy of familiar faces in the supporting cast. However, one figure looms over them all, one Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. Not satisfied with having conquered the NFL, is now dipping his toe into the world of filmmaking, having produced this self-serving work intended to bolster his image as an inspirational figure whose heroic deeds should be remembered when motivation is needed when the chips are down.
Based on a true story, Trish (Jane Fonda), Lou (Lily Tomlin), Betty (Sally Field) and Maura (Rita Moreno) are best friends who, over the years, have developed a tradition of watching Tom Brady every week, after witnessing his first successful game in 2006. Trish is an insecure writer of trashy novels who goes out of her way to get attention. Lou is a cancer survivor who is fearful of the medical report that has arrived at her door, which she refuses to open. Betty is tightly-wound, a former mathematics professor who likes order but cannot connect with her husband (Bob Balaban). Maura is a recent widow who has her own home but stays at a nursing home to be close to her husband’s friends.
They enter a contest to win tickets to the Super Bowl and lo and behold, they end up winning! Once they get to the big game, a series of hijinks occur that creak with predictability. The tickets get lost! Will they find them? They’re invited to a lavish party and accidentally eat some CBD gummies! Will they act silly while high? Betty accidentally enters an eating contest involving hot wings! Will she win?
Yes, it’s a very simplistic, very predictable movie that, though harmless, fails to inspire. Unlike “A Man Called Otto,” which is similar in plot and tone, the four principals sleepwalk through this. Field seems to be trying and Moreno has moments, but Fonda and Tomlin are barely there. With material this lackluster, is it really their fault? It would hard to get inspired by a script this thin. Then again, they knew what they were getting into when they signed on. In the end, “80” serves as another sad example of what happens when legendary performers are left with nothing but the dregs during the latter part of their careers.
2 Stars
