Customer Reviews

Very Brady Christmas [VHS]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Unlike the 1969-1974 series, not all problems can be solved in a half hour. Maybe, with the problems that the now grown-up Brady kids have in this TV movie, they can be solved in two hours. Unbeknowst to each other, both Mom and Dad Brady decide to buy tickets for a second honeymoon in Europe - just those two, but when they both end up at the travel agency, they decide to have their kids [well, their thirty and twenty year old kids] and their husbands, wives, and children come to their house for Christmas. Why hadn't they thought of that before? In comes Alice, their housekeeper, who has married Sam the Butcher, only for Mom and Dad to find out their first problem: Sam's cheating Alice! Then, Mom and Dad call all their kids: who have problems of their own. Marcia's husband lost his job, Jan wants to divorce her husband, Cindy doesn't want to come to the family reunion, Greg's a doctor and his wife can't come to the reunion, Peter gets a new job and has a crush on his boss, and Bobby's dropped out of school. And to think the biggest problem was Marcia getting braces! Anyway, once the kids come [yes, Cindy has gotten up the nerve to go], we get to meet Mom and Dad's grandkids: Marcia's two kids and Greg's two kids. Well, before long, it's Christmas dinner, and "Confess, Confess" time. Yes, Jan confesses filing for divorce, Bobby's confession of not getting his diploma, and [gasp] Cindy's confession of not wanting "to be with her family". Of course, Mom and Dad - are not exactly the angry type. Jan's told to "have the marriage stable again", Cindy's told that "family matters", and Bobby's told that "school's more important". Just as Dad's going to talk about something else, in comes the sixty-year-old housekeeper Alice telling Dad he's got a phone call. And that's when things go bad. Dad's told that a building he's designed is having trouble, and of course, go to the site. Dad brings the whole family along on his "little trip", and nobody in the Bunch is relieved to see that guards, who were trapped in the building, are out. Because Dad's not out, and the building's caved in right where he is. Well, before we know it, here comes Mom's secret weapon: Christmas carols. It worked for when she lost her voice and Cindy sang them [Mom's voice was fixed in a matter of two minutes]. Just like that, Dad's freed and now the Christmas spirit begins, with more than just two Christmas carols sung. Just spend Christmas with the Bradys. You won't regret it!

I think any person over the age of 35 has memories of racing home from school to watch the reruns of popular series like "Gilligan's Island", and "The Brady Bunch". Like them or hate them these series bring back many fond memories for this viewer and they were both the brain child of veteran producer Sherwood Schwartz. It was then a very special occasion when the cast of "The Brady Bunch", reunited in 1988 for this Christmas TV Movie that brought all of us viewers, who had literally grown up with the Brady's and their loyal maid Alice, up to date with the families happenings. Certainly fans around the world had been waiting for the return of their favourite family for some time and the TV Movie "A Very Brady Christmas", was a huge success earning CBS its highest rating for the year.

Most people are by now very familiar with the Brady's so there is no need to outline here who they are but the movie brought back the characters 14 years after the original series had ended so naturally there had been alot of changes with some of the original characters. The story of "A Very Brady Christmas", begins with Mike and Carol (Robert Reed and Florence Henderson), each planning to surprise the other with a trip overseas at Christmas now that all the children are away from home. When both discover the others identical plans they decide instead that the best gift of all for the coming holidays would be to instead use the money to bring all their children and their families home for an old fashioned Christmas. In the middle of their plans they suddenly find Alice (the much loved Anne B. Davis) on their doorstep announcing that Sam has left her for a younger woman. Alice quickly becomes one of the family again as the arrangements get under way to get all the children back home. Each child however is confronting their own difficulties that are complicating their plans to Christmas. Marcia's husband Wally has just lost his job at the Toy Store, Greg is having difficulties with his wife Nora who wants to spend Christmas with a special aunt, Peter is having a relationship with his female boss, Jan's marriage to Phillip has collapsed , Bobby has dropped out of College to become a race car driver and Cindy is reluctant to come home where she feels she is still treated like a child. In all these uncertainties Christmas begins and we are treated to some very familiar dilemmas like "where will everyone sleep" etc. Anyone who has experienced a big family Christmas will identify totally with the goings on in the Brady House during these scenes. One by one the problems are ironed out, at least for the holidays, as the Brady's finally sit down to a traditional Christmas dinner. Mike however is then thrown into crisis as one of the buildings he designed, but which was built against his recommendations without certain safety requirements collapses and traps a number of men. In true Brady tradition however all is resolved by the final reel with not only Mike emerging safely from the rubble but Sam appearing at the Brady house asking Alice to forgive him.

