Alex Carson
It’s no secret that we as humans love to laugh. Everyone seems to enjoy a good chuckle, and according to Mayo Clinic, laughter increases your oxygen intake and stimulates the heart and lungs causing the brain to release a flood of endorphins. Beyond that, laughter has been proven to relieve stress, anxiety, and tension. So, it’s sound’s like we could all use a lot more laughter in our lives – especially if we’re trying to make it to see our Golden Years.
Regardless of our age, as we all know, physical activity is also good for the mind and body. Naturally participating in sports is one of the best ways to stay in shape. Given how popular sports are – especially in America – combined with our universal love for all-things-funny, it only makes sense that one of the most popular genres of films is the sports comedy.
While watching a sports comedy won’t provide you with the physical benefits of participating in an organized sport, it just might give you that heart-healthy belly laugh you’ve been needing.
If laughter is something that you could use a heaping dose of, you’re in luck. 80 for Brady is a star-studded sports comedy film that is scheduled to hit theaters in the United States on February 3, 2023. The film is produced by football superstar Tom Brady and is directed by Kyle Marvin. It stars an ensemble cast that features the likes of Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno, Sally Field, Jane Fonda, and, of course, Tom Brady himself.
While the film itself is looking like it’s going to be a hoot, it’s soundtrack is also looking quite promising. On January 20, 2023, the single ‘Gonna Be You’ was released. The song was written by Grammy-Award winning songwriter Diane Warren and is performed by Dolly Parton, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan, Belinda Carlisle, and Debbie Harry of Blondie.
While we’ll have to wait till February to see if the movie itself is any good, from the looks of the first single off it’s soundtrack, it’s clear that at least it’s music will be pretty fabulous. In this video, we’ll be discussing how the Queen of Country, Dolly Parton, ended up contributing with so many iconic singers to work on the project. We’ll also be covering the heartwarming true story that the song is based on while also touching briefly on the film’s amazing cast.
Facts Verse Presents: Dolly Parton’s Role In the 80 for Brady Cast Is Must-See.
Dolly Couldn’t Say No
Dolly Parton has been pretty busy lately. In 2022, she published her first novel, went under the knife to get a facelift, teamed up with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus to co-host NBC’s New Year’s Eve special, and revealed that she was working on three albums and two movies. While she certainly seems to have a lot on her plate, she still somehow finds time to take part in other undertakings. As any of her fans will tell you, there really isn’t such a thing as “too much Dolly”.
80 for Brady’s cast is pretty astounding. Between it’s leading ladies alone, the film’s cast boasts no less than five Oscars – not to mention countless Emmys, several Grammy’s, and a couple of Tonys.
For 80 for Brady’s soundtrack legendary hit-maker, Diane Warren was called in to help work on the film’s accompanying music. The first single that we’ve gotten to hear off the soundtrack, “Gonna Be You” is not only amazing due to it’s lyrical and compositional qualities, but it also features the talents of a diva supergroup who need little introduction.
Warren could have brought in a few young and up-and-coming pop stars to belt out the track, but instead, she went of her way to recruit a few of the best-loved names in the industry.
In a recently released statement describing her process of creating the song, Warren stated that she wanted to write a song that celebrated the featured singers’ deep friendship while mirroring the friendship enjoyed by the film’s main characters. She went on to say that she was inspired by the “80” in the film’s title to bring together a few of the most iconic and singers from the 1980s who “are still amazing and always will be”.
Audiences haven’t witnessed so many musical legends crammed onto a single soundtrack since Waiting to Exhale – and while Warren’s concept isn’t exactly the most groundbreaking in cinema soundtrack history, she’s proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that she still knows how to put out a banger. That’s really not all that surprising, however, considering how consistent she’s been throughout her decade-spanning career.
One of Warren’s earliest career achievements was penning the song Rhythm of the Night for DeBarge back in 1985. She went on to write nine number-one songs and thirty-two top ten songs on the Billboard Hot 100 including Cher’s If I Could Turn Back Time, Celine Dion’s Because You Loved Me, LeAnn Rimes How Do I Live, and Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing.
For her many achievment, Warren has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She’s also been nominated for 13 Academy Awards and has been called “the most important songwriter in the world” by EMI UK’s Chairman Peter Reichardt.
When asked how she managed to wrangle so many famous singers to work together on “Gonna Be You”, Warren said that everyone she approached said yes and seemed to be just as excited about the project as she was. But let’s be honest, we know that she was most excited to hear that “yes” from Dolly.
