80 for Brady
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKyle Marvin
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJohn Toll
Edited byColin Patton
Music byJohn Debney
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • February 3, 2023 (2023-02-03)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million[1]
Box office$40.4 million[2][3]

80 for Brady is a 2023 American sports comedy film directed by Kyle Marvin in his directorial debut from a screenplay by Sarah Haskins and Emily Halpern, and produced by former NFL quarterback Tom Brady. Inspired by a true story, it focuses on four lifelong friends (played by Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field) who travel to watch Brady and his New England Patriots play in Super Bowl LI in 2017. Billy Porter, Rob Corddry, Alex Moffat, and Guy Fieri also star.

80 for Brady was released theatrically in the United States on February 3, 2023, by Paramount Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics, and grossed $40 million worldwide against a $28 million budget.

Plot

Elderly best friends Lou, Trish, Maura, and Betty are massive fans of the New England Patriots, particularly the team's star quarterback Tom Brady, having become fans in 2001 while celebrating Lou's successful completion of chemotherapy. 15 years later, the four women are celebrating the Patriots' victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game and make plans for the Super Bowl LI watch party. The friends enter a competition for free tickets to the Super Bowl in Houston by sharing the stories of their Patriots fandom; Lou later announces their win and they prepare for their trip. On the day of their flight, the others break a sleeping Maura out of her retirement home (she had accidentally taken the wrong medication) with help from her fellow resident, Mickey.

In Houston, they go to the NFL Experience, where Betty wins a chicken wing eating contest hosted by Guy Fieri, but loses the tickets. Trish meets former NFL player Dan O'Callahan and mutual attraction forms between them, but Trish is uncertain as she has not had a very successful love life; Dan invites her to a party, and the women decide to go upon learning about the loss of the tickets as Fieri will also be there. At the party, the women are given cannabis edibles which severely disorient them. Maura joins in on a game of poker in order to potentially buy new tickets, only to learn that the game is for charity; she gives her winnings to the charity of her top competitor, Gugu. Unable to find Fieri, the foursome return to their hotel.

The next day, the women go back to the NFL Experience but find it has closed down. They then go to the tailgate parties around NRG Stadium to see if they can buy any tickets from scalpers, but cannot afford them. Trish finds the radio hosts they won the tickets from and brings up the situation to them, but they are confused as they gave their tickets to a different group. Betty finds Fieri at the tailgate and recovers the bag with the tickets but when the women attempt to enter the stadium, the security guards reveal that the tickets are fake. Lou confesses that she bought the "tickets" online for an exorbitant price, as she wanted to have one last fun memory with her friends as she fears that her cancer may have returned. The other women console her and agree that even if they could not make it into the game, they are satisfied with all of their other memories. They run into Gugu, who sneaks them in under the guise of being backup dancers for Lady Gaga's halftime performance out of gratitude for Maura's actions the previous night.

They run into Dan who invites them into his box suite as his guests. Concerned as they watch the Atlanta Falcons build a 28–3 lead over the Patriots, they decide to sneak into the Patriots coordinators' booth. Betty hijacks the defensive coordinator's headset and gives him a playcall which leads to a sack, while Lou talks to Brady and gives him an inspirational message. The quartet return to their box suite and watch as Brady leads the Patriots to a victory. Maura reveals she made back the money Lou spent on the fake tickets by making a bet on the Patriots winning with the owner of the suite. The women are approached by security, and escorted to the Patriots' locker room, and thanked by the players for their dedication.

Three years later, Trish, Maura, Betty, and Lou, along with Mickey, and Lou's daughter Sara, prepare to watch Brady's first game with his new team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it is revealed that Lou is in good health.[a] Sometime later, the four women sit on a beach with Brady discussing their retirements.[b]

Cast

Brady's former Patriots teammates Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman, and Rob Gronkowski have cameo appearances as themselves.[5]

Production

It was announced in February 2022 that Tom Brady, then recently retired for the first time from his football career, would produce and appear in the film, to be directed and cowritten by Kyle Marvin. The film is inspired by a real-life group of Patriots fans known as the "Over 80 for Brady" club; the grandson of one member pitched the idea for a film.[6] Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Sally Field also joined the cast.[7] In March, Sara Gilbert, Glynn Turman, Bob Balaban, Ron Funches, Jimmy O. Yang and Harry Hamlin were added to the cast.[8][9][10] That same month, Brady reversed his decision to retire from the NFL, although he eventually retired for good in February 2023. Marvin said that the announcement was "certainly news to us, so we had to adapt."[11]

Filming began by March 2022, with the production receiving a tax credit to film in California.[11][12] In June, filming wrapped, with Billy Porter and Guy Fieri added to the cast.[13] By July 14, 2022, former Patriots Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman joined the film.[14]

Music

The film's score was composed by John Debney in November 2022.[15] The soundtrack single "Gonna Be You" was released January 20, 2023. The song was written by Diane Warren, and performed by Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry and Gloria Estefan. The official music video shows Parton, Carlisle, Lauper, and Estefan performing while wearing football jerseys similar to the ones worn by the women in the film, interspersed with clips from the film.[16] The official Debney's score album for the film was released on February 9, 2023, by Paramount Music.[17]

