Big Picture Big Sound

On its face, "80 for Brady" is exactly the movie you would expect it to be when purchasing a ticket. It provides light and harmless entertainment, starring four screen legends, and we get to sit back and watch them have a great time hanging out with each other.

If you look past that, and are little more cynical than most, "80 for Brady" serves as a 90-minute stroke of Tom Brady's ego. Brady serves as a producer on the film (not even an executive producer, which would essentially be a nice little title for him). His producer credit suggests he worked to get this movie made, put it together, found funding, and all of the other business aspects that come with getting a movie from being an idea to an active production to the screen. If you see the movie, you will know why Brady wanted to have a more hands-on approach to the film.

Four friends, Lou (Lily Tomlin), Trish (Jane Fonda), Betty (Sally Field) and Maura (Rita Moreno) began bonding over the Patriots when Lou was undergoing chemo and they needed a distraction from her harsh reality. They were instantly attracted to a young quarterback by the name Tom Brady, which eventually lead to a full-blown fandom and memorabilia all over Lou's home, where they watch all the games. Like many diehard football fans, the quartet has their share of superstitious rituals they perform before each game.

Lou is desperate and determined to go to the 2017 Super Bowl, where the Patriots are going to face off against the Atlanta Falcons. As Betty reminds Lou, none of them can afford such a costly trip. They decide to enter a radio contest for tickets to the Super Bowl and Lou surprises her friends with the news that they were selected as winners. Having four legends at the forefront of your comedy, you can imagine what happens next.

Brady certainly hopes this film will find an audience because of his stature in football, but should this movie succeed at the box office (and in today's world, one must hope every movie does), it will be because of Tomlin, Field, Fonda, and Moreno. Their presence and rapport offer the occasional laugh, but the screenplay never misses an opportunity for an obvious joke or gag (and the movie is written by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins, co-writers of the hilarious and sharp "Booksmart").

Director Kyle Marvin makes his feature debut here without exercising a real rhythm for comedy, falling into the temptation to let the movie coast on the shoulders of its stars. Tomlin, Fonda, Moreno and Field have earned the right to make disposable films and just let loose and have fun, but the material has to match them. An ego-stroke for Brady doesn't quite fit the bill.