The Brady Bunch Movie
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| The Brady Bunch Movie | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Betty Thomas |
| Produced by | David Kirkpatrick Sherwood Schwartz |
| Written by | Sherwood Schwartz (characters) Bonnie Turner Terry Turner |
| Starring | Shelley Long Gary Cole Christine Taylor Chris Barnes Jennifer Elise Cox Paul Sutera Olivia Hack Jesse Lee Soffer Henriette Mantel |
| Music by | Guy Moon |
| Cinematography | Mac Ahlberg |
| Editing by | Peter Teschner |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | February 17, 1995 |
| Running time | 90 min. |
| Country |  |
| Language | English |
| Followed by | A Very Brady Sequel (1996) |
| IMDb profile | |
The Brady Bunch Movie is a 1995 comedy adaptation of the 1969-1974 television series The Brady Bunch.
The film features all the original regular characters, all played by new actors. It also took the unusual route of placing the original sitcom characters, with their 1970s fashion sense and 1970s sitcom family morality, in a contemporary 1990s setting, and parodied the resulting culture clash. The movie was a hit and was followed by A Very Brady Sequel in 1996, and a television movie called The Brady Bunch in the White House in 2002.
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[edit] Plot
The movie begins with the Bradys' next door neighbor Mr. Dittmeyer (Michael McKean) (an unscrupulous real estate developer) being chewed out by someone on his cellular phone. After he utters the line, "What's their story?", the long-familiar opening begins.
The Bradys are the last holdouts in Mr. Dittmeyer's scheme to raze the neighborhood in lieu of a new shopping mall. After being warned not to tattle, Cindy (Olivia Hack) is sent to the Dittmeyers' because the Bradys accidentally got their mail; she is asked to see if he has their mail, too. While there, she runs into Mr. Dittmeyer's wife (Jean Smart). Mrs. Dittmeyer would be a very attractive woman if she didn't sit around all day moping about her miserable marriage. She is more interested in the Brady men than she is in her own husband. One of the letters she brings home is notification that the Bradys face foreclosure on their house if they don't pay $20,000 in back taxes. It is the fifth notice; they missed the others because Mr. Dittmeyer got them and threw them away without opening them. Mike (Gary Cole) and Carol (Shelley Long) brush off the crisis as solvable; they are sure Mike's boss will give him an advance if he can sell an architectural design. They are more concerned with Peter's voice changing.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her family, Jan (Jennifer Elise Cox) is hearing psychotic voices in her head crying "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!". The school counselor Mrs. Cummings (RuPaul) advises her to consider a new look - one that will make her stand out from her sisters and be noticed. Jan enthusiastically accepts the advice, and Mrs. Cummings asks her to return when she's pregnant. Jan later purchases a huge black afro wig, but is still overshadowed by Marcia.
At school, Marcia (Christine Taylor) has caught the eye of hunk Doug Simpson (Shane Conrad) (as well as lesbian classmate, Noreen, Alanna Ubach). She accepts his offer to go to the school dance, but forgets that she has asked nice-but-unspectacular Charlie (R.D. Robb) out. Greg's advice is to use the same line that other girls have used on him: "Something suddenly came up." Before the dance, Doug takes Marcia out for a drive to lookout point, parks the car and attempts to have sex with the lovely Brady girl (he French kisses her). Marcia tells him that she isn't interested, and a disgusted Doug leaves her stranded at the side of the road. As Doug pulls away a limousine pulls up.
At the dance, Greg (Christopher Daniel Barnes) does his "Johnny Bravo" performance and is booed offstage. Marcia arrives later and introduces the star performer of the night, Davy Jones. Although years past his Monkees heyday, he gets a rousing reception from the teachers present; when the backing rock band charges up his performance, the kids respond, too. Marcia arrives at the dance and apologizes to Charlie, who forgives her and asks her to dance with him. Doug, seeing Marcia with Charlie, becomes jealous and calls her a slut. Charlie attempts to confront Doug unsuccessfully. Noreen, witnessing the entire incident, punches Doug in the face, knocking him unconscious. When Marcia sees Doug on the floor, she assumes it was Charlie who punched him out and is flattered. Marcia and Charlie leave the dance together, and Noreen is heartbroken (but soon comforted by another attractive girl). Charlie takes Marcia home, who promptly gives him the thrill of a lifetime with a French kiss of her own.
