Most of the marketing for 80 for Brady has been sold on the simple notion of seeing these four legends together on-screen; Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, Rita Moreno and Jane Fonda. Sure, there is definitely the football/Tom Brady of it all, but it feels like 80 for Brady knows that a lot of people are going to the theater simply to see these immensely talented women bounce off of each other for 90 minutes. And you know what? For all that there is to be cynical about when it comes to 80 for Brady and it’s fluff – there’s an undeniable charm to it from the moment it begins. The four leads are instantly great together, and make for a genuinely worthwhile and amusing experience from start to finish. This isn’t to say that 80 for Brady will serve as another Oscar nomination for any of these women, but therein lies the appeal – it’s nice to see these ladies of immense talent simply unwind and have fun on-screen.

The film is loosely based off of a true story from 2017 where a group of real friends found themselves at the Super Bowl, cheering for their idol Tom Brady. For full transparency, I’m not quite sure where the facts and fiction begin and end with this one – but it’s clear that there are many moments that are stretched out to make this a feature-length film. One of the comedic highlights of the film is when the ladies go off to an Eyes Wide Shut-esque party; something I can only assume didn’t happen in real-life. It’s gags like these that make 80 for Brady feel like such a light viewing experience, as it’s not afraid to get extremely silly and far-fetched for the sake of a laugh. The film gets even more absurd as it goes along, but that also provides the film with some of its biggest laughs.

One of the nicer elements of the film is that while there is undeniably a heightened comedic tone throughout and it goes into pretty wacky directions comedically, the film always feels true to its heart and characters. The film does a really good job at selling you on why these women are not only so close to one-another, but how they found purpose and passion within becoming football fans. It really is endearing to see these characters bond over it and go on the road together for the sake of one unified-experience. Is it a bit sappy and overtly-sentimental at times? Sure. But for 80 for Brady, I knew exactly what I was walking into and found the lighter elements to work like a charm on me.

This is a film that can be critiqued to death for some uninspired jokes or a pretty non-sensical plot that only seemingly exists for the sake of providing opportunities for improv and cameos from celebrities and comedians alike. But I’d argue that if you go in knowing what to expect, 80 for Brady never really aims for anything higher than a good-time at the theater and it doesn’t really need to. Sometimes it truly is enough to watch four performers have fun together, and with 80 for Brady, the chemistry between the four of these ladies is absolutely infectious and electric. All of this adds together for a genuinely very entertaining and constantly amusing romp.

3/5