A bunch of talented stars headline the comedy “80 for Brady” (Paramount). But they’re left becalmed by the inertia of this going-through-the-motions paean to football fandom.
Lily Tomlin tries to lead the charge down the field as spunky, of-an-age cancer survivor Lou. Like her three best pals, Trish (Jane Fonda), Maura (Rita Moreno) and Betty (Sally Field), Lou has long been a devotee of the New England Patriots in general and the celebrated quarterback of the title in particular.
With their team set to face off against the Atlanta Falcons in 2017’s Superbowl LI, the quartet enters a contest for tickets to the event. But after what appears to be their initial success, complications arise.
Although based on real-life events, director Kyle Marvin’s evidently well-intentioned and potentially endearing film rings false in every respect. That includes its more serious attempts to celebrate friendship and perseverance against the odds.
Still, the movie is mostly as tame as it is meandering. There is a strange excess of OMGs in screenwriters Sarah Haskins and Emily Halpern’s script. And vague old-lady eroticism is occasionally played for laughs.
Thus we learn, early on, that Trish writes Harlequin-style fan fiction centered on Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. That’s about as spicy as things get, however.
Grown viewers, accordingly, won’t have to tackle anything too disagreeable in the proceedings – unless they’re Falcons fans. In the unlikely event that older teens evince an interest in this halfhearted endeavor to spike the Geritol, parents needn’t necessarily drop a penalty flag on them either. But mature adolescents will likely gain as little yardage as AARP members.
The film contains restrained sexual humor, drug use, pervasive mild swearing, at least one rough term and about a half-dozen crude expressions. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
John Mulderig is media reviewer for OSV News.
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