I walked into 80 for Brady the least enthused I’ve been for a movie in a long time… as evidenced by, if nothing else, it taking me about a week to get around to it. I like the four leading ladies but a film about being an older woman who loves Tom Brady and football? That’s not my jam. I watched a lot of this movie befuddled (as usual) by the love people have for the game… and then I remember I’m going to go home and write up a review on a movie website for fun and no profit. One person’s crazy is another person’s love of a lifetime. <shrug>

The flick is about four older women played by Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Lily Tomlin, and Rita Moreno who worship at the feet of Tom Brady (and The Patriots). It’s 2017 and the big game is coming up so they set in motion a plan to get to the game and watch Brady in action.

Tom Brady is The Goat as a friend of mine reminded me… even if I spent the last ten years among people who hated him and The Patriots. The two ideas are not mutually exclusive. Unfortunately I had both thoughts in my head as Tom Brady’s name came up as a producer on a movie that worships at his feet. So add that tier of skepticism to the wedding cake o’ cynicism I was baking in my brain.

Generally speaking, I didn’t care for this movie. I couldn’t get out of my own way enough to care about this story or the characters. I didn’t find their antics and age-related jokes funny and it didn’t help the film was full of cameos of people I didn’t know. At least Brady did solid enough work in his cameo.

The schmaltzy, emotionally manipulative end made me skeptical too but I’d be lying to say it didn’t work. It kind of came from behind to slightly save the flick… though not nearly as impressively as the Patriots did in the depicted game (which I want to say I watched… but maybe I didn’t?)

So not the target market. You might enjoy this flick if you are of a certain age (based on the wild laughter of the older ladies that made up the audience) or if you have a deep devotion to the NFL in general or Tom Brady specifically.

Score: 70