80 For Brady (12A)

When Lou was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, gal pals Trish, Betty and Maura rallied around her. They drew inspiration from a game between the Patriots and the New York Jets, which saw quarterback Tom Brady lead the team to a nail-biting victory. In 2017, a radio show runs a competition with a prize of four tickets to the forthcoming Super Bowl between the Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. The women share their fond memories and win the tickets, setting in motion a ramshackle road trip.

LondonNet Film Review

80 For Brady (12A) Film Review from LondonNet

During an early verbal volley in director Kyle Marvin’s amiable, lightweight comedy, Rita Moreno’s retirement home escapee observes, “The Super Bowl is no place for four old women”. Millions of American football fans who tune into the sport’s glittering final playoff would doubtless disagree with that ageist sentiment. However, cinemagoers who sit through 80 For Brady will question whether a ramshackle road trip inspired by the true story of the Over 80 For Brady fan club is a fitting vehicle for the combined talents of Moreno, Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Sally Field…

Produced by retired quarterback Tom Brady, who appears on screen, Marvin’s saccharine ode to sisterly solidarity lacks both the pace and charm of its athletic namesake, orchestrating a series of predictable set-pieces such as a trippy interlude with marijuana-infused gummy bears. A supporting cast including Harry Hamlin, Bob Balaban and Billy Porter are squandered in throwaway, two-dimensional roles, the latter portraying the ebullient choreographer of Lady Gaga’s halftime show whose character name – Gugu – masquerades unconvincingly as a punchline. The central quartet of Moreno, Tomlin, Fonda and Field work tirelessly to enliven a sluggish script penned by Sarah Haskins and Emily Halpern, which fails to convert a single gag.

In 2001, Lou (Tomlin) is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, supported by gal pals Betty (Field), Maura (Moreno) and Trish (Fonda). A malfunctioning TV remote control forces the women to watch an American football game between the New York Jets and New England Patriots and the friends are instantly smitten with fresh-faced quarterback Tom Brady wearing the number 12 shirt for the Patriots. His heroics on the field inspire a nail-biting victory over the Jets and eventually that season, lead to glory at the Super Bowl.

Lou’s recovery coincides with Brady’s ascent and the clucky quartet become devoted fans of the player, meeting regularly to cheer him on during televised games. Sixteen years later, the Patriots are bound for another Super Bowl, this time to face the Atlanta Falcons. A radio show runs a competition with a first prize of four tickets and miraculously, Lou wins, setting in motion an excursion to Houston, Texas, where Betty enters a hot wings eating contest hosted by Guy Fieri (playing himself) and Trish peddles “sexy fan fiction” about Brady’s teammate Rob Gronkowski penned under the pseudonym Virginia Ledoux.

80 For Brady shuffles towards its grandstand finish at the NRG Stadium in Houston where the Patriots found themselves down and almost out 3-28 in the dying moments of the third quarter. The four leads trade heavily on their real-life friendships to catalyse winning on-screen chemistry but they can’t spin gold out of thin air. Without meaningful character development or a steady supply of witty wordplay, they is no chance of a touchdown.

– Jo Planter