80 for Brady
A schmaltzy freak show squanders the talent of four terrific actresses, and Tom Brady.
Almost human: Sally Field adds hot spice to an insipid farce - with Guy Fieri
If the title sounds nonsensical, wait until you see the film. Three women in their eighties and their 75-year-old friend Betty are obsessed with the American football quarterback Tom Brady. Both a celebration of growing old disgracefully and a valentine to Tom Brady, the farce is produced by Tom Brady, which is embarrassing. Actually, there’s much to be embarrassed about, not least the participation of Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Sally Field, who have five Oscars between them. Here, they look preternaturally lost, as if not sure whether they have delivered the right line or not. Considering that Rita Moreno, aged 91, recently scored such critical acclaim in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, maybe the blame rests at the door of the director Kyle Marvin.
The gist is that four old dears enjoy a regular ritual involving spilled snacks and a broken lightbulb (don’t ask) while watching their favourite team, the New England Patriots, on the telly. When the Patriots make it through to the National Football League final in Houston, Lou (Lily Tomlin) suggests that they attend the event in person, in spite of the prohibitive cost. Amazingly, they win free tickets from a local sports radio show, so the only obstacle to their dream trip is the organisation of it, which falls to Betty (Sally Field), who is rather good at such things. There are setbacks – such as an extended sequence involving the kidnap of Maura (Moreno) from her ‘retirement resort’ – but eventually Lou, Betty, Maura and the top-selling novelist Trish (Jane Fonda) find themselves in Texas…
The phrase “inspired by a true story” is misleading, as nothing portrayed in the film actually happened, besides the outcome of the 2017 Superbowl game. What did happen is that five close friends of a certain age had matching sweatshirts made up, emblazoned with the legend, ‘Over 80 for Brady.’ However, that is immaterial. What matters is that there’s nary a convincing moment in the film, which is marred by poor direction, lacklustre dialogue, dumb performances, shoddy sound design, random camera moves and a music score that reduces the whole thing to the bargain basement of sitcom travesty. Hopefully, the stars had a good time with the limited material, although only Sally Field comes close to creating a plausible human being. Her Betty is so organised that her husband (a bewildered Bob Balaban) relies on her to remind him when to put on his trousers. But she’s an innocent, and a running joke is milked dry by her insistence on calling her fanny pack a strap-on. Jane Fonda’s Trish is more worldly, having just published her latest tome called Between a Gronk and a Hard Place. And no four women could be less likely to make up such a close-knit quartet. Approach at your peril.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Cast: Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Sally Field, Tom Brady, Billy Porter, Rob Corddry, Alex Moffat, Guy Fieri, Harry Hamlin, Bob Balaban, Glynn Turman, Sara Gilbert, Jimmy O. Yang, Ron Funches, Matt Lauria, Sally Kirkland, Patton Oswalt, Retta, Matt Lauria, Andy Richter.
Dir Kyle Marvin, Pro Tom Brady and Donna Gigliotti, Screenplay Sarah Haskins and Emily Halpern, Ph John Toll, Pro Des Wynn Thomas, Ed Colin Patton, Music John Debney, Costumes Allyson B. Fanger.
199 Productions/Fifth Season/Watch This Ready-Paramount Pictures.
98 mins. USA. 2023. US Rel: 3 February 2023. UK Rel: 24 March 2023. Cert. 12A.
