The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)

I Like the First Brady Movie Best

When this movie first came out in the mid 90's at the height of the 70's revival and in the midst of an epidemic of TV show inspired quickie movies, I wasn't that interested. I was over it all frankly. I remembered watching it on cable (not bothering to see it in the theater) and while even then I was blown away by the future Mrs. Ben Stiller's dead perfect Marcia Brady, I was put off by the tone of the movie.

How did this 70's family just appear in modern times? Why were they stuck in the 70's? It didn't make any sense.

Of course I needn't have bothered with such worrisome questions- after all this is a Sherwood Schwartz production and thinking is the last thing you need to do while watching "The Brady Bunch Movie".

Watching the movie again recently for the first time in over ten years I was surprised at how fresh it still seems. The satirical version of the Brady Bunch is as timeless as the original TV show! Gary Cole's Robert Reed impression alone is a glory for the ages.

One of the reasons I prefer the first film to the second is the perfect lightness of tone- this film is lighter than air- it doesn't get bogged down in any attempt at "serious storytelling". While most critics prefer the second film "A Very Brady Sequel" to this one claiming the screenplay is better written, I found the screenplay to the sequel to be a bit more labored with far too much focus going to the imposter character.

Another key difference between the films is that the first film's humor is meaner in tone which I actually liked. The second movie obsesses over Greg and Marcia's attraction way too much (it would have been better as a throw away gag) and all the "art heist" nonsense. Here the concept is clear- the Brady's are out of touch with the snarly 1990's. We don't have to bother with a "plot"- something the original show never hade to begin with. This was a show who's stories centered on home movies, houses of cards, lost dogs, talent contests and dunking booths for the school carnival.

What layers the camp value is that the 1990's portrayed here are just as kitschy in there own way now as the 1970's were then. There are then trendy gags about body piercing, Seattle, cel phones, coffee houses, grunge and garage bands. I found the nasty 90's people to be just as funny as the Brady's were at times. This caustic edginess was dropped for the sequel.

I was a kid in the 1970's and watched the original Friday night airings of The Brady Bunch on ABC religiously but there is a misconception about the show (and it's in both 90's films as well) that the Brady's and for that matter the entire 1970's were sweet and innocent in some way. I can tell you, my siblings and I laughed at how square the Brady's were THEN and we were children. The Brady Bunch was retrograde and unintentionally corny the first time it aired. We watched it but then we stayed up to watch Love American Style at 10:00. I remember secretly watching Maude in the same period which my parents forbade us to watch. Yes in the same years we were watching Jan Brady auditoning to be a pom pom girl (and failing of course) we were also watching Maude have an abortion and learning all about child abuse on Good Times and drag queen gay bashings on All in the Family.

The 70's were much more sophisticated than either The Brady Bunch or these 70's retro movies would ever lead you to believe.

April 19, 2008

A BRADY BUNCH SPOOF

this a spoof that will not be forgotten. It is so funny. This is one of my favorite comedy movie i ever seen! December 10, 2007

Kinda funny. Jan is about the most unlucky middle child spawned from Hell that I've ever seen! 3.6 stars.

It was a delight to watch her life go "down the drain", so to speak. Hahahaha! ( X^D )

The comedy was there. Cindy has the worst lisp ever and Marchia is the horniest virgin ever!

The boys, Pete, Greg and Bobby all had their own charm (not to mention what a stud Greg was!).

The mother Carol and Mike the father played their roles convincingly (especially Carol the wife). She still has that mullet going on. But in a very cute, slightly sexy kinda way. <3

Sunshine Day is one of the best (if not best) songs that has ever been performed by a television celebrity family!!

Story: C
Dialogue: B-
Characters: B+
Length: C
Overall: C+

3.6 stars. November 25, 2007

It's a sunshine day indeed!

Being just born when the show originally ran, I probably had last seen The Brady's back in the late 70's, early 80's during reruns on TV and had only remembered bits and pieces since then. Snippets like Bobby saving a girl from a falling shelf, orange hair and some sort of model volcano explosion. Nothing very distinctive at all. So when the movie came out in '95, I gave it a shot and didn't like it at all. It just seemed like another fish-out-of-water movie, and the jokes were of the inside type, which was to be expected for a movie based on a TV show. They just weren't funny. So I dismissed the movie (which apparently was pretty popular) and didn't even bother with it's sequel, which came out the next year.

