Weekend Watch - 80 for Brady
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week’s topic, as voted by the blog’s Instagram followers, is 80 for Brady, the sports comedy about four elderly Patriots fans trying to get in to watch Super Bowl LI, Tom Brady’s last with the Patriots. The film stars Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field, and Rita Moreno and features cameos from Tom Brady, Guy Fieri, Rob Gronkowski, Billy Porter, and Harry Hamlin. Let’s get into it.
Letter Grade: C+; realistically, it’s probably worse, but I went in with zero expectations and had a decently entertaining time.
Should you Watch This Film? I’d personally wait for this to hit streaming, but if you’re looking for a simple comedy where everyone looks like they’re having a great time, this is a solid new offering.
Why?
Look, 80 for Brady is a simple lady friends comedy movie with four incredibly talented actresses carrying the whole thing with pure charisma. The story doesn’t do anything unexpected and often strays into the unbelievable to sell the comedic and emotional beats of the film, but again, I don’t know why you would go into this expecting anything else. I said this to my wife when we left the theater, “Not every movie has to be this big awards-bait new and creative thing. Sometimes we need those familiar comfort films to just have a good time,” and I think 80 for Brady checks that box of familiar comfort movie – something easy to throw on during a lazy Saturday afternoon that you don’t have to pay much attention to and can still get some laughs and feel-good energy going.
In addition to its four leading ladies, 80 for Brady relies heavily on cameos to keep the audience engaged. Obviously Tom Brady plays a heavy side role, often breaking through his interviews on television to speak directly to Lily Tomlin’s Lou. The now-retired(?) quarterback does a fine job delivering the equivalent of huddle pep talks and does help sell one of the more touching scenes at the end of the film when the ladies actually get to meet him in person. It’s not Kevin Garnett in Uncut Gems, but it’s also definitely not Michael Jordan in Space Jam, so a just fine performance from the superstar. Guy Fieri plays a larger role in the film than I initially expected but still doesn’t have a lot of acting to do – playing himself has its perks, and he serves more as a comedic bit than a true character in the film. It’s funny because it’s Guy Fieri, but it’s nothing to write home about. For whatever reason, Billy Porter is in this film as the halftime choreographer who befriends the four women. Again, his role is more of a cog in the machine that gets the ladies into the big game, but he does the most with it, as he does with most of his roles. It’s fun to see these side characters all having a great time just basically being themselves in the film.
As for the ladies, what else is there to say other than they had a great time in this film? Each one has a role to play as part of the friend group, and each one plays it with a clear sense that they are here for a good time. Tomlin’s Lou serves as the “quarterback” of the group with probably the most emotionally deep character arc, putting off talking to her doctors about some tests she had done before going to the Super Bowl and having to come to terms with living life in the present, not worrying about the past or future (just like Tom Brady has to do in his comeback against the Atlanta Falcons). Fonda’s Trish is the hot one who never settled down and gets a romantic arc in the film where she has to decide whether she’s willing to give love a try after being burned so many times. Moreno’s Maura is working through grief over losing her husband a year ago but also serves as the primary comic relief of the group after inadvertently taking some drug gummy bears and joining a high-stakes charity poker game – it’s the performance with the widest range but also least depth. Finally, Field’s Betty acts as the group’s “responsible one” who has been married for fifty years, has grandkids, and also happens to be a retired mathematics professor from MIT. Her relationship with her husband serves as the main story arc for the character, culminating in a touching phone call where she finally decides to take some time for herself at the big game.
Four actresses having a great time as football fans in a film with plenty of celebrity cameos to keep its target audience engaged, 80 for Brady is by no means a perfect or Good film, but it is a good movie that accomplishes what it sets out to do – make you laugh, remind you of the power of friendship, and showcase Tom Brady’s acting “talent”. I’m not going to call this a must-watch film, but as feel-good easy watches go, this one is a nice time with minimal stress for when it hits streaming.
