Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Spend Christmas with the Bradys!, June 28, 1999
By A Customer
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!
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Television's Much Loved Family Reunite For Christmas, February 2, 2004
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".
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A CHRISTMAS TRADITION; A TELEVISION LEGEND; GET THIS ON DVD!, November 15, 2003
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! :)
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