MPAA Rating: PG-13/Genre: Sports Comedy/Stars: 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, Jimmy O. Yang, Ron Funches, Sally Kirkland, Alex Bentley, Patton Oswalt, Retta, Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman/Runtime: 98 minutes
In the long-ago year of 2013, a slice of cinema was released known as Last Vegas. A film that, despite proving to be quite the fun little movie to say nothing of a wonderful opportunity to see 4 acting legends in Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Kline all share the screen together for the very first time, sadly fall under the radar at best and written off as “a Hangover for the geriatric crowd” at worst (not my words incidentally dear reader. I for one happen to love the movie). At any rate, thanks to the passage of time and other such magical elements at play, it is now apparent to me how exactly that movie could have gotten a lot more people to go see it and/or take it seriously. By that I mean what that movie should have been was a chance for 4 female acting icons to show they still got what it takes to lead a movie and put in a heck of lot more screentime for a little-known football player named Tom Brady thrown in for good measure. Sarcasm aside dear reader that is exactly what is at the core of the new slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, the recently released 80 for Brady (I guess 4 Women and a Goat would have been a heck of a lot more suggestive). Indeed, here is a movie about (you guessed it) a quartet of iconic female acting talent in the form of Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, Rita Moreno, and Jane Fonda respectively all engaging in shenanigans that somehow involve no less an entity than that infamous tablet throwing and decently talented football “legend” Tom Brady. Imagine my internal and external surprise then dear reader to discover that, for all the fumbles that this slice of cinema has going for it, I actually did enjoy myself a fair bit as well whilst watching this. Yes the narrative is more than a tad bit predictable, but the work done behind the camera is otherwise not too bad and the work done in front of the camera especially by the 4 leads is genuinely fun thus making 80 for Brady one film that might not shoot for the endzone, but that’s because all it needed to do was get the necessary first down yardage to work on the level that it ultimately does.
The plot is as follows: Inspired by a true story and taking us back in time to the long-ago year of 2017, the slice of cinema that is 80 for Brady gets underway by introducing us to our quartet of main heroines consisting of Lou, Trish, Maura, and Betty respectively. A group of women who are more than just best friends and seemingly sisters for life. Rather, they are also no more and no less than devoted fans of a certain football team (the New England Patriots) and of a certain iconic quarterback who plays for the team (obviously Patrick Mahomes….I kid, I kid). Of course, when watching Tom Brady play has helped one get through chemo treatments, inspired another to become an extremely successful fan fiction writer, help another cope with losing her husband, and aiding the last one in just dealing with her husband’s workaholic tendencies…..can you really blame them for putting him on a pedestal? Of course, we soon see that it isn’t long before their ride or die team has managed to make it to no less a destination than the Super Bowl which soon ignites in our sisterhood of the traveling Brady fangirls a wild and crazy idea. Namely to try and nab some tickets, however possible, to the big game so they can go and cheer their boy wonder on. Thankfully for them, we see that this dream of theirs appears to be granted when one of the multitude of contests that they entered is able to grant them just that. Thus, as they set out for one of the most iconic days they have all ever spent together, we see that this quartet will engage in shenanigans big and small, but through it all the questions still remain. Namely, will their sisterhood survive the chaos and more importantly will Brady and his team make this a Super Bowl that they will remember for the rest of their lives? That I will leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader….
Now, for all the positives that this slice of cinema has going for it, there is one key component that definitely hinders this film more than somewhat. That being that there really isn’t anything novel whatsoever to be found with this film’s narrative framework. To be sure, there are a few surprising moments that are sprinkled throughout. Otherwise however; this slice of cinema’s plot is nothing more or less than a 98-minute stroll through a lot of beats that are extremely typical for a slice of cinema in this particular genre. Perhaps the best example of this can be found in a moment where a member of our quartet accidentally engages in narcotics and as a result starts hallucinating that every single person they lay eyes on has now been replaced by (I kid you not) iconic Food Network personality/ passionate restauranter Guy Fieri since *obviously* every hilarious movie needs to possess at least one scene where it’s characters have to either be inebriated or under the influence of some substance or another. Along with that, there are beats in this on the part of the individual characters that are so run of the mill and cliché (one of the characters dealing with a possibly scary medical situation) that it feels like this film’s script is less an official script and more a cinematic version of Mad Libs that has been done time and time again just with different names and scenarios. That stumble aside though, I will play fair and admit that there is still quite a bit to enjoy here especially if you are someone who enjoys the quartet of female performers at the heart of the story. Indeed, the chemistry between our quartet of iconic female talent is simply a joy to behold and the movie also does a wonderful job at ensuring they each get to bring some delightful laughs along the way. I mean from Jane Fonda’s character having a published fan fiction to her name about Rob Gronkowski called 50 Shades of Gronk (I kid; it’s actually Between a Gronk and a Hard Place….something I will definitely not be buying any female relatives of mine for Christmas) and then getting to read it to an entranced audience to Rita Moreno and the aforementioned drug-induced Guy Fieri moment at a celebrity poker game and Sally Field inadvertently hitting on a much younger guy, the comedy might be simplistic and cornier than Kansas on the 4th of July, but with how joyfully committed the quartet are to their parts I dare you not to smile during this film at least once. Finally, I should point out that much in the same vein as that film that dared to call itself a remake of House Party where we saw the characters say time and time again how wonderful of a guy the film’s producer, one Lebron James, is, this film also has the quartet of ladies tell us quite consistently about how good-looking they think producer-costar-inspiration for the film in general Tom Brady is. Yet unlike the former film which gives off the vibe of being a huge vanity project that will leave you generally annoyed throughout, this film, despite operating as a feature-length Super Bowl tribute commercial to Tom Brady, never does take itself all that seriously. Indeed Brady’s name might be all over the place here, but this film actually ensures that a lot of the funnier bits in the film don’t even revolve around him. That and, without going into spoilers, he also isn’t really in the movie a lot (gasp!) and instead only shows up here and there throughout. Instead, this film wisely makes the choice to focus as much as possible on the four leads and just let them cut loose and have fun. A choice incidentally for which the film becomes a better cinematic endeavor as a result.
