'80 For Brady' Is A Touchdown! (Non-Spoiler Review)
Man, this is one of those movies you have to really watch a second time to understand ...
That was a joke; "80 for Brady" is a winner!
Rather than exiting this article thinking it's some kind of farce, OutKick did watch "80 for Brady" Thursday night and is here to break down the movie that seemed nearly unmarketable.
No Comeback Needed, '80 For Brady' Dances To Victory
"80 for Brady" is centered on four women near the age of 80 going on the romp of a lifetime to watch then-Patriots QB Tom Brady (whom they share a very unhealthy obsession over) in the infamous 28-3 comeback Super Bowl win over the Falcons.
With direction and writing that is more game manager than franchise QB, "80 for Brady" is successful being a light-hearted movie that delivers fun moments and cameos, if you're able to accept how ridiculous the story sounds.
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This movie as a whole was "The Golden Girls" mixed with "The Hangover" and all the sports scenes from "Silver Linings Playbook."
This svelte 90-minute movie kicks things off with an out-of-place music video that will set the tone for how goofy this movie's existence is.
Tom Brady and His Ladies
The film stars Hollywood titans Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Rita Moreno and Lily Tomlin as the quartet of main characters. Since they put a genuine effort into acting this premise out, you learn to love these ladies as they perfectly execute the charm of an old aunt.
They're a predictable bunch. Fonda plays the ex-starlet whose looks are still a weapon in her 80s (with a hilarious tie to Rob Gronkowski); Field plays the nerdy, safe one that's learning to have fun along this crazy journey; Moreno is the naively clownish friend; and Tomlin plays the friend whose life circumstances drive the plot forward.
As the movie about athlete Tom Brady, there's a lot of TB12 to be had but it's all filtered through these women's craze. All the women put in a genuine effort to come off like friends that don't grow dull as they play to their beats.
I will admit that watching a film about old ladies adoring Tom Brady the same week he retired from the NFL after 23 years had an added emotional impact on the whole experience (and my team beat him in the Super Bowl twice, so I've never had that kind of sympathy for Brady).
None of this works if Brady's acting appears phony when he has his scenes in the movie. Turns out, Brady can act — what can't he do?
It's not an Oscar-worthy performance but Brady plays a fictional version of himself pretty well. Like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in "Airplane!" where you know it's Kareem but it's also a movie version.
Brady manages to hold his own against the veteran actresses, especially in his scenes with Lily Tomlin.
The movie really throws a Hail Mary in the last act when Tomlin's character plays a vital part in the second-half Patriots comeback — though I'm still not sure if "80 for Brady's" version of how Super Bowl LI ended is better than the actual game script.
An Ode to The G.O.A.T.
Recent theater releases have become too complex or too overhyped. If I had a choice, I'd rather leave every movie how I did for "80 for Brady" compared to a movie like "Babylon" where I'll wonder if I wasted three hours at the theater. It's a harmless flick with flair that you won't hate having watched.
Verdict: Like James White's final touchdown in the storied Super Bowl win, "80 for Brady" just crosses the line to be a winner.
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