Movie review by Randal C. Hill
A quartet of giggly teenage girls swoon over the latest adolescent dreamboat pouring out his heart on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand.
Fast-forward to 2017. The giggly teenagers (Rita Moreno, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field) are now in their 80s, still gathered in front of a TV set, and clad in blue and red football jerseys, still swooning. This time, it’s for Tom Brady, the powerhouse New England Patriots quarterback, who will soon be taking his team to the Super Bowl.
It suddenly dawns on the ladies that their hero is turning 40, a number normally anathema for a pro athlete. “That’s like eighty in people years!” one offers.
It’s then the quartet decides to jet to New Orleans to see the game—and their hero—in person. “The Super Bowl is no place for old women,” says one, but the majority overrides the wet-blanket naysayer for the trip of a lifetime.
It’s only when they reach the Big Easy that the ladies discover that Super Bowl tickets are (surprise!) prohibitively expensive. They try to attend by other means, attempting to win tickets via a hot-wing-eating contest (hosted by Guy Fieri) and trying to pass themselves off as half-time show dancers.
“It has been so cool to see this movie come together,” Tom Brady enthuses. “To everyone who has helped us get here, THANK YOU. This is an incredible story.” Brady, who executive-produced the film (based on true events), also brings along a trio of teammates from his Patriots days for cameo roles.
“I think there are opportunities for me to tell stories that are near and dear to my heart,” he concludes. “And to be able to produce it with amazing actresses was very exciting for me…I can’t wait for people to watch them bring this story to life.”
The movie by Paramount, “80 for Brady,” opens February 3.