The Film Is Based On A True Story
A group of ladies from North Attleboro, Massachusetts, loosely served as the inspiration for Tom Brady’s upcoming movie.
The upcoming film is all about a group of senior women who take an impromptu trip to Houston in an attempt to see their favorite football player, Tom Brady, take on the Atlanta Falcons at the Super Bowl.
While the film is largely fictional, Brady did take inspiration from those ladies from Mass who in real-life gathered together each week to watch Brady and the Patriots play.
In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, one of these elderly fans, 94-year-old Betty Pensavalle, and her good friend, Elaine St. Martin, who’s 96. discussed why they founded the Over 80 for Brady fan club and how their little group inspired the upcoming film.
The club was originally comprised of five women, Pensavalle, St. Martin, and their friends Claire, Pat, and Anita. After all five women became widowed, they found camaraderie and mutual support in gathering every Sunday to watch the Patriots play.
Every week they would alternate between whose house they would gather at, rotating through all five friend’s homes. Pensavalle’s grandson, Max Gross, was the one who had the idea of having matching T-shirts made for their fan club.
Not wanting to mess up her hair, St. Martin told CBS that sometimes she wouldn’t put the shirt on, instead opting to clutch it in her hands like a good luck charm.
Max Made It Happen
Max Gross isn’t just a supportive grandson. He also has a few valuable connections in high places. He works as a talent agent out in Hollywood. Being inspired by his grandmother’s club, he thought that it would make for a great movie subject. So, he ended up pitching the idea around until eventually he found a willing partner to produce the flick. Fittingly, that production company ended up being Tom Brady’s 199 Productions.
Ironically, the decision to turn 80 For Brady into a major motion picture came right around the same time that Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Obviously, this decision was one that didn’t sit well with the ladies from Attleboro. In fact, St. Martin told CBS that at first, after learning of the trade, she was really angry with Brady.
“I wanted to kill him” she lamented, but her ire wouldn’t be permanent.
Fortunately, as cliché as it sounds, time seems to heal all wounds. These days the 80 for Brady gals still likes to put the Bucs games on a second TV whenever they can. That said, their allegiance will always be tied first and foremost to the Patriots.
After 80 for Brady received a greenlight, Tom Brady sent a video message to Pensavalle and the other club members in April 2020, letting them know that he wanted to a make a film about their story. Given the state of the pandemic at the time, Pensaville was only able to watch the video during a socially distanced Easter Dinner. Despite the less-than-ideal circumstances, the news left her in a state of disbelief and utter bemusement.
At first, she wasn’t even sure that it was really Tom in the video. She asked her son how on earth he managed to make such a thing a reality and questioned him about the legitimacy of the video announcement, but pretty soon the reality of the situation began to sink in.
To be perfectly clear, though, 80 For Brady takes a ton of artistic liberties. Those ladies from Attleboro may have served as the film’s inspiration, but that’s about as far as it goes. In the upcoming movie, Fonda, Tomlin, Field, and Moreno will be going on a much more elaborate journey as Patriots superfans.
From what we know so far, they’ll make a trek out to the Super Bowl, compete in a hot wing eating competition emceed by celebrity chef Guy Fieri, pose as backup dancers for the halftime performance, and somehow manage to make it to the Patriot’s locker room to give Rob Grnkowski a hug.
What’s most important, however, is how the friendship of the women that inspired the film is depicted on-screen. That part of the story is based on cold-hard facts.
Sadly, the Over 80 for Brady club membership is down to just two. Anita and Pat now reside in assisted living homes, while Claire passed away a couple of years ago. Still, Elaine and Betty still call each other every chance that they can get and still meet up to watch Patriots games regularly.
Recently, they got the chance to watch 80 for Brady at a private screening event held at Patriot Place. When asked what they thought about the film, they said that they enjoyed it’s themes of friendship. Unfortunately, Tom Brady wasn’t able to attend the screening as he was preparing for the Buccanneers playoff game.
Even so, Elaine and Betty hold out hope that they’ll someday meet their hero in person.
Jokingly, but not without merit, St. Martin told CBS that she hopes to see him before she and Psnsavalle die, and that he ‘better hurry up’.
We’re just about out of time for this video, but before we wrap things up, we’d like the pass the mic off to you.
Are you excited to see 80 for Brady in theaters, and what are your thoughts on the soundtrack’s single “Gonna Be You”? Let us know in the comments, and as always, thanks for watching.
