Dog’s Movie House: “80 For Brady” Good Old Fashioned Fun Elevated By A Great Cast!

Tomlin plays Lou, who sixteen years prior was undergoing chemotherapy and happened to get her television stuck on a Patriots football game, the same game in which Tom Brady made his debut. Lou is joined by Maura (Moreno), mathematician Betty (Field) and Trish (Fonda), who happens to be a former commercial model who now writes popular romantic fan fiction involving tight end Rob Gronkowski. The first game becomes a sixteen year tradition and Lou decides (for reasons that become apparent later in the film) to get the girls together for one last hurrah at the actual game. Along the way, they consume edibles, lose their tickets, gamble in celebrity poker games and engage in hot wing eating contests with Guy Fieri. Everything leads to witnessing the biggest Superbowl comback in history with Tom Brady at the controls.

“80 For Brady” is as predictable as movies of this nature get, but that’s really not the point. The fun is to be had in experiencing the journey of these four women, none of whom let the fact that they’re in their ninth decade of life keep them from having a good time. The film is pure fantasy, especially when it comes to the second half, but by then you’re already invested in the story enough to go along with it. The script by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins gives Tomlin, Fonda, Moreno, and Field all chances to shine and their chemistry is a highlight of the movie. This women show the younger generations how it’s done.

Tomlin, usually the brassy presence in a film, actually underplays here as the commited, witty Lou. Lou has problems of her own, but masks them with a wickedly understated sense of humor. In many ways, Lou is the glue that holds the group together. Moreno is a revelation at 91 years of age, moving with an energy and style of a woman half her age. I hope she keeps it up for as long as she can: she’s a national treasure. Fonda has fun as Trish, the bombshell of the group, and has no problem making fun of both her and her character’s penchant for plastic surgery. And Field, as the youngest of the group and possibly the most repressed, has some of the funniest situations in the movie, especially involving her “strap-on.” (You’ll know what I mean when you watch the movie.)

“80 For Brady” is one of those films that is hardly ever made anymore: a grownup comedy that isn’t steeped in vulgarity or crass language. “80 For Brady” is light on it’s feet and despite some of the mature themes involved, has nothing really objectionable about it. (Brady, playing himself, gets to utter his famous rallying cry with an F-bomb, but that’s about it.) If you want a gentle, breezy, entertaining comedy featuring four legends at the top of their game, “80 For Brady” is the one for you! 4 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!

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