Groveport Messenger - February 12th, 2023

PAGE 8 - GROVEPORT MESSENGER - February 12, 2023
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“80 for Brady” is as enjoyable as it is touching
I do not often experience a conflict of the
heart when it comes to choosing which
movie to review for my column, but making
a decision as to whether I wanted to give
my time and my dwindling coffers to “80 for
Brady” had me well and truly torn.
Editor’s Notebook
Dedra
Cordle
I did have an interest
in this film because
it stars four legendary
actors: Sally Field, Jane
Fonda, Rita Moreno,
and Lily Tomlin. But I
also did not have an
interest in this film
because it also stars
Tom Brady — one of
the most legendary
NFL quarterbacks
who recently retired
for the second time and whose presence
looms over this film as much as his specter
will throughout the sport for all of eternity.
Unlike most football fans whose loyalties
do not lay with the New England
Patriots (or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or
whatever team on the west coast team that
may entice him to come out of retirement
later this spring), I have never been a
Brady-hater, but man has he been grating
for the past couple years. First there was
the acceptance of the pandemic-relief funds
for his multi-million dollar health and wellness
business, then there was the drawn
out first retirement that had him basking
in thousands of puff pieces for months and
then taking it all back, then there were the
bratty sideline antics when things were not
going his way for once, and then there was
the non-fungible token scandal, and now I
am just about tired of seeing him and hearing
about him. If you add all that up, and
then throw in the fact that he is a producer
on this film and gets a percentage of the
box office profit, it makes you not want to
be involved in anything he is involved in,
right?
After much internal debate between this
film and M. Night Shyamalan’s dystopian
adaptation, “Knock at the Cabin,” I decided
to stick with a vow I made to support novels,
movies, and television shows that are
women-led, women-centered, and showcase
people of a certain age living active and full
lives. That even includes women’s lives
that partially revolve around finding inspiration
from a famous athlete named Tom
Brady.
“80 for Brady” is an infectiously joyous
film. It has moments that will make you
cringe or even give you a headache because
of how saccharine it can be, but it is also an
engaging and lighthearted story about four
friends who take comfort in sport and in
each other. Thanks in large part to the
chemistry between the main cast, “80 for
Brady” has a charm that shines through
despite being centered around someone
who seems so devoid of it at times.
Loosely inspired by a true story, “80 for
Brady” follows longtime best friends Betty
(Field), Trish (Fonda), Maura (Moreno) and
Lou (Lily Tomlin) whose love for Tom
Brady and the New England Patriots
knows no bounds. Despite having lived on
the east coast for most of their lives, the
quartet had little interest in football before
Tom Brady came onto the scene. In fact,
they really didn’t want to watch that fateful
game between the Pats and the New
York Jets but had to because Lou’s television
would not change the channel. When a
young Tom Brady came in for an injured
Furniture Bank of Central Ohio looking for help
The Furniture Bank of Central Ohio is
looking for help to meet the current
demand for furniture and household goods.
Donations of gently used furniture and
home goods are needed from the community
to meet the increased demand.
“We are grateful to be able to help our
neighbors during this crisis but we cannot
do it alone,” said FCBO President and
CEO, Phil Washburn. “We are relying on
our community to help us restore hope for
these affected families by donating their
gently used furniture and housewares.”
The items of greatest need are full and
queen mattresses, dressers, sofas, and
kitchen dining sets.
Donations can be dropped off at
Furniture With A Heart at 2165 Morse
Road in Columbus, Monday through
Sunday, or at FBCO at 118 South Yale
Ave., Monday through Friday, from 8:30
a.m.to 3:30 p.m. Donations of the items
listed can also be picked up by calling 614-
545-3838. All donations are tax-deductible.
Community members that do not have
furniture or home goods to donate can purchase
items from FBCO’s Amazon Wishlist
that will be given directly to families in
need. The wish list can be found at furniturebankcoh.org/amazonwishlist.
For more information on donating furniture
and other home goods, visit furniturebankcoh.org/donate-furniture.
The mission of the Furniture Bank of
Central Ohio is to reduce the impact of
poverty by providing furniture to central
Ohio families and individuals struggling
with severe life challenges. Since 1998, it
has distributed nearly one million furniture
pieces and home goods to over 75,000
central Ohio families by collaborating with
approximately 7,000 furniture donors,
1,000 financial donors, 2,000 volunteers,
75 social service agencies and faith-based
organizations and corporate partners every
year. Families visit the Furniture Bank
showroom to select 5-20 pieces of furniture,
including beds, dressers, tables, chairs,
and other household items that are then
delivered the same day.
Visit www.furniturebankcoh.org.
Drew Bledsoe, the friends were smitten by
his good looks and calm demeanor in the
pocket. Instant fans were made that day,
and watching him play throughout the
years helped Lou through her cancer treatments,
took Maura’s mind off the loss of
her husband, gave Betty a release from her
demanding husband, and allowed Trish to
find a second career writing Rob
Gronkowski erotica. (Seriously.)
Despite their team making several
appearances at the Super Bowl, the friends
had never attended one of the big games
(probably because they cost more than a
down payment on a new home) but decide
to enter a contest through a local radio station
that would send them down to
Houston to see the 2017 matchup with the
Atlanta Falcons. Having little confidence
that their story of finding perseverance
through watching Tom Brady and the team
would win them the ultimate prize, they
try to put it out of their minds and hearts.
But then Lou makes the announcement
that they did snag the ultimate prize and
they would soon be embarking on a journey
towards “the best day of their lives.”
Naturally, things do not always do as
planned, especially in a comedy that features
Fonda and Tomlin together with all
of their chaotic energy.
Written by “Booksmart” scribes Emily
Halpern and Sarah Haskins, the script is a
nod to the fact that there is no age limit
when it comes to having fun. Not only do
the characters have a good time as they get
involved in various shenanigans during
their Super Bowl experience, but it seems
as if the primary and secondary actors are
having a good time, too. Watching all of
this together makes the action all the more
engaging to the audience too, despite how
outlandish some of the scenes may get.
Even with the more farcical elements
within this story, everything that happens
in this film is well-intentioned and
designed to garner laughs. Despite the
overall lighthearted tone of the film, there
are moments in which the story concentrates
of real-life issues related to cancer,
death, and love — all of which we can relate
to.
As a credit to the writers and director
Kyle Marvin, all of the transitions between
the silly and the serious feel natural to the
development of the story and, as a result,
makes “80 for Brady” as enjoyable as it is
touching — even with all of the mentions
and cameo appearances of a certain newly
retired quarterback.
Grade: B-
Dedra Cordle is a Messenger staff writer
and columnist.
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