80 for Brady

Director: Kyle Marvin
Starring: Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Sally Field, Tom Brady, Billy Porter, Harry Hamlin, Guy Fieri, Alex Moffat, Rob Corddry, Glynn Turman, Ron Funches, Bob Balaban, Jimmy O. Yang, Matt Lauria, Sara Gilbert, Sally Kirkland, Andy Richter, Patton Oswalt, Retta
Running Time: 98 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)  

When everyone heard that now retired NFL legend Tom Brady would be producing and acting in a major motion picture, this probably wasn't what they had in mind. But 80 for Brady is exactly the type of mainstream, inoffensive comedy he'd likely latch onto, allowing the former quarterback to easily dip into entertainment waters while playing off his popularity. If it flopped, no big deal. If not, even better. Very loosely based on a true story about a foursome of senior citizens who travel to Houston to watch their hero play in Super Bowl LI, it actually turns out far better than expected. 

What succeeds can be attributed to its lead actresses, all of whom make the most of a fairly ridiculous premise. More jokes hit than don't and director Kyle Marvin keeps things moving fast enough that you're not aggravated by its missteps, which are surprisingly few. Providing a service to the industry by catering to an underrepresented population of older female moviegoers, those fully prepared for disaster will be relieved this isn't the abomination its cringe worthy trailers and TV spots hinted at.

It's 2017 and elderly best friends Lou (Lily Tomlin), Trish (Jane Fonda), Maura (Rita Moreno) and Betty (Sally Field) are all New England Patriots fans, having gathered weekly for the past fifteen years to cheer on quarterback Tom Brady. While making plans for their Super Bowl LI watch party, they decide to enter a sports radio contest rewarding the best story of Patriots fandom with free tickets to the big game in Houston. 

After discovering they've won, getting there and holding onto the tickets prove to be a challenge when a myriad of obstacles stand in their way. Determined to see this through, they stumble upon various hijinks at the NFL Experience while also getting caught up in the celebrity-filled events taking place over that weekend. With each navigating rough patches in their personal lives, the trip isn't only a needed escape from the stresses back home, but possibly one of their final chances for a wild adventure. And they've come too far to turn back now.  

Given the onslaught of jokes and sight gags that come a mile a minute, it's kind of surprising how many manage to land, thanks mostly to these actresses, whose collective talents help elevate a decent amount of ridiculousness. In a refreshing change, the women are rarely the butt of insults about their ages, and when it happens, they're usually the ones dishing that out. The characters aren't complex and shouldn't be, but the script makes a decent enough go at giving them meaningful backstories, allowing the four to just run with it, as we know they can.  

Tomlin's Lou is a cancer survivor who's partially using the trip to avoid her latest test results, Fonda's Trish is a former beauty queen unlucky in love, Moreno's Maura is living in a nursing home by choice while still grieving her husband's death and Field's retired MIT professor Betty seems to be the most well-adjusted of the group, at least when not attending to her needy husband (Bob Balaban). 

If pushed to choose, Trish's subplot involving her publication of Rob Gronkowski fan fiction and a burgeoning relationship with a former Patriots player (Harry Hamlin) is probably the least effective. But even here, the character isn't written as some vain, aging narcissist and Fonda adds just the right dose of sarcastic cleverness to the role.

All of them do a fine job believably bouncing off each other, especially Grace and Frankie co-stars Fonda and Tomlin, whose TV chemistry translates to this bigger stage. And Moreno's side story involving a recently widowed retirement home resident (Glynn Turman) courting her strikes just the right balance. Of course, there's a also a fair amount of silliness in the form of a spicy wings contest, a cannabis-laced poker party and appearances from the likes of Billy Porter, Patton Oswalt, Andy Richter, Rob Corddry, Retta and Guy Fieri. Some work better than others, although it's kind of bizarre just how large a role Fieri has. .

Given the amount of Brady Super Bowls the writers could choose from, they at least knew to center it around the one that would provide the most creative possibilities, especially in the final act. The Patriots impossible comeback against the Falcons is exploited to full effect, as you can imagine the filmmakers' eagerness at incorporating the ladies into this in a way that earns heartfelt laughs. For the most part it does, despite including extensive footage of a game most know all too well at this point. But if nothing else, you have to at least respect the effort put into that old school NFL opening title sequence.

None of this is complete without Tom Brady's acting chops being put to the test, but he's actually an engaging and charismatic presence in the few minutes he shares onscreen with Tomlin. It helps he's not asked to stretch outside his comfort zone, which could also easily apply to the movie as a whole. It's a fun, harmless ninety minutes audiences won't have to totally shut their brains off to enjoy. They just might have to put them on autopilot for a little bit.  

West Side Story (2021)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Rita Moreno, Brian d'Arcy James, Corey Stoll, Josh Andrés Rivera, Iris Menas
Running Time: 156 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★) 

When it was announced Steven Spielberg would be directing an updated version of Bernstein and Robbins' classic 1957 musical, West Side Story, the news wasn't met with unanimous enthusiasm. It seemed to take years for this project to get off the ground before spending even more time in post-production due to the pandemic before barely making a ripple in theaters. Older fans of the 1961 film seemed offended he'd be reimagining one of the more respected Best Picture winners while younger audiences couldn't have cared less about any of it and stayed away.