Of course, the main component that really helps to make this slice of cinema work on the level that it ultimately does would have to be, beyond a doubt, the work done by the quartet of iconic actresses in the lead roles. Indeed not only are the 4 delightful in their scenes where they are all together, but they also are true gems in the moments they get on their own as well. This starts with Sally Field who has always been a wonderful performer especially when it comes to her performances in such gems as 2012’s Lincoln, 1993’s Mrs. Doubtfire, or as Aunt May in Andrew Garfield’s pair of Spider-Man movies in 2012 and 2014 respectively. Here though, Field does a wonderful job at playing a woman who is a tad bit socially awkward, but who sees this trip as a way to not only break out of her shell and get some time away from her husband. Suffice it to say that it is a truly charming performance with the scene featuring her engaging in a hot wing eating contest run by Guy Fieri proving to be a genuine delight that is sure to leave a smile on your face. Now, normally the funniest woman out of the 4 would have to be Lily Tomlin, but this movie instead decides to have portray the character with the most gravitas-inducing storyline here which I shan’t spoil here for you. Yet, even with that in mind, there is no denying that Tomlin does still get in a few good laughs whilst also making her character’s arc in this not too sappy despite being quite predictable. Of course, I also think praise should be afforded to both Rita Moreno and Jane Fonda for their respective work here as well as the other two members of this quartet. Indeed, not only do both of them bring some wonderful laughs to the film, but they also do a great job at infusing their characters with terrific degrees of personality and heart in equal measure. Now I am sure that some of you are wondering about ol’ Tom Brady and trust me when I say that he is definitely in the movie so you don’t have to worry about that. With that in mind though, you should know that his screentime in this isn’t exactly massive. Instead, the film does an ingenious job of having him pop up at just the right moments throughout the film’s, including credits, 98-minute runtime and no more, no less. As for how his acting is I can honestly say that I was surprised. Indeed, he’s not Michael Jordan in Space Jam or Kevin Garnett in Uncut Gems iconic, but he’s also NOT Lebron James in Space Jam 2 terrible either. Rather, he does a good job for what the film asks of him though I definitely do not think he should consider acting as a 2nd career especially *IF* his claim of retirement from the NFL this time happens to be true. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in some truly game co-starring or extended cameo efforts from such talents as Rob Gronkowski (who provided me with some surprisingly genuine laughs both here and in his various commercial appearances and should definitely be in more comedies), Patton Oswalt, Sara Gilbert, Bob Balaban, Harry Hamlin (Perseus from 1981’s Clash of the Titans!), the previously mentioned Guy Fieri, and Rob Corddry to name but a few it can safely be said that the work being done in front of the camera by the 4 leads and their support cast is definitely first down worthy in every sense of the word.
All in all I think it is safe to say that if you have watched even the first trailer for this slice of cinema then you already know exactly how the whole film is going to play out over its 98-minute runtime. With that in mind though, I must say that I find myself seeing this film as the cinematic equivalent of (in a weird way) getting in some much-needed quality time with a group of people you love. No this film is not going to emotionally wreck you and no it won’t inspire you to change the world or see it in a different light. It will though operate as a wonderful movie to either go see with your grandmother, mom, or aunt or with a group of friends after you have gone to Chili’s and drained them of their 5-dollar draft during Happy Hour while bemoaning the lack of football on all 20 (or was it 30?) of their TVs at the bar area. To be sure, 80 for Brady is not going to sidestep such slices of cinema as The Longest Yard (the original) or even 1991’s Necessary Roughness to become the new top dog in the realm of football comedy movie magic, but truth be told it never aspired to do that. If anything, it was simply trying to be goofy, lighthearted, and just plain fun and in that regard it definitely succeeded. Yes, the corniness on display might prove to be too much for some of you to handle. For everyone else though, I can safely say that the slice of cinema that is 80 for Brady will feel quite a bit like a pretty terrific game thanks in large part to the quartet of acting legends who are having an absolute blast in the lead roles. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give 80 for Brady a solid 3 out of 5.