Corny? Perhaps but the film has the wonderful warm feel about it that won viewers over to the original series. Values like family togetherness, love for each other and talking openly about your problems are all explored in this movie and is that necessarily so bad? Robert Reed and Florence Henderson as Mike and Carol Brady always did a wonderful job as the parents and their easy rapport with each other always made it seem like they actually were a married couple. Robert Reed's fine speech at the Christmas Dinner table about the couples enduring love for each other after 20 years of marriage is a wonderfully warm message so appropriate for the Christmas season. Certainly there are simplistic solutions to some of the Brady children's problems most notably in the scene where Jan (Eve Plumb), and husband Phillip patch up their shattered marriage in a short chat, when it would have been more realistic for them to say, "It's going to take time, it wont be easy, but lets make an effort over this coming year to see if it will work". Anyway it's television and one shouldn't analize things like this too much. Performers like Robert Reed, Florence Henderson and my favourite the talented Anne B. Davis really make this movie an enjoyable viewing experience. Reality was never the show's strong point but these actors really succeed in making you care what happens. When "A Very Brady Christmas", was first aired it was like visiting old friends for lots of fans around the world and thats the best tribute that can be given to this enduring television show that is still winning fans almost 30 years later.

I always enjoy this trip down memory lane each Christmas with the Brady's. It's interesting to see the children now all grown up with their own lives. The one disappointment was that sadly Susan Olsen who played the original Cindy was unavailable to return to her role so another young actress filled the place in this movie. For TV buffs the movie also has the added bonus of showing some clips from two episodes from the shows first season back in 1969, the touching Christmas episode "The Voice of Christmas", and the family camping trip in "A Camping We Will Go". Enjoy television's favourite family celerate Christmas the Brady way in "A Very Brady Christmas".

Kind of cheesy. Kind of hokey. Kind of corny. These are words that can be used to describe THE BRADY BUNCH. Yes, the show is the epitomy of cheesy. But I love it.

Although THE BRADY BUNCH was in production long before I was born, I still love returning to that fabled house time after time on TV Land; where life seems perfect and everything turns out alright.

And then, many years ago, I discovered A VERY BRADY CHRISTMAS. Since then, I have made the annual holiday showing on UPN TV a requirement.

But why do I love it? Why is THE BRADY BUNCH one of TV Land's highest rated shows? What makes A VERY BRADY CHRISTMAS so wonderful? The same reason that series such as THE COSBY SHOW, THE KING OF QUEENS and FAMILY TIES are so popular: they mirror our lives. They are like the family next door. They remind us of the good aspects of life; and the hurdles that each of us face everyday.

Everyone loves a great, wholesome family Christmas; and that's just what A VERY BRADY CHRISTMAS delivers. Without resorting to low-brow gimmicks -- stuff that's so common in sitcoms today -- or outrageous stunts that practically yell "RATINGS," AVBC provides us with the kind of humor that one would expect during the preperation and presentation of a family get-together/reunion. Alice struggling with the luggage; trouble deciding on where everybody should sleep; mis-placed pumpkin pies (well, not really lost; but I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't yet seen the movie!); and etc.

THE BRADY BUNCH reminds us that family is forever. That when all else fails, you can always count on family. That at the end of each day, there will always be a nice, warm, loving and caring house waiting for you with open arms. And with it's door always open.

