The Brady Bunch Movie

Back when I was just a little kid, I saw “The Brady Bunch” reruns on TV. (It was on right before “Leave It To Beaver”). The Brady family has, and always will be remembered, as corny, cheery, tacky, old fashioned, and out of step with the “real world.”

The plot of “The Brady Bunch Movie” is truly a shallow one. A scheming neighbor, Mr. Ditmyer (Michael McKean) plots to buy out the Brady family’s neighborhood to build an outlet mall. All the residents on the block agree to the offer, all but Mike and Carol Brady (Gary Cole and Shelly Long). To make things worse, that 70’s relic the Brady family calls home will be auctioned off unless they come up with $20,000 in one week!

The only catch that keeps this movie from sinking is that, while the rest of the world has moved into the 90’s, the Brady family is stuck in their own squeaky clean, innocent, retro world. The contrasts between the functional 70’s family and our modern world is what brings on most of the laughs. The eldest daughter, Marcia, brushes her hair in front of the mirror in an attempt to impress the big man on campus, while remaining oblivious to her “best friends” lesbian advances. The eldest son, Greg, is convinced he is rock star material, even if his happy-go-lucky musical style is not accepted by the grunge rock scene. More shocking, the whole bunch still thinks polyester is “with it.”

The film is aimed for teenagers, and fans of the series, but not for young children. (Most of them would be oblivious to the humor anyway). Unfortunately, there are too many sexual and negative innuendoes, mostly at the Brady family’s expense. A sexually obsessed neighbor makes passes at the Brady boys, while Mike, Carol, and Alice speak often in double meanings.

While family values seem to be praised in this film, Hollywood disappoints us once again by including plenty of negative material.