Real-life Tom Brady super fans, Elaine, Betty, Anita, Pat, and Claire are the women who inspired director Kyle Marvin’s 80 For Brady. An engaging and lighthearted story about long-lasting female friendships, Sarah Haskins and Emily Halpern’s script is crowd-pleasing in all the right ways. The film stars Hollywood veterans Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field with seven-time Superbowl Champion and producer Tom Brady. In their quest to attend Superbowl LI, the four best friends encounter heartache, healing, and the reminder that friendship equates to lifelong support. Thanks to the special cast chemistry, 80 For Brady’s charm shines through despite being good for only a single watch.
80 For Brady, loosely inspired by a true story, follows longtime best friends Betty (Field), Trish (Fonda), Lou (Tomlin), and Maura (Moreno) on their quest to take a wild trip to the 2017 Superbowl. Originators of the Tom Brady fan club for seniors, the quartet find themselves on a desperate hunt for tickets to enjoy one last celebration together. All their dreams appear to come true when one contest grants them an experience of a lifetime. And as they journey towards the best day of their lives, they realize it’s not the experience that they’ve longed for — it’s the time with each other.
Haskins and Halpern’s script is a gentle reminder that there’s no age limit to having fun. Through Trish, Betty, Maura, and Lou, 80 For Brady celebrates female friendships in a setting that borrows from the likes of buddy comedies and sports dramas. Tomlin’s Lou is recovering from chemotherapy while Trish is recuperating from her latest heartbreak. Then, there’s Maura, who can’t get over the loss of her husband while Betty longs to gain freedom from hers. These various personalities and life experiences play out with such charm and appeal that it’ll be hard not to have a smile on one’s face.
While the film is based on a true story, there’s no doubt the filmmakers behind 80 For Brady took liberties in creating an exaggerated version of the quartet’s Superbowl experience. Yet, everything that happens in the film is well-intentioned and designed to garner organic laughs, and they succeeded in doing so. Despite the lighthearted tone, there are moments in which the story concentrates on real-life issues related to cancer, death, and love — all to which audiences can relate. Additionally, the transitions to such topics are seamless and feel natural to the development of the story. As a result, 80 For Brady isn’t just an easy watch, it’s an enjoyable and touching one.
With all the ridiculous things that happen throughout Marvin’s sports comedy, it’s easy to look at the film as a throw-away ad to convince its viewers that women can enjoy football. Admittedly, the script isn’t entirely credible in that regard, as their interest in football initiates after fawning over Tom Brady’s handsomeness in early sequences. But once these hackneyed jokes are out of the way and the pace becomes more consistent, the script soars into an exciting adventure that emphasizes the importance of friendship. And with knockout performances from the film’s leads, 80 For Brady is exactly the kind of film to enjoy right before the Superbowl.
Full of heart, humor, and a centralized focus on friendship even in old age, Marvin’s latest sports dramedy is a fun and heartwarming film for everyone. The slowed pace early on enables viewers to understand each character well enough. It then picks up, resulting in an enjoyable experience and laughs at every turn. Thanks to charming performances from the film’s leads, who are friends on and off-screen, it’s easy to see why these four were chosen to represent the value of friendship even through life’s ups and downs. And while it doesn’t break any genre barriers or require multiple viewers, 80 For Brady does everything it set out to accomplish as far as entertainment goes.
80 For Brady released in theaters on February 3. The film is 98 minutes long and rated PG-13 for strong language, some suggestive references, and some drug content.