Besides offering countless belly-laughs, this spoof of the legendary sit-com has many authentic elements of the original 70s TV show. The casting in itself was a stroke of genius. I'm still not sure if they actually "froze" Maureen McCormick (the REAL Marcia Brady), only to unthaw her in time to return to her role in this film; the actress playing Marcia in this film looks like a clone of the original! Shelley Long is also striking as Carol, as are Cindy, Bobby and Alice. -- Several original cast members from the TV series had cameos, most noteworthy Ann B. Davis (Alice), who returned as a truck driving confidante to a confused run-away Jan. -- Florence Henderson showed up as her own meddling mother who finally (much overdue) told Jan to "cut the crap!", giving her a swift smack on the cheek, thus curing her of her chronic and tiresome wining. -- We meet the Brady's neighbors the "Dittmeyers", who were frequently mentioned, but never actually shown on the TV program. Here they are no "Fred & Ethel", but scheming, manipulative opportunists, eager to convince the Bradys to sell their house (to them), in order for a big developer to turn the entire neighborhood into a huge building project. -- The film is also loaded with cheesy advice we remember Mike & Carol dishing out in over-dose rations during their 5 year run in prime time (not to mention the zillions of re-runs to follow). This will always be Sherwood Schwartz's biggest hit. The Brady Bunch will go down with Lucy, Andy and Samantha as America's best loved all-time favorite sit coms. The Brady Bunch Movie only intensified America's love affair with the light fluff that dreams are made of. This film is a winner in my book!
Review of The Brady Bunch Movie