Fast forward ten years to 2005. Thanks to the wonders of TV-on-DVD, I took another shot and bought the 1st season of The Brady Bunch and immediately got hooked. As I watched the episodes, those snippets suddenly became cohesive and the memories flowed back in. The warm, fuzzy, memories of a "simpler" time with the impossibly perfect family. As I eagerly awaited the subsequent season releases over the next year and a half, I held off on giving The Brady Bunch Movie a second chance until I had seen every episode again. I'm glad I did. Basically what I'm trying to say is that you definitely need to be familiar with the show, to fully appreciate the movie(s).

As I mentioned previously the movie takes the fish-out-of-water, squeaky-clean 70's Brady's and places them in the 90's. While you get your usual riffs on the culture clash enveloped in a pedestrian plot (albeit, their oblivious attitude is good for some laughs), the real comedic meat comes from the spoofing of the show. Swollen noses, squeaky voices, inner monologues, "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia", the life lessons, the clothes, breaking into song. It's all there in their glorious cheesiness, deftly presented by the cast, with special kudos going to the spot-on portrayals of Mr. & Mrs. Brady, Marcia, Jan & Alice. Actually Ben Stiller probably says to himself every day, "I can't believe I landed Marcia Brady!" Christine Taylor IS Marcia Brady. And look for some great cameos as well.

Good, hilarious fun for Brady fans. Of course after this, I just had to run out and get A Very Brady Sequel, which is even better! Incest! The real Mr. Brady! Cousin Oliver! Oh my!
September 19, 2007

Takes the show and embellishes with magnificent results...

Growing up `The Brady Bunch' was a staple in my house. Sure it was all reruns but they were good reruns! I had never seen `The Brady Bunch Movie' though until just last week when my wife suggested we watch it. She knew how much I loved the show and was astonished that I had never seen the movie. Preparing myself for a letdown I sat before the television and waited. I waited for that said letdown for about 80 minutes but it never came. In fact I'm tempted to say that there is absolutely nothing director Betty Thomas could have done to improve upon this comedy. The cast was perfect (don't get me started on the uncanny Christine Taylor/Maureen McCormack resemblance), the script was ideal and the setting couldn't have been better. Taking the Brady household into the 90's was one thing, but the way they did it was even better. The film is shot like an episode of `The Brady Bunch' and the set pieces are downright identical (even down to the Astroturf which is commented on by their neighbors...Hilarious!).

The plot for this parody has the Brady's trying to raise enough money to save their home. Their neighbor, the greedy Mr. Dittmeyer, has convinced the entire community to sell their homes but if he can't get the Brady's to sell then his business deal will fall through and he won't make the boat loads of money he's counting on. Because of some back taxes the Brady's actually stand a chance at losing their home for good and with Mr. Dittmeyer trying his hardest to stifle any chance of success in raising the money the Brady's are having the hardest time working things out.

The kids have their own problems though. Greg is trying to woo a girl at school but his brand of pursuit just doesn't mesh well with the 90's world he's oblivious to. Peter is also having some girl problems, mainly because the girl that he likes and that actually likes him is currently dating the Dittmeyer's rebellious son Eric. Marcia is trying to decide who to go to the dance with, the sweet guy who asked her first or the sex-hungry jock who asked her last. Jan, still living in Marcia's shadow, struggles with finding her own identity and standing apart from her scene stealing sister. The two younger children, Bobby and Cindy, are kinda just there to be there but Cindy does have this hilarious lisp that Mr. Dittmeyer can't understand, and that serves up some laughs. Cindy is also struggling with her incessant tattling, so when she overhears the financial troubles her parents are in she debates whether or not she should tell anyone.

What's also wonderful about this film is that is rehashes some of the greatest moments in Brady Bunch history, like the football to the face and the wig Jan donned in the show (except here her wig is a little more eccentric). This film also delves into the insanity behind Jan's inner rage against her sister which is represented by voices in her head. The actors all do a wonderful job in getting down pat the mannerisms of the original cast which helps make everything feel authentic. Shelly Long and Gary Cole are spot on as Carol and Mike Brady, and all the kids are great, especially the girls. Christine Taylor, Jennifer Elise Cox and Olivia Hack are superb here. Another standout is Jean Smart who plays Mrs. Dittmeyer, a drunk who hates her husband and lusts after Mike Brady, and it turns out his sons as well. Michael McKean is hilarious as Mr. Dittmeyer, but he's upstaged in almost every scene by Hack's Cindy.

So in the end `The Brady Bunch Movie' is top notch hilarity that does the amazing show total justice. I have yet to see `The Very Brady Sequel' but I'll be sure to check it out. Here's to hoping it's half as good as this brilliant parody. September 18, 2007

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