A Very Brady Sequel (1996)

A Very Brady Sequel is special because it doubles down on the joke that the Bradys never evolved past their sunshine-clean 1970s bubble—and then drops that bubble into a world that’s a little sharper, greedier, and funnier for the contrast. The movie plays like a brightly colored caper wrapped in a sitcom hug, with Arlene Sanford keeping the pace nimble and the tone cheerfully absurd without turning mean. Shelley Long and Gary Cole commit with such sincere, pitch-perfect performances that the parody becomes oddly affectionate, and the costumes and production design feel like a time machine that knows it’s in on the gag. If you don’t enjoy broad, knowingly corny humor, it may not convert you—but if you’re even slightly fond of the Brady mythology, this is the rare sequel that’s cleverer, tighter, and more consistently laugh-out-loud than you’d expect.

A Very Brady Sequel is clearly trying to bottle the same wink-at-the-camera nostalgia as the first film, mixing squeaky-clean sitcom vibes with a goofy caper about a con man and a “priceless” household knickknack. The problem is it feels more like a reheat than a fresh joke, with a main plot that lumbers along and doesn’t squeeze enough comedy out of its own ridiculous premise. Direction and presentation can be oddly flat for a farce, and some of the stylistic choices (including bits that feel cartoonish) don’t always land, which makes the pacing drag when it should sparkle. If you’re here mainly for the cast committing hard to the Brady earnestness and a few cheeky, slightly bolder kid subplots, you’ll get some scattered laughs—but if you loved the original for its novelty, this one may feel like diminishing returns.