A Very Brady Sequel With Vada & Thomas J. (A Very Brady Sequel & My Girl) Double Feature

A Very Brady Sequel With Vada & Thomas J. (A Very Brady Sequel & My Girl) Double Feature are a 1996 comedy film and sequel to 1995’s The Brady Bunch Movie. Both films are parodies-homages of the classic 1969–1974 television sitcom The Brady Bunch. The film was directed by Arlene Sanford and stars Shelley Long and Gary Cole as Carol and Mike Brady, and 1991 drama film directed by Howard Zieff and written by Laurice Elehwany. The film depicts the coming-of-age of a young girl who faces many different emotional highs and lows and stars Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis in their first film together since 1983's Trading Places. The film also stars Macaulay Culkin and Anna Chlumsky in her feature film debut.

Plot[]

Following its predecessor, the film places the 1970s’ Brady Bunch family in a contemporary 1990s’ setting, where much of the humor is derived from the resulting culture clash and the utter lack of awareness they show toward their relatively unusual lifestyle. One evening, a man claiming to be Carol’s long-lost first husband, Roy Martin, shows up at the suburban Brady residence. He is actually a con man named Trevor Thomas and is there to steal their familiar horse statue that is actually a $20 million ancient artifact. They, portrayed as naïve, believe his story about suffering from amnesia and having plastic surgery after being injured. Throughout “Roy’s” stay, he is openly hostile to them, his sarcasm and insults completely going over his hosts’ heads. Eventually, Trevor’s ruse is uncovered by Bobby and Cindy; in retaliation, he kidnaps Carol and takes her and the artifact to a buyer in Hawaii. The remaining Brady family travels to Hawaii to save her and foil his plans. The film is set in Madison, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1972. Vada Sultenfuss (Anna Chlumsky) is an 11-year-old tomboy and ahypochondriac. Vada's father, Harry Sultenfuss (Dan Aykroyd), is an awkward widower who does not seem to understand his daughter, constantly ignoring her as a result. His profession as a funeral director, for which the Sultenfuss' residence serves as afuneral parlor, has led Vada to develop an obsession with death. She thinks that she killed her mother, since her mother died giving birth to her. Vada regularly tends to her invalid grandmother Gramoo (Ann Nelson), who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Harry's brother Phil (Richard Masur), who lives nearby, also stops by frequently to help out the family. Vada is teased by other girls because her best friend, Thomas J. Sennett (Macaulay Culkin), is unpopular and a boy. Their summer adventures—from first kiss to last farewell—introduce Vada to the world of adolescence. Vada's summer begins well. She befriends Shelley DeVoto (Jamie Lee Curtis), the new make-up artist at her father's funeral parlor, who provides her with some much needed guidance. She is also infatuated with her teacher, Mr. Bixler (Griffin Dunne), and steals some money from Shelley's trailer to attend a summer writing class that he is teaching. Besides the main storyline, the children have their own subplots in the film. Greg and Marcia both want to move out of their shared rooms, and when neither wants to back down, they have to share the attic together. When Roy’s arrival suggests that Carol and Mike might not be married, Greg and Marcia realize they might not be brother and sister anymore. That leads them to realize they are in love with each other, but try to hide it from one another throughout the movie. Eventually both cave in and they share a kiss at the end of the movie. Jan’s subplot involves her making up a pretend boyfriend named George Glass in order to make herself seem more popular. Peter, who is trying to decide what career path to choose, starts idolizing and emulating Roy. Bobby and Cindy start a “Detective Agency” hunting down her missing doll, an act that unexpectedly leads them to discover Roy’s true intentions. However, things start to fall apart. Her father and Shelley start dating and get engaged, while Vada discovers that Mr. Bixler is engaged to someone else. Vada cannot bring herself to tell her father that she has experienced her first menstrual cycle; Shelly explains it after Vada runs around the house yelling that she is hemorrhaging. Thomas dies from an allergic reaction to bee stings while searching for and then finding Vada's mood ring, which they lost while playing with "water guns" in the forest; Shelley and Harry get into an argument at Thomas's funeral, and Shelley angrily tells Harry that life isn't just about death, as well as not to ignore the living, especially his daughter. Vada's grief, however, manages to mend the rift between her and her father. She learns that her mother's death after her birth wasn't her fault (since her father tells her that things like mothers dying in childbirth aren't anybody's fault; they just happen without explanation). Eventually, Vada not only comes to terms with her pain and grief, but also overcomes some of her previous issues as well.

Cast[]

Anna Chlumsky asVada Sultenfuss
Macaulay Culkin asThomas J. Sennett, Vada's best friend
Dan Aykroyd as Harry Sultenfuss, Vada's father, a funeral director
Jamie Lee Curtis as Shelly DeVoto, a make-up artist who acts as Vada's female role model
Richard Masur as Phil Sultenfuss, Harry's brother and Vada's uncle, who often stops by to help the family
Ann Nelson as Gramoo, Vada's grandmother, who has Alzheimer's disease
Griffin Dunne as Mr. Bixler, Vada's summer writing teacher with whom she is infatuated even though he is engaged
Gary Cole as Mike Brady
Shelley Long as Carol Brady
Tim Matheson as Roy Martin/Trevor Thomas
Henriette Mantel as Alice Nelson
Christopher Daniel Barnes as Greg Brady
Christine Taylor as Marcia Brady
Paul Sutera as Peter Brady
Jennifer Elise Cox as Jan Brady
Jesse Lee Soffer as Bobby Brady
Olivia Hack as Cindy Brady

The film also features a variety of cameos, including RuPaul, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Rosie O’Donnell, Barbara Eden, David Spade (uncredited as the hairstylist), Richard Belzer and John Hillerman.