Whether you're all that interested in seeing this particular story falls less on Spielberg and writer Tony Kushner than the source material, to which they're slavishly faithful, sharpening up the edges with  updated choreography, strong performances and a vibrant presentation. Musical fans will love it, as it's an impeccably made, if occasionally uneven interpretation, that accomplishes what's needed. And despite finding myself checking out at points, wishing some of the more monotonous numbers had been cut, it's easy to see why they weren't, especially given how closely it's being watched for retaining the integrity of the stage and film versions. Both traditional and aggressively modern all at once, this does get the most important detail right, satisfyingly delivering on its revisionist Romeo and Juliet-inspired love story.

It's 1957 and a gang of white youths called the Jets are feuding with the Puerto Rican Sharks for control of Manhattan's San Juan Hill neighborhood on the West Side, which is about to be demolished to make way for construction on Lincoln Center. Ignoring reprimands from Officer Krupke (Brian d'Arcy James) and Lieutenant Schrank (Corey Stoll) about the pointlessness of continuing this war, both Jets leader Riff (Mike Faist) and Shark leader Bernardo (David Alvarez) refuse to back down, with each staking claim on their territory, making it a matter of pride that can only be settled with violence.

After the gauntlet is laid down for a rumble to determine gang supremacy, Riff tries to recruit paroled best friend and ex-Jet, Tony (Ansel Elgort) back into the fold, who's been trying to turn his life around while working for Valentina (Rita Moreno) at Doc's General Store. But when Bernardo's sister, Maria (Rachel Zegler) and Tony spot each another at a local dance, it's love at first sight, only intensifying her brother's desire to destroy the Jets. 

With Maria already betrothed to Bernardo's best friend Chino (Josh Andrés Rivera), the optimistic, free spirited Anita (Ariana DeBose) is torn between her loyalty to boyfriend Bernardo and Maria, who's become like a sister to her. All of this comes to a dangerous head, with Tony and Maria caught in the middle, risking that this forbidden relationship is strong enough to withstand their different backgrounds and the gang rivalry threatening to tear them apart.

While it's a stretch to say its two and a half hour running length flies by, it does start swinging for the fences with some strong musical sequences right out of the gate that effectively introduce the characters. As far as plot, nothing we get here is a departure from the source, but under Spielberg's direction, there is a freshness to the production design and cinematography that suggests the here and now, almost making you wonder why he didn't just go all the way and set it in the present. 

From a visual standpoint, it works, looking and feeling entirely different from the 1961 film while taking place in a 1950's that could double for 2021. Like its predecessor, it utilizes a mixture of locations and sound stages, but no one's watching West Side Story as a historical drama or an approximation of these characters beyond their emotions, which are rooted in a nostalgic reality of sorts. Spielberg's stylistic choices reflect this sensibility, while correcting the '61 version's problematic issues of ethnic stereotyping and its offensive casting of brownfaced white actors as Puerto Ricans. 

Themes of racial tension and discrimination play as strongly now as then, making this fertile ground for a more relevant interpretation, with Spielberg and Kushner handling those issues more sensitively than decades ago without sacrificing the drama. The songs are more up and down, with some questionably placed and feeling dated, especially Tony's more quietly contemplative ones. Elgort has taken a lot of heat as the weakest link, and while it's the actor's flattest big screen lead performance yet, he comes alive in the last act and his scenes opposite Zegler really click, with them having better chemistry together than they've probably gotten credit for. His singing voice is pleasant but boring, though he's still an improvement over the bland Richard Beymer before him, who didn't do his own singing and brought even less to the role. After this, it may be time to admit there have always been problems with the surface-level Tony character that go beyond whoever is chosen to play him.

Maria fares better and that might be okay since the story always seemed to be more hers, with Tony serving as the catalyst to help her realize who she is and wants to be, eventually changing the dynamic between the Jets and Sharks. Angelic newcomer Zegler is a real find, with a singing voice so perfect it would almost seem unrealistic for the character if she wasn't so believable overall. Their initial meeting at the dance (set against the backdrop of cinematographer Janusz Kamiński's lens flare madness) is one of the film's strongest sequences, with the sensational "America" musical number and gang fight not too far behind. But it's the fallout from the pivotal rumble where Spielberg really steps on the gas, as we completely lose ourselves enough in the story and characters during the last forty minutes to squash any lingering reservations.   

Of everyone, it's Mike Faist and Ariana DeBose who just seem as if they completely belong as Riff and Anita, with the former equally adept at conveying the menace of this gang leader while his loose limbed interpretation of Justin Peck's choreography carries a natural physicality that fits in any era. DeBose, given the unenviable task of stepping into the role that already won Rita Moreno an Oscar, not only carries the musical sequences, but deftly handles the film's most notoriously difficult and controversial scene in the second half. Moreno's own role as Valentina is smallish in terms of screen time but she makes it count, leaving a memorable impression as Tony's boss and mentor. And as hot-tempered boxer Bernardo, Rivera effectively gets inside the skin of this overprotective brother and boyfriend whose anger and stubbornness guide his every action.

Though Spielberg's name was curiously downplayed in the marketing, the film's commercial reception highlights how his personal tastes have further diverged from the general movie going public over the past decade or so. Expecting audiences to come out in droves for this may have been a miscalculation, but it's clear he's only interested in doing things that personally excite him as a filmmaker. It's hard to argue he hasn't earned the right, shepherding a production that feels and plays like a big event, greatly benefiting from having him at the helm. With its wild tonal shifts, West Side Story isn't exactly the easiest material to faithfully update, so he deserves credit for putting a fresh coat of paint on a musical that can still be affectionately described as old fashioned in the best possible way.