If Brady’s 80 lures the 55-plus cohort off their living room flat screens into the multiplex, it won’t be for the bromides on friendship. These are delivered with an almost shocking literalness, but at least sparingly. The shine of this film is all about the chemistry of its powerful quartet and the potential for comic sparks, and on that front the starry scrum of Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Sally Field delivers.
Playing longtime friends who found a late love for football — specifically the Patriots led by Tom Brady — they make the 2017 trip from Massachusetts to Texas to see their team in the Super Bowl. Football fans will know that this has not been an ordinary year for the sport; the rest of us will become enlightened. With Brady both producing and acting himself (with plenty of charm) and the NFL providing dynamic footage of the game, there’s no question of veracity on the rust front.
80 for Brady
The final result
Football fan community not required.
Release date: Friday February 3rd
Pour: Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Sally Field, Tom Brady, Billy Porter, Rob Corddry, Alex Moffat, Guy Fieri, Harry Hamlin, Bob Balaban, Glynn Turman, Sara Gilbert, Ron Funches
Director: Kyle Marvin
Screenwriters: Sarah Haskins, Emily Halpern
1 hour 38 minutes
As for the story itself, most of which isn’t set in the stadium, it’s a variously awkward, sweet and goofy mix of everyday reality, sitcom weirdness and pure adoration fantasy – the revered ones being, understandably, its glorious leading ladies. Written by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins, whose previous collaborators include Carol’s Second Act and Booksmart, and directed by Kyle Marvin, an indie producer (The Climb) who is at the helm of his first film, 80 for Brady lays all his pieces directly onto the table surface, sometimes cumbersome. With Marvin stepping down and letting his stars go, the film resonates and delights in their ability to add expert attention to detail to the obvious setups.
The main characters are each given a cross to carry. Morenos Maura, recently widowed, has put her life on hold at a posh retirement community called Calm Gardens, where a roommate (Glynn Turman) is in love with her. Betty von Field, a retired MIT math professor who brings a logician’s analysis to the group’s shenanigans, is long-married and long-suffering from the neediness of her nebulous husband (Bob Balaban). Fonda, sporting candy-pink lipstick and a selection of Dynasty-worthy wigs, plays series monogamist Trish, a former TV commercial mascot who writes soccer-themed romance and has a knack for falling in love with the wrong people. As Lou, the group’s so-called quarterback, Tomlin is a cancer survivor with a troubled daughter (Sara Gilbert). She’s also why the women devoted themselves to Brady and the Pats, whose bravery on the field proved inspirational while going through chemo.
The script captures how superstition captures otherwise rational people in the name of their devotion to sports teams. Every time they gather to watch a Patriots game, Lou and her companions go so far as to reenact what they did in their living room to celebrate a crucial Pats victory. While local sports reporters Nat and Pat, Alex Moffat and Rob Corddry continue to capture the emotional extremes of the fandom (and also give the always troublesome Bay State accent a commendable shot; the only other cast member trying it here is Tomlin with an understated inclination to their vowels and there).
Through a ticket giveaway contest and a series of events muddled for plot purposes but also unnecessarily confusing, the four friends come to Houston to watch the Patriots take on the Atlanta Falcons. For reasons Lou won’t share with her friends, this Super Bowl has become a hugely important one for her; She’s hiding her health concerns and perhaps portraying the need to see 39-year-old Brady play as her last chance.
With “80 for Brady” emblazoned on their jerseys — though Betty keeps reminding her she’s only 75 — the women explore the NFL Experience theme park and attractions ahead of the game, citing their exploits, including a Hot Wings Challenge, come over Guy Fieri and a high stakes poker game where Maura takes on strong players played by Billy Porter, Patton Oswalt and Retta. Trish tries to resist the flirtation of a former NFL champion (Harry Hamlin as perhaps the most outspoken footballer), Betty shares some ridiculously weird and vulnerable moments with a party-goer (Matt Lauria), and most notably, cannabis edibles are accidentally consumed, which is the lead performs dance moves by Tomlin and Field to a priceless piece. With Moreno on board, another dance sequence makes for an uncomplicated and winning offering in a stunning scene.
At its sharpest, Halpern and Haskins’ script gives the cast incredibly droll lines — a bit of haggling between Moreno’s Maura and a scalper is a highlight. But even when they’re not, these four effortlessly improve the material with their casual readings and spontaneous twists, especially Tomlin. She manages to resist the most sobs of the script, including Lou’s psychic connection with Brady, who addresses her with pep talk from TV screens and billboards, a favor she ultimately repays with her own timely pep talk.
Much more fun is watching the quartet outwit a Calm Gardens employee (Jimmy O. Yang) and later a stadium manager (Ron Funches). Given how hilariously funny the central performances can be, it’s a shame the writers and Marvin didn’t push the absurdity factor more. There’s no need to supplement the comic frame with feel-good affirmations when these actors bring such accomplishments and well-deserved affection to their roles; They root interests from the start, which is largely the point of this cinematic Valentine’s Day.
To that end, John Toll’s cinematography, Wynn Thomas’ production design, and John Debney’s music unobtrusively serve the performances, and Allyson B. Fanger’s colorful costumes make the characters stand out rather than stage them. Despite a truly conflicted comeback, 80 isn’t a forever scorer for Brady, but he does score when it counts.
full appreciation
Distribution: Paramount
Production Companies: Paramount Pictures, Fifth Season, Endeavor Content, Tempesta Films, 199 Productions, Watch This Ready
Cast: Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Sally Field, Tom Brady, Billy Porter, Rob Corddry, Alex Moffat, Guy Fieri, Harry Hamlin, Bob Balaban, Glynn Turman, Sara Gilbert, Ron Funches, Jimmy O. Yang, Matt Lauria, Sally Kirkland, Andy Richter, Marshawn Lynch, Patton Oswalt, Retta
Director: Kyle Marvin
Screenwriters: Sarah Haskins, Emily Halpern
Producers: Donna Gigliotti, Tom Brady
Executive Producers: Jeff Stott, Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin
Camera: John Great
Production Designer: Wynn Thomas
Costume Designer: Allyson B. Fanger
Publisher: Colin Patton
Music: John Debney
Cast: Matthew Maisto, Deedra Ricketts, Victoria Thomas
1 hour 38 minutes
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