Why did they make Jan SO DIFFERENT in the 1990's movies? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Frump · 02-28-2013, 09:10 PM

I know most of the characters in the movies were exaggerated versions of what they were on the TV show, BUT it seems like with everyone else they took the WHOLE character into account, with Jan they just based her on ONE episode where she was feeling inferior.

I've been watching the series lately and Jan actually has a pretty good life, in ways she's like a female version of Peter.

She's very upbeat and positive.

She was nominated the most popular girl in school *that should say something about how ppl say her*

She beat Marcia out of a job at the icecream parlor, she had quite a bit going for her.

It's funny how in the movie they based her WHOLE character on one episode where she felt a little inferior to Marcia.

cleverfun3000 · 02-28-2013, 09:33 PM

I happened to have seen the movie again (for the 4th or 5th time) since I happened to be channel surfing and it was on. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and completely agree with you about how they totally distorted the Jan character. They almost made her a neurotic psycho over her comparing herself to her older sister. Not cool.

Frump · 02-28-2013, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cleverfun3000

I happened to have seen the movie again (for the 4th or 5th time) since I happened to be channel surfing and it was on. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and completely agree with you about how they totally distorted the Jan character. They almost made her a neurotic psycho over her comparing herself to her older sister. Not cool.

EXACTLY!!! In ways I think Jan was the most normal, mentally stable child out of all of them. She was humble and quiet but could be outgoing when she needed to be, and she usually always succeded at everything she did....apart from that one episode.

Ok the second one that was over exaggerated was Mike. I thought the Mike in the movie was WAY too serious about everything, the Mike on the TV show was serious when he needed to be, BUT he was also a big goofball and very jokative most of the time.

And also in the movies, I dunno why they made Greg into such a loser that ppl didn't seem to think was cool, on the TV show he was basically the male equivalent to Marcia, so I dunno why they made Marcia so popular and Greg such a loser in the movies.

DJM77 · 03-01-2013, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frump

It's funny how in the movie they based her WHOLE character on one episode where she felt a little inferior to Marcia.

The general public was doing the same thing long before the movie came out. Sherwood Schwartz once said something to the effect of, "Most people think that Jan said 'Marsha, Marsha, Marsha' in every single episode. She actually only said it in one episode."

gettoknowsomeone · 03-03-2013, 07:09 PM

The whole "Macia Marcia Marcia!" thing went viral based on a Saturday Night Live skit. There was a "Jan Brady" (and I forget the cast member who portrayed her) who was regular character on Weekend Update who complained about Marcia getting all the attention. The movies were based on this spoof more rather than Eve Plum in the original series.

Dr. Thong · 03-03-2013, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gettoknowsomeone

The whole "Marsha! Marsha! Marsha!" thing went viral based on a Saturday Night Live skit. There was a "Jan Brady" (and I forget the cast member who portrayed her) who was regular character on Weekend Update who complained about Marsha getting all the attention. The movies were based on this spoof more rather than Eve Plum in the original series.

Her name was Melanie Hutsell, and that was the only funny thing she did on SNL.

king of comedy · 03-12-2013, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

Her name was Melanie Hutsell, and that was the only funny thing she did on SNL.

I'll stick with Jan on the series. I'm still trying to erase what they did to Jan in the movies which were horrible.

The Flying Dutchmans · 03-13-2013, 09:58 AM

They made Jan that way for comedy. That's all. It must have worked, because the Brady Bunch Movie was a hit, unlike the TV series in its first run.

Dr. Thong · 03-13-2013, 05:34 PM

I never looked at the Brady Bunch movies as remakes, but rather, as spoofs. In that context, the characterization of Jan didn't bother me.

Frump · 03-15-2013, 06:59 PM

Since the movies were such a parody, I thought it would be funny if they got someone EXTREMLY short to play Bobby, even way shorter than Cindy.

Since Bobby has complained several times about being short, and I know a few of the kids like Peter and Cindy teased him about being short.

So it could have been funny if they had made Bobby REALLY pint-sized.

gettoknowsomeone · 03-16-2013, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

Her name was Melanie Hutsell, and that was the only funny thing she did on SNL.

Thanks! I couldn't find a clip on YouTube that showed the Malanie Hutsell as Jan Brady skit, but that pic captured it pretty well. As I said, this skit started the whole "Marcia, Marcia Marcia" phenomenon. And this Jan Brady is what was potrayed in the '90s Bradys movies. Even if it was exagerrated, I thought it was a riot.

And anyways, the original Jan Brady did some crazy stuff too - the wig, making up George Glass, etc. I like how those made it into the movies too!

Frump · 03-17-2013, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gettoknowsomeone

Thanks! I couldn't find a clip on YouTube that showed the Malanie Hutsell as Jan Brady skit, but that pic captured it pretty well. As I said, this skit started the whole "Marcia, Marcia Marcia" phenomenon. And this Jan Brady is what was potrayed in the '90s Bradys movies. Even if it was exagerrated, I thought it was a riot.

And anyways, the original Jan Brady did some crazy stuff too - the wig, making up George Glass, etc. I like how those made it into the movies too!

I dunno if those things were SO crazy, I do know that wigs were commun back then, at least maybe more than they are now. I have aunts who said they had wigs back then when they were teens.

ThomasE · 03-17-2013, 04:48 PM

Well, the movie took the characters and exaggerated something about almost all of them.

Carol- Facial expressions and her agreement with Mike on things. "Your father's right".
Mike's telling of stories and words of wisdome and being at the forefront. I loved in the movie number 1 when Jan gave a fantastic speech about her family and then Mike says he "could not have put it better... but I'm gonna try". LOLOL.

