Synopsis: A group of friends made it their life-long mission to go to the Super Bowl and meet NFL superstar Tom Brady.
Director: Kyle Marvin
Stars: Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Lily Tomlin
One must wonder what it must have been like for Kyle Marvin to direct this movie. Your first feature film and you are directing four Hollywood icons, Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Lily Tomlin. How intimidating! Just to go off course for a moment, at this past years Toronto International Film Festival at a screening of Moving On, which is coming out soon, audience members were crying over the sight of Lily Tomlin and that was even before the movie screened.
If Marvin was fanboying in any way, shape or form, it doesn’t show in his work.
This film is a story of four friends, Trish (Fonda), Betty (Field), Maura (Moreno) and Tomlin (Lou). One of the things they have in common is their love of the New England Patriots and specifically Tom Brady.
Each week they get together to watch the games and they have their specific pre-game superstitions that they must go through. (As someone who does the same before every Manchester City game this just spoke to me!)
The film is set in 2017 and their beloved Patriots have just made it to the Super Bowl. Lou enters a contest and wouldn’t you know, they win. Our foursome is off to Houston for the big game!
Each of these characters has their own dynamic. We have the straightlaced Betty who is the most responsible, Maura who is dealing with the passing of her husband, Trish who can’t stop flirting with men (or maybe it’s the other way around). She passes her time writing erotic fiction, and Lou who seems to hold them all together.
While there are some who may hear ‘Brady’ in the title and have feelings, positive or negative, about the famous quarterback, this film is really about friendship. It’s also heartwarming to see women of a certain age at the front and centre of the film and they make this film shine.
The film is a fun ride which is carried by the four icons at the steering wheel. Years ago, a film called Last Vegas was released with Michel Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Robert DeNiro and Kevin Kline as four friends taking on Vegas. It took us a few years, but we finally got a version with four women as the lead. The message to Hollywood executives…You need more films with casting like this.
80 for Brady is a great reason to go to the theatre and a very enjoyable watch.
Grade: B
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