And hey: if by any chance you have a maid like Alice, I want to move in with you! :)

Truly a Family Christmas movie, it is great, just like the show!!!

Let's get one thing straight. A Very Brady Christmas is laughably bad. It's so ridiculous that you can't help but like it and have fun with it. I've enjoyed this film for many a Christmas season. If your not a Brady fan, then stay far, far away from this. The plot is pretty simple. Mike and Carol Brady want an old fashioned Christmas at home. They invite their kids and their families to come home and celebrate the holidays as oone big family. Once they get there, we soon realize that all the Brady kids have problems. Naturally. The ending is the hokiest thing I've ever seen. It's so incredibly cheesy. I know I might sound like I'm bashing it, I'm not. I love it. I'm just giving you a fair review. The one really bad thing about this film was that a complete stranger was playing Cindy!. If your in the mood for a laugh, this is for you. Wether or not the laughs were intentional.

Where do you beging with a movie of this quality? I'll start with Alice. Sure, one might question why you still have a housekeeper after your children all leave and she doesn't seem to do anything but spout off hokey lines, but there's her old tired butt complaining about how Sam done her wrong. She's completely pointless, but Ann B. Davis plays pointless better than anyone this side of Corey Haim.

This movie is full of shenanigans and tomfoolery starting with Mike and Carol trying to book vacations at the same time to different places? Well, they meet at the travel agency!! They end up deciding to blow their money to fly their kids home for Christmas. This is where the true fun starts. Greg is a doctor and his wife with an attitude problem decides she is going to spend it with her family instead of his. After watching the Brady's, I can't say I blame her. Peter is dating his older boss, who is a total hottie. He is sleeping his way to the top in grand fashion. It's weird watching him knowing he's now on reality TV married to a ditzy model with issues. Bobby is the wild card of the brady family, always has been. You could go back to the Hawaiian tiki doll episode (Dooo deee dooo) and see that Bobby wasn't going to be contained by society. Well, the doofus drops out of school to become a race car driver. Evidentally the producers didn't realize that you have to be related to someone or have connections to be a top flight NASCAR driver.

Onto the girls. Marcia is still pretty dang hot, but somehow ends up marrying a whiny guy who looks like a cross between the lead singer of the Scorpions, lead singer of the Tubes and your dad. He gets laid off from his job, presumably for being a dork, and degrades himself througout the movie much to everyone's delight. It's kind of cool when a loser realizes they are a total loser and if there has ever been a loser bigger than this guy, I'd like to see him. Age hasn't been kind to Jan in this feature and her husband agrees as they are separated. They trade out Susan Olsen for a much hotter Cindy in this thing much to my delight.

You wouldn't believe the crap that happens in this unless you see it, but let me run it down. If you don't want to know what happens, please stop reading now. I know you can't stop though because my reviews are addictive. They are comedic crack.

Greg's wife shows up, Peter gets engaged to his boss, Bobby tells the family he wants to race cars and everyone is cool with it, Marcia's husband tells everyone he's a loser, Jan and her guy get back together, Cindy has no real point, Alice gets back together with Sam and Sam actually calls her a cut of meat, Carol smiles and Mike tells everyone that he loves men more than anything on earth. I'm kidding on that last part, he actually ends up being trapped in a building and emerging unscathed after the family sings Christmas carols to free him.

So why is this movie the number 8 film of all time? Like other reviewers have said, the acting is horrid, the storylines are completely ridiculous and everyone looks like they are just waiting for their check from this thing. Due to those factors, this ends up being one of the funniest movies ever made. I laughed several times out loud and nearly soaked my pants. There is not much other comedy that can do that. Maybe a Sinbad stand up show or Peeks going ballistic over a golf ball hitting his car, but not much else.

This is a good way to see what the bradys look like now. It is also a good family christmas movie. It is a good movie in general but the end is kind of corny. Other than that I LOVED IT!!

