Propelled by the never-ending reruns and a popular stage show called "The Real Live Brady Bunch", Paramount finally decided to cash-in on their cult hit by recreating the TV show "The Brady Bunch" for a theatrical satire, using the polyester-and-fringe look for a series of retro jokes. Seems the wholesome Brady clan is stuck in a '70s time-warp, and they are completely unaware of the changing times and modern predicaments (such as carjacking, grunge bands, lesbian advances and the fact that Davy Jones is no longer a rock star). Carefully-picked cast members have the look and groovy idiom down perfectly, and they are complimented further by recognizable faces in most of the supporting roles, but the plot (about evil next-door neighbors the Dittmeyers trying to oust the Bradys from their home) is just an outline, hung with familiar jokes and situations from the series. As a TV family, the Bradys (and wisecracking maid, Alice) were so dogged in their corny saintliness that they didn't allow for much excitement (they weren't fish out of water so much as fish underwater); director Betty Thomas can't really juice up their lives here either, and so juxtaposes Mike's job at the office and the kids' lives at school with the harsh realities of 1995--and it's a depressing contrast. The thing certainly looks good (great care was taken to reproduce the Bradys' world down to the smallest detail), but the film cannot sustain itself on visual gags and innuendos alone. **1/2 from ****
Review of The Brady Bunch Movie