Marcia- Her beauty, being popular, brushing of the hair(although she only really did that in one episode) along with being stuck up (which also happened in that same episode).

Alice's cheery disposition. Fixing foods not realizing what was unhealthy to eat. LOL.

Greg had the same confidence as he did on the 1970's show...it just didn't work in 1995!!! I think that in part made him look like a geek to all.

Plus the Brady's had their outlooks and mindsets in 1970's mode. That is what made things contrast and humorous for them in 1990's. Two different worlds colliding.

They just went to town with Jan. LOL.

Frump · 03-17-2013, 10:21 PM

That's one thing that's funny about the food Alice prepairs, I would have thought the Bradys would have been big on healthy eating and saw to it their kids ate only the healthiest of foods.

And I thought it was funny that Marcia was SO popular in the movies but Greg was seen as a geek, afterall Greg was basically a male equivalent to Marcia.

I was thinking about it and I don't think ppl really saw Marcia as COOL or anything, I think they just wanted to sleep with her and that's it. After they had their way with her they'd prolly want nothing more to do with her.

LittleRickyII · 03-21-2013, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

Her name was Melanie Hutsell, and that was the only funny thing she did on SNL.

Before SNL, she was in a play spoofing TBB called The Real Live Brady Bunch. Doing the Jan parody in the play got her the job on SNL But it turned out that was really all she could do. Every other character she ever played on SNL acted like her Jan Brady portrayal. It was funny when she was supposed to be playing Jan, but when she was playing someone else but still acting like Jan it got tiring.

02-28-2013, 09:10 PM	#1
Frump Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 06, 2003 Location: McMinnville Posts: 1,206	Why did they make Jan SO DIFFERENT in the 1990's movies? I know most of the characters in the movies were exaggerated versions of what they were on the TV show, BUT it seems like with everyone else they took the WHOLE character into account, with Jan they just based her on ONE episode where she was feeling inferior. I've been watching the series lately and Jan actually has a pretty good life, in ways she's like a female version of Peter. She's very upbeat and positive. She was nominated the most popular girl in school that should say something about how ppl say her She beat Marcia out of a job at the icecream parlor, she had quite a bit going for her. It's funny how in the movie they based her WHOLE character on one episode where she felt a little inferior to Marcia.
	__________________ Frump

03-03-2013, 07:09 PM	#5
gettoknowsomeone Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 19, 2002 Posts: 54	The whole "Macia Marcia Marcia!" thing went viral based on a Saturday Night Live skit. There was a "Jan Brady" (and I forget the cast member who portrayed her) who was regular character on Weekend Update who complained about Marcia getting all the attention. The movies were based on this spoof more rather than Eve Plum in the original series.
	Last edited by gettoknowsomeone; 03-16-2013 at 11:13 PM.

03-13-2013, 09:58 AM	#8
The Flying Dutchmans Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 30, 2006 Location: New York Posts: 1,017	They made Jan that way for comedy. That's all. It must have worked, because the Brady Bunch Movie was a hit, unlike the TV series in its first run.
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03-17-2013, 04:48 PM	#13
ThomasE Member Moderator Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 04, 2000 Location: New York, New York, U.S.A. Posts: 10,857	Well, the movie took the characters and exaggerated something about almost all of them. Carol- Facial expressions and her agreement with Mike on things. "Your father's right". Mike's telling of stories and words of wisdome and being at the forefront. I loved in the movie number 1 when Jan gave a fantastic speech about her family and then Mike says he "could not have put it better... but I'm gonna try". LOLOL. Marcia- Her beauty, being popular, brushing of the hair(although she only really did that in one episode) along with being stuck up (which also happened in that same episode). Alice's cheery disposition. Fixing foods not realizing what was unhealthy to eat. LOL. Greg had the same confidence as he did on the 1970's show...it just didn't work in 1995!!! I think that in part made him look like a geek to all. Plus the Brady's had their outlooks and mindsets in 1970's mode. That is what made things contrast and humorous for them in 1990's. Two different worlds colliding. They just went to town with Jan. LOL.
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02-28-2013, 09:33 PM	#2
cleverfun3000 Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 18, 2008 Location: Manhattan Posts: 1,685	I happened to have seen the movie again (for the 4th or 5th time) since I happened to be channel surfing and it was on. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and completely agree with you about how they totally distorted the Jan character. They almost made her a neurotic psycho over her comparing herself to her older sister. Not cool.

03-13-2013, 05:34 PM	#9
Dr. Thong a/k/a "ACK!" Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 10, 2001 Location: New Hampshire, USA Posts: 5,546	I never looked at the Brady Bunch movies as remakes, but rather, as spoofs. In that context, the characterization of Jan didn't bother me.

03-15-2013, 06:59 PM	#10
Frump Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 06, 2003 Location: McMinnville Posts: 1,206	Since the movies were such a parody, I thought it would be funny if they got someone EXTREMLY short to play Bobby, even way shorter than Cindy. Since Bobby has complained several times about being short, and I know a few of the kids like Peter and Cindy teased him about being short. So it could have been funny if they had made Bobby REALLY pint-sized.

03-17-2013, 10:21 PM	#14
Frump Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 06, 2003 Location: McMinnville Posts: 1,206	That's one thing that's funny about the food Alice prepairs, I would have thought the Bradys would have been big on healthy eating and saw to it their kids ate only the healthiest of foods. And I thought it was funny that Marcia was SO popular in the movies but Greg was seen as a geek, afterall Greg was basically a male equivalent to Marcia. I was thinking about it and I don't think ppl really saw Marcia as COOL or anything, I think they just wanted to sleep with her and that's it. After they had their way with her they'd prolly want nothing more to do with her.