Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda haven’t had to work 9 to 5 for some time now. Only Netflix remembered that they can still kill it onscreen when given the opportunity. 80 for Brady puts those ladies back on the big screen. And, as stupid as the promotional nonsense is, there’s no way Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, and Rita Moreno won’t dazzle the audience with their incredible charisma. I for one welcome the Jane Fonda Rob Gronkowski erotica.
Yes, Trish (Fonda) writes Gronk erotica. She’s best friends with Lou (Tomlin), Betty (Sally Field), and Maura (Rita Moreno), who gather every Sunday to watch Tom Brady and the Patriots play. This is personal for Lou, whose cancer diagnosis got better the minute Brady entered her life. So much so, that she and the girls get lucky and win Patriots Super Bowl tickets through a radio contest. Dreams hopefully come true for the Golden Girls, as they head down to Houston for the Patriots Super Bowl vs. the Atlanta Falcons.
80 for Brady wins the day because of how amazing all the 4 women are. Even though the character development is pretty shallow, Tomlin, Fonda, Field, and Moreno sell the sh*t out of it, having a blast along the way. The script goes for as broad of comedy as exists around the women, while each of them make their scenes infinitely more specific interesting. I couldn’t get enough of Rita Moreno’s gambling escapades, Sally Field’s octogen flirting, Fonda’s sexy author energy, and Tomlin’s down to Earth glue character. The movie pairs them up in random combos as well and lets them cook, giving the movie a different energy scene to scene for just long enough, with a couple inspired cameos along the way.
The make or break part of 80 for Brady is the “Brady” part. Let’s face it, someone that handsome and obsessed with football doesn’t know how to think or act like a real human. The movie leans into this early, having Lily Tomlin literally talking to posters of Tom Brady, that talk back to her so he can just preach his motivational nonsense. Now, some of you might like me, realize how silly and hilariously dumb this is, and laugh harder and harder at this gimmick until the completely ludicrous final 20 minutes, where people will shush you as you are crying because you’re laughing at the stupidity. Or, you’re going to eye roll so hard your eyes will hit your brain and you will die from an aneurBrady. Those are your only two options, so tread 80 for Brady lightly.
The movie is a great way to catch up with a grandparent. 80 for Brady is a delight for the fantastic foursome of women at the center of the movie, whom your grandparents will tell you they saw in that ‘thing with that singer you like’. And you can have fun explaining to your grandma what “strap-on”, “Gronk” and “Guy Fieri” are.