M, 95 minutes
2 Stars
Review by © Jane Freebury
There is a smidgeon of voyeurism in this latest comedy for retirees about ladies of a certain age who gather around the screen on a regular basis to watch the moves of their favourite footballer. A bit of honest admiration for a beautiful, younger man, but what they appreciate most of all is the numbers. Real-life American football star Tom Brady, the eponymous Brady of the film’s title, may be half their combined ages but it is the statistics of his game over a decades-long career in the National Football League that have made them such big fans.
So, this film is at least as much about the stats represented by Brady’s successful career in the league, as his Nordic good looks. What a role model. Tom Brady who is over 40 yo never retires, he seems to be going on forever. Who doesn’t want a bit of that?
The man appears here briefly as his amiable self, fully at ease in front of the camera, along with several other footballers like a giant called the Gronk (Rob Gronkowski). Brady also produced.
Betty (Sally Field) will give you all the stats. In this mild and inoffensive comedy for the olds, she is the funniest and most engaging personality, not because she slightly younger than her football-loving friends, but because she has the best part. As a retired mathematics academic, she is married to another academic, Mark (Bob Balaban), who can only think about the edits required on his latest research paper, while forgetting to put his trousers on before he leaves the house.
Even for a football ignoramus like me, Brady’s NFL figures look very impressive. A quick google reveals that he played in the league for 23 seasons, is considered by many the greatest quarterback of all time, and has several ‘the oldest player to’ records to his name. Half his luck too that, thanks to the protective gear they wear over there on head and shoulders, he appears to be in better shape than many Australian footballers who devoted themselves to decades of high-contact sport.
Things kick off in 2017, while Betty, Trish (Jane Fonda), Maura (Rita Moreno) and Lou (Lily Tomlin) are gathered round the screen. Lou is awaiting news about her health, and though fearful that the cancer she overcame has returned, she is up for a big adventure. Why don’t they get themselves to the Super Bowl in Houston to actually watch Brady and his team, the New England Patriots, live as they play for the big prize. No one takes much convincing. They are all in.
Mild and inoffensive, dull comedy for the olds, despite the amazing star power
Getting the gang to Houston for the game involves breaking Maura out of her retirement village. No problem. With so many droll situations set up for laughs, the escapade should be funnier than it is but is only mildly amusing at best, like the scenes when Betty competes in the spicy chicken wings eating competition at the pre-match entertainment, and Maura and Lou get high accidentally at a pre-match party.

Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda in 80 for Brady. Image courtesy Paramount
The striking star power present in this modest movie is, on the other hand, impressive, with lead actors who all deserved far better material. They represent a formidable chunk of film and television history, each with a filmography of some 60 or 70 roles. Field was television’s original Gidget way back in the 1960s. Fonda has been twice awarded a best actress Oscar, for Klute and Coming Home during her amazing career in Hollywood briefly interrupted by an interlude in the French film industry. Moreno, now in her early 90s, has performed in more than 170 roles since she began in the 1950s, including a part in Steven Spielberg’s recent remake of West Side Story.
All this formidable star power was directed by Kyle Marvin, in his first theatrical feature, from a screenplay by Sarah Haskins and Emily Halpern. They were collaborating screenwriters together on the fresh, nimble comedy Booksmart, but their work has little sparkle here.
As we all know, these comedies aimed at the over 60s, male and female, are designed for audiences to feel good about their age and stage. There is a very long wait for the first funny scene here, so I hope those who venture tix are still awake by the time they get there.
First published in the Canberra Times on 29 April 2023. Jane’s reviews are also published by Rotten Tomatoes