What do you get when you let 4 iconic leading ladies take center stage in a road trip movie featuring Tom Brady? Well you get 80 For Brady, the film produced by none other than the legendary QB himself Tom Brady. Directed by Kyle Marvin and starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field and Rita Moreno, it was shocking to see just how well put together the film was given its premise. And being based on a true story made it even more fun to watch. Obviously, the 4 leading ladies have had legendary careers. Each one of them have proven their command of their craft. Yet it was refreshing to see them in a project that just seemed fun. You could tell from the get-go that they really were just enjoying making the movie together, and that helped tremendously in the final product. It helped that they all had tremendous chemistry and really worked well together.
The film follows our four protagonists- Lou (Lily Tomlin), Trish (Jane Fonda), Maura (Rita Moreno), and Betty (Sally Field)- four longtime Patriots (and Tom Brady) fans as they embark on a trip to get to Super Bowl LI in 2017 where the Patriots played the Falcons. The premise could not be more simple. It being based on a true story allowed for such a simple premise to pass, yet obviously the film needed more to be entertaining. There were quite a few creative liberties taken and wild situations thrown in the path of the ladies, yet it never felt too over the top to make it unenjoyable (save for a few scenes towards the end of the film). In addition, the film’s plot was incredibly predictable. We knew what was going to happen going in, and the twists they introduce are not surprising, yet help to add to the film’s runtime.
Where 80 For Brady really shines is in the pure hilarity of the dialogue. There are really funny moments, great one-liners, and enough humor to make it entertaining for anyone. Each character had their own spotlight moments, from Fields’ Hot Wing contest, to Fonda reading her published Rob Gronkowski fan-fiction, to Moreno’s poker game with celebrities. These moments stood out and delivered some fantastic jokes that had the theater laughing out loud. It was in these moments that the film succeeded, where it didn’t matter about anything other than the characters, and it just felt fun.
On the other hand, the film definitely had some issues with the story structure. I wish they had spent more time on the road trip itself. I initially thought going into the theater that the film would be about the trip to get to the Super Bowl, yet the whole of the story takes place while they are already in Houston. It would have been worth it to have a few scenes of the trip, as the dynamic of the actresses would have worked in some crazy traveling situations.
The film also suffered from the underwhelming final third. They focused far too much time on the game itself, and that felt as if it dragged on longer than it should. We get to see a recap of the Super Bowl, with some impressively well integrated scenes from the broadcast interwoven with scenes of our characters, yet it goes on far too long. The focus needed to stay on the characters and in the final third they moved away and focused on the game, to it’s own detriment. That said, there were still some great moments within this final third, but with the expectations set by the rest of the film, I was left disappointed.
Final Thoughts
80 For Brady delivers on a fun premise and rides the coattails of it’s leading ladies all the way into the sunset, like a band of cowboys in a classic western. They really are the driving force of the film and it would have never worked without them. Most of the other cast members were hardly in the film long enough to be memorable, save for Billy Porter who was fantastic as Gugu. However, even with things holding it back, 80 For Brady didn’t shy away from the spotlight and delivered some good, old fashioned fun on screen. Is this movie the next Monty Python and the Holy Grail? No, and it never was going to be. But it was absolutely worth a ticket, and I would be happy to watch it again should it come on TV or I am looking for a film to watch with the family.
