Growing Up Brady

2000 "Here's the story of a man who played a Brady"
6| 1h40m| PG-13| en
Details

A tell-all story of what happened behind the scenes of the 70s hit TV series "The Brady Bunch." Based on the book written by Barry Williams, the actor who played Greg Brady.

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Reviews

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.
Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.
Nayan Gough 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.
Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.
raisleygordon 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.
Victor Field It's funny how the biggest ratings successes aren't always the most enduring shows; in England, for instance, "The Army Game" was a big, big hit whereas "Fawlty Towers" was a bit of a flop when it first aired, but only one of them is still remembered widely today. (Guess which.) Similarly, during its five-year run in America "The Brady Bunch" wasn't really a Nielsen champion the way something like "Family Affair" was, but one of them spawned one animated spinoff, a variety show, two dramatic TV shows, record albums, two big-screen movies (both of them among the better examples of TV-to-cinema transfers), tours, and now three TV movies. It may leave UK audiences bemused, but I suppose US audiences would wonder why snooker is so popular on British TV.Which brings us to "Growing Up Brady," based on Barry "Greg" Williams and Chris Kreski's book about the former's experiences on the show. I suspect the book would be more interesting to read than this movie is to watch - a bit too much emphasis is put on whether or not he and Maureen "Marcia" McCormack did the deed of darkness for my liking, although the upside (other than a hilarious round of fluffed takes for a bedroom scene - not that kind) is that we do get to see a pre-"8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter" Kaley Cuoco in fetching skimpy swimwear. (Well, that's an upside for lesbians and straight men, anyway.)The movie's more interesting when it focuses on nearly every other aspect of the show not involving Barry's love life - Daniel Hugh Kelly and Michael Tucker come off well as the late Robert Reed and the still-with-us-at-the-time-of-writing Sherwood Schwartz, and the sight of Reed expressing his distaste at the stuff he has to do in the name of comedy (Reed's previous series had been "The Defenders," so going from that to this must be like going from performing Faulkner to doing Jackie Collins) gives the movie some real edge, a reminder of how harder it is to do this stuff than it looks. But as well as providing a bit of behind-the-scenes-after-the-fact information, it also furnishes some actual entertainment, not least with the kids being encouraged to sing and dance on the show and on tour (shoot me, but I liked "Time To Change").Some of the casting is a problem - the woman who's supposed to be Ann B. Davis doesn't come close - and as I said I suspect the book will be better, but can you imagine any comedies today having the potential to lead to a TV movie like this? And the feeling of axe-grinding is mercifully absent, making "Growing Up Brady" worth a look for fans of the series, and of US TV shows in general... plus, this is arguably better written than the show that spawned it in the first place.(P.S.: Why IS snooker so popular on British TV?)
Ed in St. Louis This was a well-done special. I'm always a sucker for these kind of shows....I love to see the process behind what makes something work. Naturally these guys weren't creating Shakespeare at the Paramount Studios--much to the consternation of Robert Reed--but the Brady Bunch series they put out was sweet and lighthearted, and made us forget our problems for a half-hour or so. One thing I didn't understand....why did the real Barry meet the real Maureen McCormick at the Paramount Studios at the end, only to deny that she was who she was? Did Maureen insist that she get no credit for appearing on this show? But otherwise, a very good way to remember a very happy series.
jaws3-d I should start by saying that I usually don't have a very strong opinion of these type of "made-for-tv biopics". However, I found that I not only enjoyed this film, but was even somewhat touched by it's depiction of such innocence.What made this film work? Perhaps it was the fact that Barry Williams himself told the story from an honest and sincere point of view. We got to see what it was really like from the eyes of a child coping with stardom in the 70's. An honest portrayal of such an experience proved to be interesting and enjoyable.We get to see first hand how greed and misplaced anger ended a successful show far too early. I am a firm believer that people create their own problems. This film solidifies that notion with Sherwood Schwartz trying desperately to keep everyone happy and eventually drowning in a pool of despair. Robert Reed wanted more meaningful scripts, the kids wanted a list of impractical demands, and the network wanted the exact same stories repeated each season. Lack of interest didn't kill the Bradys, the Bradys killed the Bradys! Tragic.In conclusion, I urge anyone with an interest in The Brady Bunch to see this film. It seems like all I hear these days is that the Brady Bunch wasn't real life. I can attest to that, and I thought maybe that's what made the show so interesting, but after seeing the backstage goings on, I realized that no matter what the Brady's were doing on or off screen, it was always entertaining to watch. This biopic will definitely back that statement up!

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