Growing Up Brady (2000)

Instant Favorite.

Disturbing yet enthralling

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

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.

I picked this title up at the local Big Lots. I've heard about the book, was curious to read it, but figured I'd pick up the DVD for the "cliff's notes" version of it. Well, I'm happy to say that what I intended for cheap entertainment actually turned out to be one of the more engaging movies I've seen in quite a while.I was a Brady Bunch fan as a kid. Of course the show was canceled a couple of years before I was born, but it was (and still is) hard to miss reruns of Sherwood Schwartz shows like "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch." Like Barry, I was hot for Maureen McCormick (even though Cindy would've probably been more age-appropriate for me at the time.) I enjoyed each episode, even though some small part of my juvenile mind still knew that each plot was overly simplistic and...well...cheesy.Adam Brody does a decent job of playing Barry Williams here. He's extremely likable, though I suppose there wasn't much chance of seeing his bad side, since Barry wrote the novel on which this film is based. It's incredibly easy to empathize with him, and what red-blooded American male can't identify with the stars in Barry's eyes when he first lays eyes on gorgeous Maureen (played brilliantly by Kaley Cuoco)? It's important to remember that the story is told from Barry's perspective. People who are curious about the point of view of, say, Florence Henderson aren't going to get very much out of the film. Still, there's a great deal of peripheral information about the show that I learned from this movie that I didn't realize before, such as Bob Reed's distaste for the show in general, Eve and Chris's hook-up, and Barry's date with Florence. I appreciated that they explained the disappearance of Tiger, though I have heard different versions of the event. Watching the Brady boys running wild around the Paramount lot with the blessing of Sherwood Schwartz was priceless. (I hope they saved those Star Trek props!) It was also interesting to see the Brady set completely rebuilt to perfection (even including the horse statue at the foot of the stairs.) It was equally spooky to see the empty sound stage at the end of the movie where Barry meets "fake Maureen." (I've seen this mistake here more than once. Though she looks like Maureen, it's not really her, as you can tell by looking at the credits. Shame, that. It would've been refreshing to see the real one.) The best thing about the whole movie is the love story between two teenagers who were never destined to be together. The unrequited love between them is so palpable that it almost hurts to watch. One really has to marvel at the fact that so few people are able to distinguish actor from character and fact from fiction, such that Barry and Maureen--who are not actually brother and sister--couldn't publicly carry on a relationship without it making the tabloids. (Though, curiously, nobody seemed to care much when he took his mom--Florence--out to a swanky Hollywood watering hole.) Barry and Maureen are both cute and sweet together, but their maddening inability to "seal the deal" keeps the romantic tension at a fever pitch. And that final moment after season 5 when Maureen backs out of sleeping with Barry left me aching just as much as Barry. I found myself hearkening back to my own personal days of heartbreak while watching Barry's sorrow-filled pity party, even while he clumsily tried to score a pity-screw from Florence.After watching this movie, I was moved to learn more about each of the Bradys. It's inspiring to look around the internet and know that every one of these actors hold nothing but fond memories of the show and maintain close relationships with their co-stars. And while I know it hasn't happened yet--and isn't likely to, as both of them have married others--but I truly hope that someday, even if it's in an old-folks home, Barry and Maureen will still come full circle on their romance.Till then, I'll just have to wait. And we'll just have to see what Maureen's side of the story is when her tell-all is published later on this year.

Knowing facts about what 'actually' happened behind the scenes, is the most interesting- especially when it comes to the Brady Bunch, where all characters shine on TV, earning them the 'happiest family' tagline.After watching this, one could easily say.. 'well they were not so happy after all'. Though this movie was through Barry Williams' perspective, it gave all the characters, an equal part. I guess all questions can finally be answered – in this movie, the question on everyone's mind seem to be – did Barry Williams have a fling with Maureen MaCormack? Well the answer to that is all explained in the movie. Another thing which is quite obvious is that no series is complete with a black sheep- and in this movie, we find out who the black sheep of the series was, and all the other flings which happened duringAll in all it was a great movie, and a great recommendation to any fan of the TV series.

Not as hard-hitting and dramatically potent as the original series. However, they did an amazing job of matching the general cheesiness and overall production values. They must have saved a fortune making this, since they were able to film most of it on a totally undisguised Paramount backlot.Hey - I'm a Brady Bunch fan from the original network days, and I own the book, but I just found this rather embarrassing to all concerned.