Massachusetts Grannies The Inspiration for “80 For Brady” Movie
Wait, what?
Did you know that a group of grannies from North Attleboro, Massachusetts are the inspiration for the Tom Brady movie “80 For Brady” hitting theaters Feb. 3?
I didn’t!
This is an amazing story.
“For a month of Sundays … years of Sundays, in fact … the New England Patriots have had a loyal cheering squad older than the team itself,” CBS Sunday News reported.
“I do my arms, wave, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” said 94-year-old Betty Pensavalle. “Yeah, you have to do something. Keeps me awake, too!”
She doesn’t only have a thing for football; she’s got a real thing for former Patriot quarterback Tom Brady. “Handsome,” she said. “Adorable. Gorgeous.”
Her best friend, 95-year-old Elaine St. Martin, carries a bit of a Brady torch, too: “Yeah, he was really handsome.”
Yup, Martin and Pensavalle, both from North Attleboro, have been longtime fans of football. It was a family thing, according to the Attleboro Sun Chronicle, but when the women became widows, they and three other women made sure to get together every given Sunday.
“One Sunday here, one Sunday at my house, and it would go right to the five of us,” St. Martin told CBS.
“Betty and Elaine, along with three other friends, Anita, Pat and Claire, gathered so regularly, they got a nickname: The “Over 80 for Brady” club. Betty’s grandson even made them matching shirts,” the Sun Chronicle reporter.
One of Pensavalle’s grandsons, Max Gross, thought it was a great idea for a movie. turns out, he’s an agent in Hollywood.
Which means he had an in. He pitched it to lots of studios, including Brady’s film company, 199 Productions.
Brady’s production company greenlit the project and Brady sent a video to Pensavalle and confirmed the deal.
And it got better. Hollywood cast movie star legends Rita Moreno, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Sally Field in the roles.
“80 for Brady” is about four women getting to the Super Bowl.
The Over 80 for Brady club is down to two. Claire passed away, and Anita and Pat are in an assisted living facility.
But, according to CBS, “Betty and Elaine’s devotion to their team – and each other – is strong enough for all of them.”
“Good friends stick together and stay together and do for each other,” Pensavalle told CBS.
St. Martin added, “It’s all about friendship, and don’t get into arguments with people. Life’s too short to not get along.”