Creed III

It's good.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

This is no good.

80 for Brady

Inspired by real octogenarians who loved Tom Brady so much they traveled to Super Bowl LI, this sports comedy focuses on Lou (Lily Tomlin), Trish (Jane Fonda), Maura, (Rita Moreno), and Betty (Sally Field), a group of older women who have followed Tom Brady’s career from the moment he replaces Drew Bledsoe as the New England Patriots’ quarterback. It’s memorable for Lou because she had just finished chemotherapy. They want to go to the Super Bowl, yet they lack the funds. So, the women enter a radio contest, hoping to win tickets. Shortly after, they’re off to Houston to see their hero in football’s biggest game.

80 for Brady gives each main character her own little narrative. Lou is so enamored with Brady she has visions of him talking to her (e.g., a Brady bobblehead speaks to her). She has recently undergone test screenings and fearful about the results. Trish enjoys wearing wigs and gets attached to men too quickly. She married the last one before truly knowing him. She meets Dan (Harry Hamlin) and likes him, but she won’t allow herself to fall for him and be wrong. Maura is a grieving widow who enjoys the company of Mickey (Glynn Turman), a man who, like Maura, lives at a retirement facility. While Maura is the least defined of the four, Betty, the youngest, has slightly more substantial story. She’s married to the forgetful and weak-willed Mark (Bob Balaban), who is writing a paper for a journal and wants Betty to help him. Betty needs a vacation from his clinginess, but she must be gentle about it.

The conflicts are impotent and don't allow me to care much about the plot. In one, Lou and Betty want to collect Maura from her convalescent home, but they can’t because she’s sleeping, and the manager won’t wake her. They scheme to get it done and after it’s accomplished, three of them holler like they’ve broken her out of prison. All that has really happened is that they have picked her up and overcome a very small obstacle. Had Lou and Betty patiently explained they need Maura so they can go to the Super Bowl (and they might miss their flight), there very likely wouldn’t have been a problem. The women go to the NFL Experience, and I’ll admit there some fun to be had there. They take cannabis edibles, and it has the greatest effect on Maura. She wears an elaborate mask that reminds her (and me) of the masks in Eyes Wide Shut, and, in one scene, sees everyone as Guy Fieri (who is in the movie). The cannabis causes Lou, Trish, and Betty to dance amusingly. But the plot is surprisingly basic, even though I didn’t expect much from it. This example is a bit of a spoiler, so jump to the next paragraph if you want to. In Houston, Betty finds a way to lose the tickets. Scriptwriters Sarah Haskins and Emily Halpern (who both co-wrote the spunky Booksmart) don’t come up with anything better than that. So, the women try to conceive ways to get into the Super Bowl for which they thought they had tickets. After the next complication, they’re still trying to sneak in. The lack of imagination that went into this screenplay is startling.

80 for Brady is missing another essential ingredient. In 1993, I saw Grumpy Old Men, which didn’t make me forget The Odd Couple but was nevertheless a likable experience. The theater was jammed with people of varying ages and the overwhelming response was positive. I was there to see old (or older) pros like Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ann-Margaret, and Burgess Meredith and have a good time with them. And so many of us did because we laughed. If there had been few comedic attempts and if most of them had failed, the experience would have been far less appealing. That’s what happens in 80 for Brady. Betty has been married for 51 years, so she looks for excitement by flirting. She says to the cab driver, “Hrishi? You have a nice head.” I’m not sure who’d find that humorous, though maybe four or five people out of a million would. Lou says of Brady, after she sees him on television, “He’s so well-hydrated.” At the NFL Experience, Lou tosses footballs into a bin about 10 feet away. The scene is supposed to be exciting, but it rates a one on my thrill meter.

The movie rallies a bit in the second half. One sequence is frankly ludicrous, with some of the protagonists entering the defensive coordinators’ booth. One of the women calls a play, and after a speech, Brady gets inspired. Still, the film needs that scene because that’s where Lily Tomlin gives the proceedings heart. The Super Bowl’s conclusion injects some spirit into the movie, buttressed by Kyle Marvin’s sprightly direction in the last act and Colin Patton’s editing. Of course, the game’s ending is as much a done deal as Creed winning the title fight in Creed III next month. Yet I liked seeing the late-game football plays again. Tomlin wrings as much emotion out of Lou as she can believably muster. Rita Moreno has the least to do of the leads, though, as Maura, she’s pleasant. Jane Fonda is plausibly vulnerable as Trish, and Sally Field lends Betty a poise that anchors her scenes with her husband. Tom Brady, who co-produced, tries, but he isn’t credible thanking Lou for galvanizing him. As a Patriots fan (however, not as much as I am a Bears fan), I should say thanks to him for being the greatest quarterback in NFL history.

While I can’t call 80 for Brady a good movie, it turns out, with a late surge, to be an OK time.