80 for Brady (B or 3/4 stars)
Showcasing the vast talents of 83 yr. old Lily Tomlin, 85 yr. old Jane Fonda, 91 yr. old Rita Moreno & 76 yr. old Sally Field, director Kyle Marvin and his scripters, Sarah Haskins & Emily Halpern have taken the true story of 4 women of a certain age traveling to the 2017 Super Bowl to see their favorite player, Tom Brady, and turned it into a thoroughly delightful movie. Lou (Tomlin), Trish (Fonda), Maura (Moreno) & Betty (Field) gathered many yrs. before 2017 to be there for Lou's recuperation from chemo. The only station on Lou's television set that year was showing a New England Patriots game. Sure, they all loved football, but they became mesmerized by the handsome rookie quarterback, Brady; thusly, watching the Patriots became a ritual.
Fast forward to Super Bowl 51; where Lou decides that their foursome must trek to Houston to see Brady quarterback in person. 2 nerds (Rob Corddry, Alex Moffat) with their own sports talk show run a contest giving away tickets. To win, you must have a powerful story to tell, so Lou tells her BFF's that her 'story' won. Arriving for the game in matching 80 for Brady bedazzled jerseys, things ... don't go as planned. Trish, who is trying hard not to fall in love again, meets Dan (Harry Hamlin), a former football player; Lou, harboring a secret from back home, entrusts the tickets to Betty; but Betty's participation in a "hot wing eating contest" jeopardizes said tickets; and Maura becomes impaired after eating some gummies & entering a high stakes poker game. Their presence at the game is in jeopardy until Gugu (Billy Porter), who is choreographing the halftime show, comes to their rescue.
I wouldn't say that hilarity ensues, but good-natured rollicking fun does; it even brought a tear to my eye near the end, as well. I also love how positively the film depicts women over 75 as adventurous, enchanting, & essential, which is a rarity in Hollywood. Loosely based on a newspaper photo of 4 women wearing "80 for Brady" sweaters, the screenwriters 'imagined' the story, here; but that did not bother me and, it makes you look up the more concrete facts. Sure, these 4 actresses have comedic chops - Moreno is a hoot {a sleeping pill incident leads to nursing home hijinks} & Field is great; particularly when flirting with a young guy while under the influence - but these acting legends REALLY shine during the parts of the film that introspect the women's life challenges & companionship. Tomlin shares several moments with Tom Brady that are surprisingly poignant, as well as one "Hell, yeah!" moment that really pumped me up.
The film contains some lovely supporting turns from Glyn Turman, Bob Balaban & Sarah Gilbert. And there are cameos galore: Guy Fieri, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, & more. John Debney's pulse-pounding music & some stellar editing make the Patriots' extraordinary comeback against the Falcons so awesome to experience on the big screen. Some viewers might eye roll how lovingly Tom Brady is depicted {he IS a producer}; comes across as sliiightly narcissistic & self-congratulatory. And as I said above, this movie is not some comic masterpiece. But I just had such a good time watching it; as did my sold out screening. I'm so glad that an engaging, fun movie like this starring 4 iconic, older actresses can bring the masses back to theaters.
Fast forward to Super Bowl 51; where Lou decides that their foursome must trek to Houston to see Brady quarterback in person. 2 nerds (Rob Corddry, Alex Moffat) with their own sports talk show run a contest giving away tickets. To win, you must have a powerful story to tell, so Lou tells her BFF's that her 'story' won. Arriving for the game in matching 80 for Brady bedazzled jerseys, things ... don't go as planned. Trish, who is trying hard not to fall in love again, meets Dan (Harry Hamlin), a former football player; Lou, harboring a secret from back home, entrusts the tickets to Betty; but Betty's participation in a "hot wing eating contest" jeopardizes said tickets; and Maura becomes impaired after eating some gummies & entering a high stakes poker game. Their presence at the game is in jeopardy until Gugu (Billy Porter), who is choreographing the halftime show, comes to their rescue.
I wouldn't say that hilarity ensues, but good-natured rollicking fun does; it even brought a tear to my eye near the end, as well. I also love how positively the film depicts women over 75 as adventurous, enchanting, & essential, which is a rarity in Hollywood. Loosely based on a newspaper photo of 4 women wearing "80 for Brady" sweaters, the screenwriters 'imagined' the story, here; but that did not bother me and, it makes you look up the more concrete facts. Sure, these 4 actresses have comedic chops - Moreno is a hoot {a sleeping pill incident leads to nursing home hijinks} & Field is great; particularly when flirting with a young guy while under the influence - but these acting legends REALLY shine during the parts of the film that introspect the women's life challenges & companionship. Tomlin shares several moments with Tom Brady that are surprisingly poignant, as well as one "Hell, yeah!" moment that really pumped me up.
The film contains some lovely supporting turns from Glyn Turman, Bob Balaban & Sarah Gilbert. And there are cameos galore: Guy Fieri, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, & more. John Debney's pulse-pounding music & some stellar editing make the Patriots' extraordinary comeback against the Falcons so awesome to experience on the big screen. Some viewers might eye roll how lovingly Tom Brady is depicted {he IS a producer}; comes across as sliiightly narcissistic & self-congratulatory. And as I said above, this movie is not some comic masterpiece. But I just had such a good time watching it; as did my sold out screening. I'm so glad that an engaging, fun movie like this starring 4 iconic, older actresses can bring the masses back to theaters.