Star-studded girl gang flick, “80 for Brady,” is based on a true story of fun and friendship.
80 for Brady had moderate success at the box office, scoring a not too shabby $40 million. For this group of Silver Sneakers, that is definitely seen as a winning touchdown!
The most pleasant fact about the modern movie-going experience is that if you miss a motion picture in its initial theatrical run, it is usually just a few short weeks later that it debuts on one of the popular streaming apps.
Starring frequent co-stars, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda (Moving On), these real-life gal pals play two of four friends, based on a true story. A group of Golden Girls decide to live out their bucket list wish by attending the wildest sporting event in the world, all while hunting down and meeting their hunky idol Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Also along for the journey is Rita Moreno and Sally Field (Hello, My Name is Doris) rounding out the four-some.
If you were like me and happened to miss this playing at your local cineplex, well to put it kindly, I assure you, you didn’t miss much. Like football star Tom Brady himself, this on the surface cutesy flick just felt self-involved, and besides a couple of empty laughs, as a whole this entire film just seemed to fumble.
Let me tell you what I enjoyed about it. Well, I love that they are writing and producing movies for women that are a far cry from being in their twenties for one. Let’s be real, there is much life to live after 40, but Hollywood seems to have that backwards when it comes to the female species. The forty-plus genre for women in particular is usually just bland roles like playing someone’s mother or wife. Not real meat and potato roles like they still write for their male counterparts. With that being said, with a story like this, I do understand there is only so much to work with in terms of this script.
Sally Field, playing “Betty,” is just too downright talented for a surface project like this. But hey, I get it, work is work. I won’t even begin to tell you what I have done in my past to earn a few bucks! And no, it’s not what you are thinking you dirty birdie!
80 for Brady may certainly be enjoyed by a senior audience, say sixty-plus, but it will without a doubt fall on blind eyes for the younger generations. And that comes from an old soul such as myself. Ultimately, leave this Brady on the sidelines, and not for nothing, don’t blink but there is a welcome cameo from the goofy, yet likable tight end “Gronk.”
“80 For Brady” starring: Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Sally Field
Christopher’s “Meow” Score: 4 ½ paws out of 10.
