Is 80 For Brady Based On A True Story?
There's no shortage of big sports movies out there, but few of them approach the subject in quite the same manner as Paramount Pictures' 2023 flick "80 for Brady." Rather than being an action-packed biopic on a star basketball player, or a tender coming-of-age story about a high school quarterback, "80 for Brady" is an ensemble comedy that strictly puts the focus on four football-loving women who are all over the age of 80. They're not just into it for the sake of the sport, though. They're into it for real-life football star Tom Brady, and it's for this reason that the film sees them embark on a zany quest to witness the New England Patriots' historic 2017 Super Bowl win.
With a plot as unique and oddly-specific as that, one might get the impression that "80 for Brady" must be drawing from some real-word stories and events. Well, that's absolutely correct — "80 for Brady" is indeed based on a true story, and it sticks surprisingly close to how things played out in real life.
The 80 for Brady Club is a real thing
If you think there was actually an 80 for Brady club consisting of four senior citizens obsessed with Tom Brady, you'd be dead wrong. There were actually five women.
Per a feature from CBS News, the real-life Over 80 for Brady fan club came to be when five elderly widows banded together over their shared love for Tom Brady before he left New England Patriots. They would routinely gather to watch each of the player's games, and they even had matching tees for the occasion.
The movie "80 for Brady" was actually first suggested by someone close to the original group, being club member Betty Pensavalle's grandson, who also happens to be a film executive. The grandson pitched the idea to Tom Brady himself and his production company 199 Productions, and the rest was history.
One of the original five members of the Over 80 for Brady club has since passed away, and two have moved to an assisted living facility, but the remaining two members are still keeping the Tom Brady torch alive together. "Good friends stick together and stay together and do for each other," Pensavalle said.