A Very Brady Sequel

Infobox Film
name = A Very Brady Sequel


caption = Theatrical release poster
director = Arlene Sanford
producer =
writer =
narrator =
starring = Shelley Long
Gary Cole
music = Guy Moon
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = Paramount Pictures
released = flagicon|USA August 23, 1996
runtime = 90 minutes
country = United States
language = English
budget =
preceded_by = "The Brady Bunch Movie"
followed_by = "The Brady Bunch in the White House"
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0118073

"A Very Brady Sequel" is a 1996 comedy film and sequel to 1995's "The Brady Bunch Movie". Both films are parodies-homages of the classic 1969-1974 television sitcom "The Brady Bunch". The film is directed by Arlene Sanford and stars Shelley Long and Gary Cole as Carol and Mike Brady. The film was a moderate box office success, although not as successful as "The Brady Bunch Movie". A second sequel, the made-for-television "The Brady Bunch in the White House" aired in November 2002.

Plot

Following its predecessor, the film places the 1970s Brady Bunch family in a contemporary 1990s setting, where much of humor is derived from the resulting culture clash and the utter lack of awareness the Bradys show towards their unusual lifestyle.

One evening, a man claiming to be Carol Brady's long-lost first husband, Roy Martin, shows up at the suburban Brady residence. The man is actually an impostor named Trevor Thomas, and is there to steal the Bradys' familiar horse statue which is actually a $20 million ancient artifact. When Trevor's ruse is uncovered by Bobby and Cindy, he kidnaps Carol and takes her and the artifact to the buyer in Hawaii. The remaining Brady family travels to Hawaii to save Carol and make sure that Trevor is arrested.

Besides the main storyline, the children have their own sub-plots in the film. Greg and Marcia both want to move out of their shared rooms, and when neither wants to back down, they have to share the attic together. When Roy's arrival suggests that Carol and Mike might not be married, Greg and Marcia realise they might not be brother and sister anymore, leading to sexual tensions rising between them. Jan's sub-plot involves her making up a pretend boyfriend named George Glass in order to make herself seem more popular. Peter, who is trying to decide what career path to choose, starts idolizing and emulating Roy's adventurous ways. The youngest, Bobby and Cindy, start a "Detective Agency" hunting down Cindy's missing doll, an act that unexpectedly leads them to discover Roy's true intentions.

Cast

*Shelley Long as Carol Brady
*Gary Cole as Mike Brady
*Tim Matheson as Roy Martin/Trevor Thomas
*Christine Taylor as Marcia Brady
*Christopher Daniel Barnes as Greg Brady
*Jennifer Elise Cox as Jan Brady
*Paul Sutera as Peter Brady
*Olivia Hack as Cindy Brady
*Jesse Lee Soffer as Bobby Brady
*Henriette Mantel as Alice Nelson

The film also features a variety of cameos, including RuPaul, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Rosie O'Donnell, Barbara Eden, David Spade (uncredited as the hairstylist), and David Huddleston.

Of note, Tim Matheson and Gary Cole would later appear in the television series "The West Wing"; Matheson would play Jed Bartlet's first Vice President and Cole would play his second Vice President.

Richard Belzer also plays a detective of the LAPD.

References to The Brady Bunch

The film's title is derived from the "Brady Bunch" TV movie "A Very Brady Christmas".

The film pays tribute to the Filmation cartoon "The Brady Kids" in a brief animated sequence by Bob Peluce/Kurtz & Friends, featuring Oliver's rendition of "Good Morning Starshine". The sequence also includes the twin pandas and the magical bird from the cartoon series.

A plot point in the film centers around the sexual tensions between Greg and Marcia. This is a parallel to the real relationship of Barry Williams (the original Greg) and Maureen McCormick (the original Marcia) during the television show's run.

Jan's sub-plot in the film where she makes up an imaginary boyfriend named "George Glass" is taken from a similarly-themed "Brady Bunch" episode. However in this film, Jan does manage to find a real boy named George Glass.

In the wedding scene, a dog is seen running through the crowd, followed by a small blonde boy. Bobby first calls out to the dog, saying in a confused tone, "Tiger?" The original television series featured a dog named Tiger in the earlier episodes, but the real dog was killed early in the first season, so "Tiger" was phased out of the show and never mentioned again. Bobby also calls out to the blonde boy, calling him "Cousin Oliver". In the original television show's final season, a new character named Oliver was brought on in an attempt to boost interest.

The tiki that Roy runs over is the same bad luck tiki that was shown in the Hawaiian episode, which Roy says, "What bad luck."

An item at the Auction was said to be donated by a Mrs. McCormick and Mrs. Plumb from their mother's collection, a reference to the original portrayers of Marcia and Jan.

References to the 1970s

The film references two television contemporaries of "The Brady Bunch". The first is "Gilligan's Island", in which it is said that Carol's first husband was the Professor who had been lost at sea on the Minnow. Of note, in the actual "Gilligan's Island", the Professor's name is Roy Hinkley, while in this film Carol's first husband's name is Roy Martin; however, original show canon states that Carol divorced her previous husband, leaving the bridge between the two media up for debate. Another Gilligan reference is when Dr. Whitehead says, "...I'll never see my son Gilligan again." Similarly, in the film's finale, Barbara Eden arrives, dressed in her "I Dream of Jeannie" costume, and announces that she is Mike Brady's (first) wife. The theme music from "I Dream of Jeannie" can be heard, and Barbara Eden does the blink-and-nod gesture that was made famous by that show.

External links

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*amg movie|id=1:136478|title=A Very Brady Sequel
*rotten-tomatoes|id=very_brady_sequel|title=A Very Brady Sequel
*mojo title|id=verybradysequel|title=A Very Brady Sequel