Tracks on the soundtrack include "Get Down on It" by Kool and the Gang, "Too Tight" by Con Funk Shun, "Bra" by Cymande, "Come On and Get It" by The Steppers, "Frogtown Funk" by Bijan OIia, Aleksi Glick, and Jeffrey Koch, and "It's My House" by Diana Ross.[18][19]

Release

80 for Brady was released in theaters on February 3, 2023, by Paramount Pictures.[20] Two days before the film's release, Brady announced his retirement from the NFL after 23 seasons.[21]

Home media

80 for Brady was released for VOD on March 7, 2023, followed with a Blu-ray and DVD release by Paramount Home Entertainment on May 2, 2023.[22]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, 80 for Brady was released alongside Knock at the Cabin, and was projected to gross around $10 million from 3,912 theaters in its opening weekend.[1] The film made $4.7 million on its first day, which includes $1.3 million from previews on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday leading up to its release. It went on to debut to $12.5 million, finishing second behind Knock at the Cabin, though it actually sold more tickets, 1.3 million to 1.1 million. Of the opening weekend audience, 47% were over the age of 55 and 69% were women, with much of the sales coming from matinee showtimes.[23] The film made $6 million in its second weekend (a drop of 53%), finishing fourth.[24]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 58% of 135 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "The titular QB may have been tough to beat on the gridiron, but on the big screen, it's 80 for Brady's veteran leading ladies who make this lightweight comedy a fitfully winsome watch."[25] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[26] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an 85% positive score, with 68% saying they would definitely recommend it.[23]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Brady and the Buccaneers would lose to the New Orleans Saints in that game, but still went on to win Super Bowl LV that season.
  2. ^ Brady announced his retirement from the NFL on February 1, 2023.

References

  1. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 31, 2023). "M. Night Shyamalan's 'Knock At The Cabin' To Knock 'Avatar 2' Out Of No. 1 Spot – Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  2. ^ "80 for Brady (2023) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  3. ^ "80 for Brady (2023)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, '80 for Brady' Is a Wacky Good Time". Vanity Fair. February 2, 2023. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  5. ^ Moreau, Jordan (July 14, 2022). "Tom Brady Reunites Patriots Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman in Comedy 80 for Brady (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  6. ^ Cowan, Lee (January 15, 2023). "The real-life "80 for Brady" fans". CBS News. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  7. ^ Kit, Borys (February 23, 2022). "Tom Brady Makes Post-Football Moves, to Produce, Act in Road Trip Comedy for Paramount, Endeavor Content (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  8. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 14, 2022). "Paramount And Endeavor Content's Tom Brady Pic 80 For Brady Adds Sara Gilbert To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  9. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 17, 2022). "80 For Brady: Glynn Turman, Bob Balaban, Ron Funches & Jimmy O. Yang Board Tom Brady Film From Paramount And Endeavor Content". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  10. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 23, 2022). "Harry Hamlin Joins AMC's Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches As Series Regular, Boards Paramount & Endeavor Content's Tom Brady Pic 80 For Brady". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Melendez, Miguel A. (March 18, 2022). "How Tom Brady Coming Out of Retirement Affects 80 for Brady Movie (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  12. ^ Robb, David (February 28, 2022). "California Film Commission Picks 30 Films For Next Round Of Tax Credits Expected To Generate $1.17 Billion Statewide". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  13. ^ Galuppo, Mia (June 23, 2022). "Billy Porter, Guy Fieri Join Tom Brady Comedy 80 for Brady (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  14. ^ Moreau, Jordan (July 14, 2022). "Tom Brady Reunites Patriots Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman in Comedy '80 for Brady' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  15. ^ "John Debney Scoring Kyle Marvin's '80 for Brady'". FilmMusicReporter. November 21, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  16. ^ Kreps, Daniel (January 20, 2023). "Dolly Parton, Gloria Estefan, Cyndi Lauper, Belinda Carlisle, Debbie Harry Release New Song 'Gonna Be You'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  17. ^ "'80 for Brady' Soundtrack to Be Released". FilmMusicReporter. February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  18. ^ 80 for Brady (2023) - Soundtracks - IMDb, retrieved May 2, 2023
  19. ^ InSoundtrack. "80 for Brady soundtrack and songs list". InSoundtrack. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  20. ^ Grobar, Matt (October 13, 2022). "'80 For Brady' Release Date: Tom Brady, Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda & More Star In Paramount Pic Based On True Story". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  21. ^ Nolfi, Joey (February 1, 2023). "Tom Brady retires from NFL 'for good' this time, 2 days before 80 for Brady release". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  22. ^ "80 for Brady DVD Release Date". www.dvdsreleasedates.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  23. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 5, 2023). "'Knock At The Cabin' Opens $14M+, '80 For Brady' Drives The Ladies With $13M – Saturday Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  24. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 12, 2023). "How Warner Bros Bared It All For A Theatrical Release Of HBO Max Movie 'Magic Mike's Last Dance' – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  25. ^ "80 for Brady (2023)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  26. ^ "80 for Brady Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 14, 2023.

External links

Tom Brady
New England Patriots
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