Even the presence of Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Lily Tomlin and Rita Moreno in this comedy lacks momentum.
The “Brady” of the title is Tom Brady, the football player who just announced his actual retirement after more than 23 seasons in the NFL. The “80s” are four friends – one of whom likes to remember that she is only in her 70s – at the age of 80, who admire the athlete without bounds.
Lou (Lily Tomlin), Betty (Sally Field), Trish (Jane Fonda, who almost no longer has facial expressions) and Maura (Rita Moreno) are close friends who have grown accustomed to watching the Super Bowl in front of their TV to Tom to encourage Brady. One day they win tickets to the soccer final in a raffle, so they head there…and have some adventures along the way.
Loosely based on true events, 80 for Brady never finds a satisfying rhythm. Once the premise is planted, the ridiculous and superfluous gags pile up without ever leaving the picture we have of older women’s lives. Lou is in remission from cancer, Betty is a woman who has always sacrificed herself, Trish collects love stories and Maura is unable to grieve for her husband.
No character – except perhaps that of Sally Field, whose untouched face is a breath of fresh air – is really developed, no situation – comical or not – is really explored. Nothing is done to attract attention, the ultimate goal – entering the Super Bowl – has nothing particularly remarkable.
If it’s good to see a feature film that’s entirely dedicated to women, especially in the 70’s and 80’s, we have to admit that we were hoping for more because of the distribution. Much better.
- 80 for Brady hits theaters on February 3rd.
- Rating: 2 out of 5