Rick Copp Movies

The Brady Bunch Movie pays tribute to the 1970s TV show while poking gentle fun at it. The Brady family, led by father Mike (Gary Cole), still live in their suburban, split-level home and are still throwbacks to the era that spawned them. Eternally perky wife Carol (Shelley Long) is the perfect homemaker, while the kids' behavior is as wholesome as their loud, time-warp pastel clothes. Meanwhile, the greedy, selfish modern era swirls dangerously around them, embodied in next-door neighbor and real estate agent Ditmeyer (Michael McKean), who wants to buy the Bradys' property and turn the neighborhood into a giant mall. But no amount of money or prodding can persuade the Bradys to give up their home. Director Betty Thomas contrasts the overlit sitcom look of the Brady house interiors (faithfully recreated from the series) with real locations and natural grit for the modern L.A. scenes. The result is a satire that deftly spoofs the idea of staying true to old-fashioned values without ever passing judgment on those values. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

Valerie Mahaffey of Northern Exposure fame makes the first of three Wings appearances as Sandy Cooper, former high school classmate of Joe Hackett (Tim Daly). Nervously recalling that Sandy once harbored an obsessive crush on him, Joe worries that she still hasn't gotten over her neurotic fantasies. The rest of the terminal gang laughs off Joe's trepidations -- but then, they aren't around when sweet Sandy kidnaps Joe and forces him to relive their prom night! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide