Critic's Grade: A-

Following in the footsteps of another Paramount sequel, "Addams Family Values," "A Very Brady Sequel" walks the hallowed ground of second chapters that are able to surpass their predecessors. There's just something about this movie that makes me laugher harder and more often than the first film did; perhaps it's because the first film, while always entertaining, was all about establishing the rules of spoofing the 70's family as they make their way into the final years of the 20th century. Here, there's a noticeable level of relief as the Bradys are free to do their own thing: we know what to expect, and are able to sit back, relax, and just laugh to our heart's content.

This time around, most of the period clashing takes place within the Brady home itself, when a mysterious stranger (Tim Matheson) shows up under the guise that he is Carol's long lost husband, Roy Martin. Once in the Brady domicile, he makes several fruitless attempts to locate and retrieve an ancient horse statue valued at millions of dollars, all the while trying to deal with the utterly bizarre surroundings and even weirder behavior of the family that just refuses to see him for what he really is.

As with the first outing, "Sequel" lampoons the various goings-on of many of the series' memorable episodes, the most outrageous and humorous of which is Jan's imaginary boyfriend, George Glass. Seeing actress Jennifer Elise Cox playing the role with such earnestness is a testament to her comic appeal; I'd go so far as to say that only she could pull off walking into a coffee house with a life-size mannequin, keeping up the pretense of a courtship even as she wipes butter from the dummy's scalp. The rest of the cast returns in equally fine form, and has much more to do here, especially Marcia and Greg (Christine Taylor and Christopher Daniel Barnes), who find themselves strangely drawn to one another when they are forced to share the attic. It's all in the vein of good fun and a lot of laughs, and I don't care what anyone says: "Sha-Na-Na" is still one catchy little tune. A very Brady blast!

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