By Joshua Dalton
Arizona Daily Wildcat
It has come at last. The film long awaited by Brady nuts has arrived, and it was worth the wait. "The Brady Bunch Movie" is all that fans of the ultra-wholesome '70s sitcom could ask for.
The film begins with the sitcom's familiar opening, the only difference being the new actors. It then shows rush-hour traffic in modern day Los Angeles, the setting of the movie. The audience is then treated to the typical Brady morning: Marsha is taking too long in the bathroom, Greg cuts himself shaving, though still convinced that he is God's gift to women, Bobby experiences the beginning of puberty, Alice puns her way through breakfast, and Cindy annoys the next door neighbors with her cute lisp.
By the time the kids are off to school the plot is already evident. A developer wants the Brady's to move so that he can build a mini mall in neighborhood. The so-called 'dramatic tension' of the movie builds on the fact that the Bradys must pay $20,000 in property taxes in four days or their house will be auctioned to the developer. What are the Bradys to do?
The producers did an excellent job in the selection of the new Brady bunch. The resemblances are so uncanny they enter the realm of frightening. Most notable are Shelly Long as Carol and Gary Cole as Mike.
Cult followers of the show will also recognize several allusions to actual episodes of the show such as the two vacation mini-series, and the famous Johnny Bravo episode. However, there are several aspects in the movie that would have never been present in the TV program. Among them, the demonic possession of Jan and the fact that Marsha's best friend is a lesbian.
Those people who head out to "The Brady Bunch Movie" hoping to hear one of those classic Brady song-and-dance numbers will not be disappointed. And there are a few other surprises that would be a shame to give away.
"The Brady Bunch Movie" is all that fans of the program could want. But, hey, it's a cult thing, and people who thought that the show was stupid or unbearably sentimental in the first place, are not likely change their mind because of this film.
"The Brady Bunch Movie" is playing at The Century Park 16 Theaters, 620-0750.