80 For Brady Now Playing In Theaters
Reviewed by Joy Parris: 80 for Brady is a funny, uplifting, and heart-warming movie that can appeal to a diverse audience. It also highlights some important reasons why watching sports with your friends can build a lasting friendship. 80 For Brady does that and so much more.
Starring Academy Award® nominee Lily Tomlin, Academy Award® winner Jane Fonda, Academy Award® winner Rita Moreno and Academy Award® winner Sally Field, with 7-time Super Bowl Champion and producer Tom Brady. 80 FOR BRADY is inspired by the true story of four best friends living life to the fullest when they take a wild trip to the 2017 Super Bowl to see their hero Tom Brady play.
These four best friends come together every year for the Super Bowl playoff with a ritual system in place to cheer for their winning team. Four true legends of the screen join forces as gutsy ringleader Lou (Lily Tomlin), glam, feisty Trish (Jane Fonda), adventurous, tireless Maura (Rita Moreno), and smart, down-to-earth Betty (Sally Field). These decades-long BFFs have been watching football together for years. When watching the game each one plays a pivotal role and if anyone is not in the right place at the right moment could mean a loss for their team.
They become part of a team. They root for the same side, celebrate together when their team scores, and commiserate together when they lose. This sense of camaraderie strengthens their bond and creates a lasting friendship. These women are true football fans so when their team wins the playoff to play in the Superbowl they decide to set off to meet their football hero Tom Brady. Though it’s a dream they want, there is just one small problem, they need tickets. But as luck would have it there is a chance to win tickets by sending in your best story to win these coveted tickets. With most of them being over 80 they know their chances are slim but they try anyway. So, when tickets unexpectedly come their way, the foursome toss caution to the wind, heading into misadventures no one saw coming, from hot wings to hot guys, from mischief to mayhem…even before momentous Super Bowl LI begins.
It’s the ultimate girl’s trip, with crazy adventures that will test their friendship but it also gives a glimpse of the complex and multi-faceted factors of true friendship. And it sheds a light on the value of the American Sports Culture. The social interaction of these friends’ shared interest in the sport, provided a common ground for conversation, bonding, and emotional healing. Watching sports together created memories and moments of excitement that brought them closer together. You will cry, laugh and rejoice with these women. They understand and empathize with each other the building blocks for a strong and lasting friendship.
Field, notes that while 80 For Brady is very much not just for sports fans, it celebrates the fact that women of all ages are some of the most overlooked uberfans of all. “I’m a huge sports fan myself and I think the world underestimates how many older women are,” she says. “Sports are one of the best ways to build camaraderie. And it’s that camaraderie that propels these women into a weekend more exciting than anything they had ever conceived of. You have the flat-out fun of four older women friends getting into shenanigans while always having each other’s backs.”
“This is a story of four women out to prove to themselves and everyone around them, including Tom Brady, that it ain’t over till it’s over,” describes director Kyle Marvin. “It was really important to me to make a very joyful, positive movie at this moment in the world. We also set out to tell an authentic story about the fun, support, and inspiration of long-term friendships, and how they sometimes push you to do the unexpected.” The chemistry between the actors is so authentic and you will root for them throughout the movie and as you become invested in the outcome for each of them.
“Age really doesn’t matter when it comes to these four friends,” says producer Donna Gigliotti. “They believe if you have the will, you can do anything. If you want to go to the Super Bowl for the first time in your life at 80, do all kinds of crazy stuff you’ve never done, and even inspire Tom Brady, you can do it. It’s a wild ride that brings them closer together and more excited than ever about what’s ahead.”
The film also shows the importance of how Sports events provide a natural environment for social interaction. You can chat, joke, and bond with your friends in a relaxed setting, which can foster closer relationships over time. But most of all it reminds us to cherish the friendships we have and recognize the value of gratitude and love.
“This is a story of four women out to prove to themselves and everyone around them, including Tom Brady, that it ain’t over till it’s over,” describes director Kyle Marvin. “It was really important to me to make a very joyful, positive movie at this moment in the world. We also set out to tell an authentic story about the fun, support, and inspiration of long-term friendships, and how they sometimes push you to do the unexpected.”
In conclusion, 80 For Brady reminds me that life is what we make it and to keep building relationships, filled with empathy, communication, trust, and support for each other. All of these factors work together to create a strong and lasting bond between friends. And in the end, no matter what you may go through you can count on them.