The next day, Mr. Dittmeyer is going through his mail when he notices a letter for the Bradys marked "final notice." He discovers that the Bradys have past-due property taxes, and he confronts Mike. Mike, however, has sold one of his designs to an Asian entrepreneur and says he has the needed $20,000. Dittmeyer meddles in the deal - he presents false information that one of Mike's designs resulted in a building collapse - and Mike loses his advance. The family packs up everything but the night before they have to move out Marcia suggests the kids enter a "Search For the Stars" contest for fresh young musical groups. Jan, having originally suggested this and been rejected, runs away from home in fury. Cindy sees her leaving and tattles, and the whole family goes on a search for her. They use their car C.B. radio which is heard by Schultzy (Ann B. Davis), the driver who picks Jan up and convinces her to return home.
The next morning, Mr. Dittmeyer is celebrating the success of his scheme when his plans become unraveled. First, the Bradys win the top prize of $20,000 on "Search for the Stars," the amount needed to cover the tax bill. Later, the Bradys' neighbors decide to withdraw their homes from the market, and the neighborhood is secured. The Bradys then go to their grandmother's (former Mrs. Brady, Florence Henderson) where Cindy begins to feel that Jan is getting more attention than she is, like Jan felt before.
In the end credits, the Bradys are in their traditional blue boxes, but in style this time: Marcia is with her lesbian friend, who kisses her; Carol is with her mother and they watch the lovely Mrs. Dittmeyer seduce Mike and her mother gives her champagne to give to Mike; Greg is with Jan's guidance counselor, who is seducing him; Jan is fighting over her box with Marcia; Alice takes off her shirt; Peter is with his hot teacher who is wearing a sexy red dress that makes Peter pass out into her arms, and once he wakes up, he can't help but put his head on her breasts; Cindy is wearing Jan's afro wig; Mike is approached by Mrs. Dittmeyer, who has turned from being being unattractive to having a very sexy physique that turns Mike on, especially when she whispers "Do you want some.." in his ear, but it is unknown what she says after that because she covers her mouth and pulls him down offscreen with her; and Bobby is wearing his hall monitor outfit.
[edit] Cast
- Shelley Long as Carol Brady
- Gary Cole as Mike Brady
- Christine Taylor as Marcia Brady
- Christopher Daniel Barnes as Greg Brady
- Jennifer Elise Cox as Jan Brady
- Paul Sutera as Peter Brady
- Olivia Hack as Cindy Brady
- Jesse Lee as Bobby Brady
- Henriette Mantel as Alice Nelson
- David Graf as Sam Franklin
- Florence Henderson as Grandma Brady
- Jack Noseworthy as Eric Dittmeyer
- Megan Ward as Donna Leonard
- Jean Smart as Mrs. Dena Dittmeyer
- Michael McKean as Mr. Larry Dittmeyer
- Moriah Snyder as Missy Dittmeyer
- Alanna Ubach as Noreen
- Shane Conrad as Doug Simpson
- Marissa Ribisi as Holly
- R.D. Robb as Charlie Anderson
- RuPaul as Mrs. Cummings
- Davy Jones as Himself
[edit] Cameos by original actors
- Ann B. Davis, the original Alice, plays a trucker. Her character's name, Schultzy, was a reference to her most famous role prior to "The Brady Bunch", that of Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz, on TV's The Bob Cummings Show (aka, "Love That Bob!").
- Christopher Knight, the original Peter, plays a coach who stops two boys from bullying the film's Peter in a cafeteria scene.
- Barry Williams, the original Greg, plays a music director who rejects the film's Greg's attempts to sell his song.
- Florence Henderson, the original Carol, plays Grandma Brady.
