Side by Side: The True Story of the Osmond Family

The "true" story of the Osmonds, based on a book by Olive, Mama Osmond.

By 1982 the "Donny & Marie Show" had been cancelled and they both were struggling to latch onto something else in show biz. Marie would go on to record a few more hits and then do travelling musicals and get on with being a mother. Donny would release a few more floundering LPs and also try to break into stage production. The point is that by 1982 no one much cared to hear the story of the Osmonds, "true" or not. But it was work for Marie, strangely playing her own mother who will will see in a cameo with their father at the very end. It's a TV movie and all the low production values and film quality that go along with that are here. We see the perfect family doing everything just perfect, living their perfect lives and having perfect success. You get the idea that Olive's "True Story" may be a very sanitized version of what really went on. You can read between the lines here and see that their father was a driven person, determined to get his kids on stage and famous. I'm waiting for the Hollywood Babylon version myself. This movie should be watched for only two reasons. One, you are a huge fan and are ready to believe anything the Osmond publicity mills dished out back then or Two, you are in serious mockery mode and are ready to spend some quality time with loved ones making fun of this saccharin family. If you are neither of the above, rent "Mommy Dearest" for a more truthful Hollywood kid story.

I simply must refute the one other review I found here for this movie. Yes, I am a big fan of Marie. That said, I recorded this movie (on my VCR!), when it aired on TV, and I loved it! I watched it over and over.

I love the uplifting nature of this film, and the fact that it is very family friendly. I found some of the scenes so inspiring, as a young mom. The work Olive did raising her children was incredible to me. Olive Osmond was a remarkably strong and determined woman and mother. There may be some less-than-stellar acting, and some low-budget production quality, but when viewed through the lens of a person who is more interested in the substance of a film than in finding fault, this is a wonderful film!! I highly recommend it! In fact, I came here today hoping to find a way to watch it again.