Growing Up Brady (2000)

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Like pretty much every kid of my generation I grew up watching The Brady Bunch. I can't say that it was ever my absolute favourite TV show. I always preferred "Gilligan's Island" and "Hogan's Heroes" - but this was certainly part of my after school fare (it was the early 70's and they were all in syndication by then.) I've heard a lot of the stories about the show - Barry Williams (Greg) and Maureen McCormick (Marcia) hooking up, Robert Reed (dad Mike) being gay and being very uncomfortable showing any affection for Florence Henderson (mom Carol) and also rebelling against what he saw as a silly sitcom that would ruin his career as a dramatic actor, Barry's actual "date" with Florence - but I've never actually read Williams' book. And as a big fan of The Big Bang Theory, I decided I wanted to watch this when I found out that Kaley Cuoco actually played Maureen McCormick in this and was delighted to find out that it was available on You Tube. And it turned out to be a fun and nostalgic made for TV movie.The cast I thought was superb. With the exception perhaps of Suanne Spoke (who played Ann B. Davis, who played Alice - these kinds of movies can get confusing) all of the cast members looked their parts and played them pretty well. It's interesting watching these child actors work with their parts, struggle with keeping real life separate from their TV lives, and seeing apparently all the kids struggle a bit with hormones - challenging as the attractions were to their TV brothers and sisters, making for some difficulty with some scenes (humourously portrayed as we watch Barry and Maureen try to shoot a scene together without getting carried away!) It is a lot of fun, and it did give a good "behind the scenes" feel. The film (according to its closing credits) was in memory of Robert Reed (who had died in 1992) but it didn't pull any punches in its portrayal of him. He was, as I've heard, fiercely devoted to and protective of his "TV kids" but he also hated the show he co-starred with them in, believing it would destroy his career as a serious actor, and he was a challenge to deal with on the set, demanding continual rewrites and refusing to play certain scenes. Reed's attitude (along with the kids coming to be represented by a sleazeball agent who was more interested in making money off their hoped for singing career than the TV show) ended up being the death of the series after five seasons on the air.The biggest weakness of the movie (and this is perhaps because it's based on Barry Williams book) is that it probably concentrated a little bit too much on the Williams-McCormick relationship. I can understand the challenge involved. Maureen McCormick was a very pretty girl. I had a crush on her too! If I were Barry Williams I'd have had some of the same problems he had (including one hilarious scene when he had invited Maureen to his parents home for dinner and his parents "interrupted" them, calling them down for dessert and poor Barry had to walk downstairs and to the couch bent over - for obvious and completely understandable reasons.This is a fun, nostalgic movie. It wouldn't be of interest to anyone other than fans of The Brady Bunch, but if you are a fan of the show and you've never seen this, it will be enjoyable to watch. (8/10)

At best, "Growing Up Brady" is not a disappointment. But it doesn't hit the bull's-eye, because it feels shallow. Sure, this is based on a true story, but perhaps this might have played better had it been made, say, several years after the show ended, and with more experienced actors. The Robert Reed story is only slightly more satisfying, and I would have preferred to see more of it. I didn't find the Barry Williams/Maureen McCormick story very interesting, because there apparently isn't any chemistry between the actors portraying them. Cameos from more Brady actors would have helped too, especially from Maureen McCormack, who's character of course, is also the star of the movie. It's an interesting film, but not particularly satisfying.

Anyone old enough to remember the series has heard the stories. We know about "the date" and we know of Robert Reed's "secret" and of Barry's first love. To be effective, Growing Up Brady had to stick to what we know but not make it a weak, years-later rerun. And the creators succeeded. The first half-hour was terrific -- good lines, quick cuts, the use of Brady Bunch-like look and sound, a lot of innocent comedy and good fun but packed with nostalgia. The cut-ups by the boys on the sound stage, the one-on-ones between cast members. I concur with those who praise Michael Tucker and Daniel Hugh Kelly: A-1 acting jobs and in very tough roles. The kids were more wooden and Florence Henderson's role seemed to be for photographic but not plot purposes; we got no feel for her as a person. This movie could have been a real bomb job, either a weak bio or a rip of the show or the personalties; somehow, both were avoided. The creative forces here did their homework and turned out a winner, though I would add that the Greg-Marcia romance got a bit old.

If you LOVED the Brady Bunch then maybe you don't want to see this movie. What everyone thinks the Brady Bunch was like wasn't like that at all in real life. Barry Williams shows you what it's really like to grow up a "Brady". Overall, it was a good movie and made you say at the end: "So that's what really happened after the camera's stopped rolling!"