A Very Brady Sequel

Well, let’s see… “It’s a story of a lovely lady who was bringing up three very lovely girls… It’s a story of a man named Brady who was bringing up three boys of his own…” Anyway, you know the rest of the story if you have watched the “Brady Bunch” television series. In this sequel, the Brady family’s peace, indeed its very existence, is threatened when a man claims to be Carol’s “believed to be dead” husband. His appearance raises many questions for the Brady family: which husband is Carol really married to? Where has Roy (the “old” husband) been all these years? If there really isn’t a “Brady Bunch” does this make it all right for Marcia and Greg to have romantic feelings for one another? These questions are all handled in the gentle fashion we have come to expect from the Brady Bunch, and especially from the never-ending lectures of the father, Mike Brady.

There are essentially two aspects to this comedy: firstly, the nostalgic look at one of America’s most beloved families. The movie highlights many of the most memorable episodes and jokes from the original series. Those who are true Brady fans will enjoy reliving these moments. Secondly, this film is a satire which consistently reminds us that the Bradys of the 70’s sitcom are dreadfully out of place in the real world of the 90's. One especially funny scene takes place on the airplane to Hawaii as the Brady kids sing and dance in the isles (in typical 70’s style) to the disgust of nearly everyone onboard.

“A Very Brady Sequel” has very little bad language, no nudity, and no real violence. Unfortunately, the writers of this movie seemed to feel that they needed to add large doses of sexual innuendo to make the Bradys popular in the 90's. For this reason, I do not highly recommend the film. Still, if you have a longing to relive some of the gentler, more simple times familiar through TV sitcoms, you will probably enjoy it.