The Brady Bunch is one of my favorite TV shows and I liked the TV movies especially A Very Brady Christmas which was a cute movie and yes it would have been great if Susan Oleson had played Cindy but the girl who played her though not as good as Susan Oleson was fine and I highly recommend this movie and I really would like for it to be transferred to DVD!

This television Christmas Movie special that aired on CBS back in 1988, was not bad for any TV Christmas Movie. In fact it was just a year before the Brady Bunch spin-off, The Brady's aired on television, which only had one season. The following times I've seen it air on television was on some local stations and in the last five years on ABC Family.

Mike and Carol Brady both had secrets for each other. Then call all 6 of their children; Marcia, Jan, Cindy, Greg, Peter, and Bob about their Christmas gift trips. But when Alice comes to pay them a visit after being heart-broken by her butcher boyfriend, Sam, they also tell their secrets on their vacation trips to her. When all of the sudden, Mike and Carol both went the same travel agency, their surprises were both revealed to each other. Then Mike, Carol, and Alice discuss about which one to take. Japan or Greece? Alice asks to skip the question and come to a common sense answer, saying to both of them that they've had so many great times on their vacations and it doesn't matter where you go. Then it reminds them all about a camping trip they all had with the kids (which was the one when Jan and Marcia use a flashlight and a cutout of a bear shadow and point it into the boys tent). Then in their conclusion they decide to call all the kids back and to tell them they decided to invite them all home for Christmas instead of their trips to Japan or Greece.

Minus the facts that people think that The Brady kids have no problems whatsoever, well think again. All six almost didn't want to come home that Christmas since all six had problems of their own, just like any modern person or family of our modern times. Marcia's husband just got fired from his job as a toys salesmen, Jan and her husband Phillip were about to separate, Cindy and her roommate were planning a ski-trip for Christmas, Greg is wanting to take his wife Nora and son Kevin to his parents after being invited, Peter is debating whether or not to marry his girlfriend Valerie, and Bob doesn't want his parents to know he dropped out of college to become a race-car driver.

But when everyone is there, there are things on everyone's minds and don't want to tell Mike or Cindy any problems that them two are not aware of. Since everyone except for Mike, Carol, and Alice could not sleep that night, they all had some pies that Alice cooked for the Christmas dinner deserts.

That following morning, Mike starts a speech about how special their Christmas is and how he understood it was difficult for them all to come, which was when everyone had confessed on that fact that they've not been honest with the whole family. After they all confess their problems, Greg's wife arrives after her very quick visit with her family and came straight over to join Greg, Kevin, and the rest of the extended Brady Bunch.

As their Christmas dinner is ready, the phone rings and it's Mike's boss who's mentioned about a building structure collapse. When Mike arrives, he gets to two security guards who were trapped, but traps himself after a second collapse, which has the whole Brady family left in fear and prayer for Mike's safety. Eventually, Mike does escape when he hears the voices of his family singing "O Come All Ye Faithful."

After Mike gets out safely from the collapse he and his family return home for their Christmas dinner, not only did Alice wonder about her missing pies which Greg confessed saying the whole bunch ate them pies last night, but one last surprise for them, which was a man dressed as Santa Claus who only has one present for Alice, which was none other but her butcher boyfriend, Sam, who admitted he was a fool and promises he would not mistreat her again.

In conclusion, knowing that this 1988 TV Christmas Special is owned by Paramount, just The Brady Bunch, The Brady Bunch movies, and everything else that is Brady Bunch related, I think that this should be brought to DVD, since some who are Brady fans did love this Christmas special. Furthermore, since I have lots of Christmas movies on DVD, I wouldn't mind adding A Very Brady Christmas to my Christmas Movie DVD collection, if it is ever to be released onto DVD.

Our family likes to spend Christmas with the Brady family every holiday season. We bought the video years ago, and would now love to have the DVD. I already have all the seasons of Brady Bunch on DVD, and am not willing to buy the pkg. set for this holiday extra that is included.I thought for sure that it would be offered this Christmas Season, separately.
Bah Humbug to whoever makes these decisions!