Just perfect...

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I suspect you're not going to get much out of this unless you're a serious Brady fan. That said, this is a Brady lover's fantasy come true...finally getting to have the camera swing around to the lives of the real kids. One wonders if the real kids didn't have far more interesting and provocative lives than the scripted ones. But I guess in the early 70s that kind of Real World would have been too real. Even today, you probably couldn't do a Real World about kids under 18. If this movie had been only about Sherwood Schwartz I would have given it a 10 because Michael Tucker is just mesmerizing to watch. Although he has a fairly small part, he steals every scene. Rebeccah Bush as Florence Henderson is possibly better than the original. She radiates elegance and glamor. Since this story is told through Barry Williams eyes, the provocative performance may be dramatic license. It's hard to imagine the real Florence Henderson wanting to french kiss in 1969 on a stage full of kids.Adam Brody as Barry Williams gets most of the screen time. He never quite nails Barry for me. Christopher Barnes, as I recall from the first Brady Bunch Movie feature film, had a more realistic performance. But you soon look beyond this defect and start to view this movie as if it were the same show in an alternate universe. The other key characters are also a little off the mark, but quite passable after a brief period of adjustment. The most jarring aspect is that in real life the kids aged rather dramatically over the course of five years. Here the same actors play their parts for the duration. I read the book and knew going in that this was mostly about Barry and Maureen but I was hoping for more of Chris Knight, the kid I most identified with in first run. Apparently Chris hated doing the show almost as much as Robert Reed. Too bad. By the final season, the real Chris was the best actor of all of the kids. The episode of "Peter" trying to land his first job was a refreshing departure from the "Gilligan's Island" slapstick. Both Chris and Robert Reed have a great tag scene together in that one. Here, up and coming star Ricky Ullman (Phil of the Future) plays Chris rather unevenly, but at times he does bear a passing resemblance. I don't remember Robert Reed coming off as such as spoiled sport in the book. He was certainly a good enough actor not to let it show on screen. Daniel Hugh Kelly tries hard but never really convinces me he's Robert Reed. And that may be more the fault of the script for giving his character too dark an edge for what should have been more of a lightweight documentary rather than a soap opera.The real life Barry looks terrific. He hasn't changed much. It would have been fun if the real cast had appeared in cameos.

Hats off to Barry Williams, for displaying humor and inside details on TV's most (in)famous family, in the book and now the TV flick. Mind you, quite a few details have been changed in the movie (in the book, Robert Reed took the kids on a cruise, not New York; likewise Barry and Maureen's first kiss was in Hawaii, not in a car at a drive-in), but for budget considerations, I can see why those details would be changed. None of the people portrayed here are fleshed out very well, personality wise. I liked some of the casting, though: The real-life Bobby's son plays his father here, and Carly Schroeder of Port Charles plays Susan Olsen. And the girl who plays Maureen looks uncannily like the real Maureen.Speaking of Maureen, like a previous user commented here, I wonder what HER opinion on this film was. Most recently she was seen on NBC's Passions. And her 1995 country CD was great!My favorite scene was the one where the kids are in the multi-colored fringed jumpsuits singing "Time To Change". I liked this movie but of course it's nowhere near as enjoyable as the actual Brady series and movies.

"Growing Up Brady" is an excellent TV-movie written and produced by actor Barry Williams (who played Greg in the series). The movie depicts the backstage and off-screen dramedies of the cast, focusing on the on-again, off-again romance between Williams and Maureen McCormick (who played Marcia), as well as a subplot involving the ongoing animosity between actor Robert Reed (who played Mike Brady) and series producer Sherwood Schwartz over script quality. Reed is portrayed by Daniel Hugh-Kelly, and Schwartz is played by Michael Tucker of "L.A.Law" fame. Both men are excellent, as is Rebeccah Bush, who is right-on target as Florence Henderson, especially during her embarrassing "date" with a then-teenaged Williams (what was she thinking?!). The best aspect of the film is the HOT HOT HOT chemistry between the young actors who portray Williams and McCormick (Adam Brody and Kaley Cuoco). Skip the "Brady Bunch" theatrical movies from the late 90's, and watch this film if/when NBC airs it again. Too bad this could not have been a theatrical release, so that the sexual liaisons could have been steamier, Reed's homosexuality could have been explored (being closeted must have caused some of that angst!), as well as the short-lived porno career of Susan Olsen (who played Cindy). My score: 8 out of 10, which is not bad for a made-for-TV flick. "The Brady Bunch" rules! Memo to Williams: great job! Especially the casting of Mike Lookinland's son to portray Mike/Bobby!

...and heard uncle Joe tell the same story for the hundredth time, well at this outing it's not uncle Joe, but Barry Williams (AKA Greg Brady) sharing his intimate behind the scenes details from the Brady Bunch, including but not limited to, his on again/off again romance with Maureen (Mo) McCormick, his lone "studly" date (and subsequent kiss) with Florence Henderson), and the constant off screen battles between Robert Reed, and Sherwood Schwarz.To it's credit, the movie version stayed true (virtually verbatim) to the book, which was originally released in 1992. I also liked most of the casting choices.Daniel-Hugh Kelly was terrific as Robert Reed, as was Michael Tucker in the role of Sherwood Schwarz. A few of the kids were a bit out of sync, but the original Brady kids ARE a tough act to follow. Another plus were the appearances by Michael Lookinland (Bobby in the original series), and Barry himself.There were a few things that didn't quite sit right with me. I could have missed Mike Lookinland's son Scott being cast as the young Mike/Bobby. It seemed to be they chose him merely for the resemblance (and the publicity of it couldn't have hurt either). Also, at the end was a "commercial" offer to purchase the book itself for $19.95, and with the book you also receive a copy of Barry's new CD "The Return of Johnny Bravo", that was almost shameless, and ruined the last two minutes prior which showed Barry leaving the old Paramount soundstage with the real Sherwood Schwarz.I don't mean to sound cynical, I'm one of the Bunches biggest fans. I loved the book in it's original edition, and I can even fess up to owning the just released new edition (with added chapters)which was signed by Barry, and included yes, that dreadful CD. It just seemed to me that this movie was thrown together as an extended infomercial to sell the book, and it pains me to think that Barry would sell us all out to make a buck after all those friday nights we spent together all those years ago...