80 for Brady review: A lost in translation comedy that misses the mark

As distributors increasingly understand the importance of providing personalised content aimed at pensioners and ageing baby-boomers, more and more films aimed at the grey dollar/pound demographic are finding their rightful place in the release schedule. But while a huge chunk of these productions tend to more often than not resort to the worst type of stereotypical depiction of life after 70, the fact that they exist at all is the real miracle.

One such production is the charming sports comedy 80 For Brady which stars screen legends Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field and Rita Moreno. Loosely based on the real life story of a group of octogenarian fans of NFL superstar player Tom Brady, the film follows the ladies as they travel to watch their hero and his New England Patriots play in the Super Bowl in 2017.

After breaking out their best friend Maura (Moreno) from her retirement home, newly cancer-free retiree Lou (Tomlin), erotic novelist Trish (Fonda) and married college lecturer Betty (Field) fly off to Texas to support their team at the Super Bowl. We follow the foursome’s trials and tribulation and their eventual encounter with their NFL hero.

Discounting the fact that 80 For Brady couldn’t be less aimed at a UK audience if it tried - let’s face it, how many of us actually know anything about the Super Bowl outside the half-time show - there is still a lot here to enjoy even if some of the gags fall embarrassingly flat. With a screenplay obsessed with cramming as many local popular culture references as possible, it’s safe to say that not all of it is likely to translate on this side of the pond.