[edit] References to the original series
- In the film, every time the Bradys are in their backyard or the house itself, the shot composition, camera movements and the lighting and colors reflect the look of the original series. Whenever they leave these areas the film switches to the more naturalistic look of contemporary cinematography, featuring steadicam shots and more realistic-looking exterior lighting.
- Through the movie, there are moments and plotlines which were taken straight from episodes from the original television series. These moments include:
- Jan's jealousy of Marcia - "My Sister's Shadow"
- Peter's voice breaking - "Dough Re Me"
- Bobby's being a safety monitor at school - "Law and Disorder"
- Alice and Sam - various episodes
- Mike's boss, Mr. Phillips - various episodes
- Cindy being a tattletale - "The Tattletale"
- Greg's singing career - "Adios Johnny Bravo" and other episodes
- Marcia's football incident - "The Subject Was Noses." Also, Greg's suggestion to Marcia to use the excuse "Something suddenly came up." (In the TV series, Greg said he uses it when he breaks off a date to go out with a more desirable girl; here, the tables are reversed - girls use the line on Greg so they don't have to go out with him.
- Jan's black wig - "Will the Real Jan Brady Please Stand Up?"
- Marcia getting Davy Jones to sing at the school dance. - "Getting Davy Jones"
- Peter never utters his most famous catchphrase, "Pork chops and applesauce," but the phrase appears on the kitchen's blackboard menu and in the film's trailer.
- Mrs. Whitfield (played by Beverly Archer), the teacher whom safety monitor Bobby shakes down for stealing school supplies, was the name of a teacher from the original Brady Bunch series.
- The 1973 song "It's a Sunshine Day" from the TV series was included in this film, in the scene where the Bradys go to Sears. However, the song has been slowed down, and some parts have been cut out to include singing parts done by the new actors.
- When talking to the investors, Mr.Dittmeyer mentions a building that Mike designed that collapsed. The story was similar to the final act of the TV movie A Very Brady Christmas.
[edit] References to the 1970s
- At the beginning of the Battle of the Bands scene, the Partridge Family's bus (MTV's remake) passes in front of the camera.
- In the scene when Marcia and Jan audition for modelling, the tape they bring is the theme from Charlie's Angels.
- The Bradys win the "Search for the Stars" contest based on the decision of the three judges: The Monkees' Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones.
- The "Taxi Driver" theme song is played.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- A number of scenes shown in trailers were cut at the last minute because producer Sherwood Schwartz objected.[citation needed] These included a grunge band scene in the garage with Greg and Eddie, and a seduction scene between the neighbor's wife and Peter. Some of these scenes were edited back in for the network TV showings, but not for the DVD edition.
- Another inside joke pertaining to the show was made in a scene where some of the neighbors confront Mr. Dittmeyer about the Bradys. One of the neighbors, Mr. Yeager (portrayed by James Avery of Fresh Prince fame) commented, "One time I was over there. One bathroom for nine people? And I never did see a toilet."
- The producers had sought to film the original house that had been used for exterior shots during the original Brady Bunch series but the owner of the North Hollywood, California home refused to restore the property to its 1969 appearance. Instead, the filmmakers erected a facade around a house in nearby Encino and filmed scenes in the front yard.
- With the exception of Christine Taylor, all the actors who played the Brady kids from the movie appeared in a 1995 episode of the American sitcom Wings titled "A House to Die For". The actors reprise their Brady roles in a dream sequence.
- Christopher Daniel Barnes was among the cast of the short-lived NBC TV series Day by Day, playing Ross Harper. In a 1989 episode that featured several Brady Bunch actors, Ross falls asleep and dreams he is Chuck Brady, the "lost Brady".
- Gary Cole, who provides voices for Family Guy, reprised his role as Mike Brady in the episode PTV and Death Has a Shadow.
- The school scenes were filmed at Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California. Members of the original Brady Bunch cast actually went to this high school.
- Gary Cole (Mike Brady) and Jean Smart (Mrs. Dittmeyer) supplied the voices for Mr. and Mrs. Possible on the Disney Channel cartoon, Kim Possible.
[edit] External links
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