Inside the Osmonds

Ok, I agree that this script had a Leave It To Beaver complex when it came to working out character's problems in a timely, neat manner. But hey, for those who remember the 1970s with fondness (yes, there are a few of us!), this was a pretty fun look back. Sure, the Osmonds were a pretty saccharine bunch, but they did have a few decent, rocking tunes early on (who knew the boys really longed to be the next Led-Zeppelin?). The movie does a great job in recreating their stage act, and the outfits are a total gas (the wigs and sideburns fare poorly closeup, but are sufficient in long shots). Some aspects of this story, such as their religious convictions and sibling rivalry, only got surface deep, but this was not intended to be the next Citizen Kane. Lighten up! I can't imagine any fan of the Osmonds (and there were millions!) being disappointed in this movie. By the way, did anyone notice that the fellow playing the father is D-Day from Animal House?!

Say what you want about the Osmonds, this is a very strong, loving, honorable family. I enjoyed this program very much. There is not a lot of families that could withstand the public scrutiny they had to go through. Even with some of the problems they had, they all stuck together. They should be very proud of themselves.

This made-for-TV movie has the look of a mini-series that was perhaps 2-3 nights long originally but at the last minute was only given one night by the networks. So the editors worked furiously chopping it all down to one night. It really shows. This movie will only work for you if you are an Osmond fan and know much about the biographical details of their lives. If you don't know much about the family, prepare to be lost frequently. The brothers look so similar in this movie that it is too easy to get them mixed up. The age progression that suddenly takes place with no word of explanation does not help either, as soon as you have figured out who everyone is, the people playing them are switched on you. This is the story of some Mormon boys who merely wanted to be "the next Led Zeppelin" ( I'm serious! ) and their fathers attempts to keep them true to their Mormon faith and ideals, all the while he is squandering their hard earned money away. That this film was produced by Jimmy Osmond is rather surprising as the Osmonds have always tended to keep hush-hush about anything less than a perfect family image. I thought that father George must have died, which would explain this movie's critical tone in regards to him, but no, at the end, he is trotted out on stage with the family. See this as a second feature with an earlier Osmond produced film called "Side By Side: The True Story Of The Osmond Family", and you will have a 4 hour epic story of the Osmond family...if you want that.

Sprinkled with a fine soundtrack and some very good acting, 'Inside The Osmonds' is a bio-pic that documents the meteoric rise and subsequent fiscal downfall of the Osmond family.

The story's main focus is on the family as they attempt to maintain their popularity while staying committed to each other throughout the turbulent seventies and early eighties.

Each family member is given time to develop, but the film focuses mainly on Donny and Marie. Especially, Donny (Patrick Levis) as he must endure his forced transition from praised musician to a veritable laughing stock on his daily variety show.

Many things are touched upon throughout the film, including the family's devotion to religion and Marie's weight problem which is merely glanced but not truly elaborated upon. One element that was allowed to flourish was the family's manipulation at the hands of television and recording executives.

The family remains consistently close until final scene when they lose all of their savings. Unlike other movies where this might have been a huge tragedy, in this film, the impact is sort of anti-climactic. They haven't really lost anything, they still have each other and to them, at least, that is truly all that matters.

Look for fine performances by Bruce McGill, as the over-protective but loving father George, and Veronica Cartwright, as the comforting Olive. The film will leave a sweet taste in your mouth, especially the final frame where the real Osmonds take center stage, where they belong, singing 'He aint' heavy, He's my brother'. Look for this one!

I just saw this movie on MuchMore Music about a day ago and they have aired it about 3 times in 2 days and I've seen each one thats how much I love it. I never thought I could like music from back then because normally I'm telling my grandparents to put away the old stuff. I think the actors did a great job portraying each character. Now finding out that they filmed some of it in my home town is even more overwhelming and I wish I would have know about it then to have considered a part of an extra. If someone thinks this movie is horrible you've got to learn about your music history because these guys were icons. Also learn about your movie critic skills as well. By the way if you think I'm some 30 year old writing this guess again I'm 15. I know a good movie when I see one.