La famiglia Brady

Groooovy! Neato! Yup, the Brady's are back and are struggling to make it in the 90's, the Brady house is being put up for auction, and it's up to the all-singing, all-dancing Brady kids troupe to sing their way out of it!

Shelley Long and Gary Cole play Carol and Mike Brady, while the kids are played by the likes of Christine Taylor, Christopher Daniel Barnes and Olivia Hack. RuPaul even gets into the Brady act, appearing as the kid's school guidance person - helping Jan through her 'Marcia, Marica, Marcia!' obsession.

Plenty of laughs (if not for the sheer corn factor) and it's actually quite fun. If you ever loved the original 'Brady Bunch' series - then you'll love this. Cast originals Florence Henderson, Barry Williams and Ann B. Davis all make cameo appearances.

It's happening in a far out way!

The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) is, in my opinion, one of the best spoofs in movie history. Every character is deliciously well done in true '70s style, the decor is excellent, and the whole plot is hilarious: the Bradys in the '90s. An excellent movie on the whole, complete with cameos by the original Brady Bunch cast and '70s icons.

The beauty of this movie, has I've mentioned before, is that it is done so authentically. There are little touches here and there (you may need to watch the movie a few times to notice), such as 'The Partridge Family' bus going by just before the singing competition scene.

There are some hilarious moments (some quite cringe worthy too!). Mike Brady giving a 'wise' speech, Marcia getting hit in the nose by a football, Marcia's dance and so many more. I even find when Jan knocks some boxes off funny! Pacing wise, it moves very fast so you don't get bored. It runs smoothly. No qualms there.

It is really amusing to see a naive, sweet '70s family fit in with '90s California grunge. It's a great movie - many great memories of this.

Yes, Marcia was my favorite character in this movie. In the TV show, Maureen McCormick was the best looking of the three girls. In this movie, Christine Taylor gives Maureen a run for her money. In my opinion, Christine actually takes the money. Despite too much makeup, Christine is very, very cute. She also plays Marcia to perfection. Marcia is depicted as being conceited. Not an admirable quality, but she absolutely had something to be conceited about. On the other hand, Jan is a total goof, and her jealousy of Marcia gets tiresome. The story is basically entertaining, in terms of the many references to the TV show. What doesn't quite work is the blending of the Bradys with 90s characters and sensibilities. The 90s style references come across like an attack on the wholesome image of the TV show. Having the Bradys facing possible eviction was a place this movie didn't need to go to. The movie is a mixed bag, but there's enough positive stuff to make it work. There are cameos by several original cast members. Most notably, Barry Williams, Ann B Davis and Florence Henderson. The appearance of these original actors works very much to the movie's benefit. Christine Taylor, with her beauty and fine performance, was the only one on the same level as the original TV show actors.

Besides offering countless belly-laughs, this spoof of the legendary sit-com has many authentic elements of the original 70s TV show. The casting in itself was a stroke of genius. I'm still not sure if they actually "froze" Maureen McCormick (the REAL Marcia Brady), only to unthaw her in time to return to her role in this film; the actress playing Marcia in this film looks like a clone of the original! Shelley Long is also striking as Carol, as are Cindy, Bobby and Alice. -- Several original cast members from the TV series had cameos, most noteworthy Ann B. Davis (Alice), who returned as a truck driving confidante to a confused run-away Jan. -- Florence Henderson showed up as her own meddling mother who finally (much overdue) told Jan to "cut the crap!", giving her a swift smack on the cheek, thus curing her of her chronic and tiresome wining. -- We meet the Brady's neighbors the "Dittmeyers", who were frequently mentioned, but never actually shown on the TV program. Here they are no "Fred & Ethel", but scheming, manipulative opportunists, eager to convince the Bradys to sell their house (to them), in order for a big developer to turn the entire neighborhood into a huge building project. -- The film is also loaded with cheesy advice we remember Mike & Carol dishing out in over-dose rations during their 5 year run in prime time (not to mention the zillions of re-runs to follow). This will always be Sherwood Schwartz's biggest hit. The Brady Bunch will go down with Lucy, Andy and Samantha as America's best loved all-time favorite sit coms. The Brady Bunch Movie only intensified America's love affair with the light fluff that dreams are made of. This film is a winner in my book!

When I first heard about this film being in production, I was about as happy as you'd be if you heard about a giant meteorite heading to destroy the Earth! After all, despite the original show having a bit of a following, the show was completely saccharine and impossible for anyone other than kids to like. So why, oh why, would I want to see this?! Well, it turns out I was wrong--wrong because the film WAS good to watch and wrong because this was NOT the same Brady Bunch I remember from my youth.

So what was so right about this film? Well, first it was not a remake of the show, but a parody of it--the only way this could have worked. In this case, it's the same sort of Brady family BUT they are living exactly as they did in 1970--despite it being 1995. In other words, the clothes, the language, the actors and their spot-on impersonations of the originals (I particularly loved Gary Cole and the way he talked just like Mike Brady) and the music are all circa 1970--and everyone around the Brady family just stares at them in total disbelief. TO make things even better, there is a wonderful visit from Davy Jones as well as a wonderful plot involving Jan and hear jealousy of Marsha, Marsha, Marsha! As for the plot, this might be the biggest weakness. While it isn't bad, the film's theme of the evil neighbors and the Brady family losing their home never is as fun or interesting as the sequel--A VERY BRADY SEQUEL--and you MUST see this sequel. It is a hoot!