A Very Brady Christmas

All right folks, like Howard Beale said in Network, I am mad as hell and want to speak my mind. WHAT DO SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE AGAINST THE BRADY BUNCH!!!!! I have never in my life seen a tv show so unjustly maligned and ridiculed. All right, it didn't show life the way it was...but it showed life the way we wished it could be. Haven't all of us wished that we could be like the Bradys? Haven't all of us wished that we could live in a better world where families were warm and loving and kind to each other and stuck together and solved their problems thru the power of love? Haven't all of us wished in today's troubled times that there was a better world beyond this one? Where the worst problems were Marcia hogging the bathroom or Greg's hair turning green or Jan worrying her braces made her look silly. When this tv film came out in the Christmas of 1988, a tv guide reviewer said that it was a good reason to spend Christmas overseas! You SOB how dare you say that! I say thank God for The Brady Bunch. I watched that wonderful show as a child and I say with no shame whatsoever that I still enjoy it as an adult! Its like watching old friends! This is a wonderful film that is as fine as Its A Wonderful Life to me. I love seeing them all together again and I enjoyed when they used clips of the old show. It brought back so many wonderful memories as I am sure it did for so many.

The lack of a laugh track on this, even though it's a feature length movie, made it a LOT less enjoyable. As most here, I've seen every episode of the Brady Bunch and loved it! It was nice to see almost the entire cast back in action, but the plot and some characters **cough** Marcia's little butt hole kid, Mickey **cough** left a lot to be desired. Part of what made the Brady Bunch sitcom special was its lighthearted and comical approach to more complex problems in life, but the tone of this movie is kind of a downer. Sure, the ending ties everything together, but it has little of the charm that made the sitcom so enjoyable. I realize that the kids are adults and now have adult problems, but it was a jarring change of style and pace from what we are used to seeing.

Back to the lack of a laugh track; The movie relied heavily on quirky expressions by Alice and one liners from Carol and Mike that would normally result in thunderous laughter from the laugh track. Instead, we are treated with awkward silence and pause from the other cast members. This could be forgiven if it was once or twice, but it happened a lot. Definitely questioning Sherwood Schwarz' decision making on nixing the laugh track and making it so dramatic.

One final complaint. If you are going to make the movie dramatic, at least take the time to roll out the problems and allow for a little conflict to occur to spice it up. The films spends the first 30-45 minutes unloading all the problems of each kid and their respective spouse, which are interesting. The problem is that the problems are quickly and neatly solved with hardly any conflict, which was a bit boring. I think this could have been pretty good as a limited TV series so that the problems could be given a little more depth and character development.

I am more than likely over analyzing a made for TV movie which serves as nothing more than a reunion episode, BUT I really enjoyed the sitcom and was hoping for more from this.

This is a movie that is really only going to be tolerated by true "Brady" fans. We never really took them seriously as a family, but we loved watching them. The Brady's are, in deed, a non-existent family, but that makes them even more fun to watch- Escapism !!

And now, the whole family (minus the original Cindy) is back together again in a less-groovy, updated surroundings, for a Christmas gathering, in Brady fashion. The whole house is full of Brady's and more Brady's (they've multiplied). Alice doesn't live here anymore, but she's got problems of her own and shows up at just the right moment- to help with Christmas dinner.

A Very Brady Christmas is less than average t.v. fare if you were not a Brady fan. To those who watched faithfully every Friday night, you're gonna love seeing 'em in all their unbelievable camp, once again.

Christmastime just isn't complete for me without watching this movie. The Brady family reuniting for the holidays always produces warm fuzzies for me. The original show was cheesy and so is this reunion movie, but it is also surprisingly well acted by every member of the ensemble cast and hits upon some real truths about family togetherness. Jennifer Runyon seamlessly fills the shoes of Susan Olsen in this yuletide gathering, Maureen McCormick is as beautiful as ever, and Florence Henderson is still the sunniest and most perky television mom around. A TV movie can get away with being sappy if it's focused around Christmas, and this movie succeeds on every level as a feel-good holiday reunion film.

To those who have watched the Brady Bunch...God! I can't believe it's been that long! If you have watched the series and are a full fledged Brady Bunch fan, then you will enjoy A Very Brady Christmas for your holiday movie viewing.

Shot on the original set, ...and with a few decorative updated changes, Mike and Carol are contemplating how to spend the holidays. And how would family oriented parents spend it---by inviting the whole family!! Of course, not all is perfect with Americas lovable family. Work Stress, tough life career decisions, and divorce loom in the air. But in true Brady and television fashion, all crisis are solved by the end of the episode. ....except one last very life threatening situation.

True, it IS a TV movie based on a TV series. The dialog is tin pan and the acting is grade B acting. But remember, A Very Brady Christmas is a Christmas story fantasy like Frosty The Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. The "miracle" ending is laughable but very heartwarming and memorable.

In other words, take it what it is. A Very Brady Christmas should be loved by fans. The Christmas message is that family is most important and possibly with their help we may fulfill our hopes and dreams.--or as Alice says "It's nice to have family" If you never seen the series, you may be dismayed by the sugary sweetness of the characters.

So take a Very Brady Christmas as it is....a family celebration of togetherness that may be sometime to sweet to take, but it goes down like an enjoyable Christmas pie!