''The Brady Bunch Movie'' is one of the best movies based on TV shows

”The Brady Bunch Movie” is one of the best movies based on TV shows

ORIGINAL TV FORMULA Here’s the story/Of a lovely lady… Need we continue? From 1969 to 1974, the sweet, square antics of a fresh-scrubbed blended family could make you momentarily forget you’d ever heard of Vietnam or Watergate.

BIG-SCREEN MAKEOVER Transplanting the entire Brady household — right down to the paneled walls, groovy clothes, and familiar sitcom plots — into the grungy 1990s allowed director Betty Thomas to both skewer and celebrate the mass-culture wholesomeness of an earlier era.

HIGH POINT You’d need a heart of stone to resist humming along with the Bradys’ rendition of ”It’s a Sunshine Day,” though the sight of Marcia’s nose swelling before her big date is an altogether different brand of hilarious.

LESSON LEARNED Even when they’re being spoofed, beloved sitcom characters should be handled with care.

WHAT EW SAID ”The Brady Bunch Movie is a sly and witty surprise, a mainstream comedy that’s savvy enough to celebrate American pop kitsch by deconstructing it.” A-

(Read the movie review.)