BETTY THOMAS

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBBB. 

USA, 1995.  Paramount Pictures.  Screenplay by Laurice Elehwany, Rick Copp, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner, based on characters created by Sherwood Schwartz.  Cinematography by Mac Ahlberg.  Produced by David Paul Kirkpatrick, Lloyd J. Schwartz, Sherwood Schwartz.  Music by Lionel Cole, Guy Moon.  Production Design by Steven J. Jordan.  Costume Design by Rosanna Norton.  Film Editing by Peter Teschner.

Your favourite sixties family finally reaches the big screen! Instead of making another overblown, messy adaptation of a popular TV show, thus reinforcing our belief that Hollywood studios are constantly running out of ideas, the filmmakers of this hilarious comedy do something different–they leave Bradys back in their ideal, TV-land world of perfect lawncare and bright sunshine while the rest of Los Angeles has moved into the 1990s. The main plot is about the kids getting together to save their neighbourhood from being taken over by a greedy corporation, but God is in the details on this one: the jokes are hilarious, and all the roles have been perfectly cast. Shelley Long is fantastic as the sunshiney matriarch of the family, with Gary Cole delightfully clueless as their constantly optimistic father. Followed by an equally enjoyable sequel.