Running Time: 98 minutes
This feature film from Paramount Pictures opens nationwide on February 3rd.
The new year can be an interesting time to go to the movies. It is often filled with potential award contenders slowly opening wide and building momentum for their campaigns. But the season is also filled with misfit features. A few titles are better than expected, but there are more misfires among the good stuff. Very loosely inspired by a true story, 80 for Brady features a wonderful cast and loads of unexpected cameos from a wide variety of athletes and celebrities. Unfortunately, it falls into the latter category. The script is not worthy of the performers, and all of the jokes are bluntly delivered. Even the most die-hard Patriots fan will likely be rolling their eyes.
Described as a comedy/drama, the story introduces close-knit friends Lou (Lily Tomlin), Betty (Sally Field), Maura (Rita Moreno) and Trish (Jane Fonda). They are all fervent followers of the New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady. The friends became fans after Lou was diagnosed with cancer and endured chemotherapy, leaving them huddled around the television on weekends. Years later, Brady and the Patriots find themselves in the Superbowl again. When Lou learns that her doctor is desperate to speak with her, she begins to fear that her cancer has returned. Determined to see the Superbowl in person with her friends, Lou and the others scheme to get seats and find themselves in all sorts of comical escapades at the stadium.
The plot is very predictable and one of the big issues is that, beyond Lou awaiting word from her doctor, there’s little to no drama or tension during most of the running time. Betty needs her husband (Bob Balaban) to be more independent while she is away, but there’s hardly any friction in that subplot. And while something entertaining could have been made of the game ticket issue, it doesn’t actually become a problem until very late in the feature.
All the lack of conflict might be forgivable if the gags and dialogue were hilarious, but that doesn’t occur often enough. There are a few off-handed comments from the leads that are amusing (Betty continually reminds the “80 for Brady” group that she’s only 75), as well as a bit in which group members accidentally ingest an illicit drug and experience a few strange sights. But just about everything else is telegraphed and lands with a thud.
Most of the characters have a competitive fan experience in which they outdo or outperform all of the youngsters around them with the greatest of ease. It may be amusing to witness once, but these situations are repeated over and over again throughout the second act. Another strange tangent involves the Trish character, who writes steamy fiction about her favorite player, Rob Gronkowski. When she arrives at the stadium, her book is actually on store shelves and selling out. The writer is hounded for autographs and even her subject turns out to be an admirer. Yes, it’s just supposed to be a silly gag and another example of one of the leads displaying their hidden talents, but it does make one wonder why Trish didn’t simply arrange a signing at the game and get everyone inside that way.
And when the Patriots find themselves deep in the hole during the Superbowl, the ladies even manage to involve themselves in the championship game itself. The conversations between the ladies, coaching staff and players are quite absurd and could have generated laughs, but they’re actually played in an earnest fashion. It leaves the impression that this may have been intended as one of the film’s dramatic elements.
It’s great to see Tomlin, Moreno, Field and Fonda taking on leading roles again, but sadly the writing leaves them trying to make something memorable out of dopey, one-note gags. As talented as they all are, you can only make so much out of this material. In the end, 80 for Brady is one lucky enough to score a few points, let alone win a trophy.