Come On, Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story (1999 TV Movie) User Reviews

The Author's Point of View

[fshepinc · 7/10 · 25 November 2018]

So many reviewers bash this film for focusing on Danny Bonaduce's point of view. For heaven's sake -He wrote it! How could he tell anyone's story but his own?

Back in the day, The Partridge Family was a phenomenon. Other than Shirley Jones and Dave Madden the cast were plucked from obscurity and placed under the glare of the spotlight. Instant fame and recognition. The film deals well with that issue, focusing on its effects on Bonaduce and David Cassidy. Yes, there were certainly many other possible topics to address -But how much can you cover in a 90-minute TV movie?

The film was well-cast, with actors who strongly resembled the people they were portraying. Other than Cassidy, there was little time for character development, but he, Jones, Madden, and Susan Day were treated sympathetically (and accurately according to the interviews I've read). The three actors who portrayed the two youngest Partridges were treated the same as their real-life counterparts: little screen time and almost no dialogue. The real focus was on Danny Bonaduce and how his on-screen family became a happy surrogate for his dysfunctional off-screen family. Shawn Pyfrom's portrayal of Bonaduce was nicely understated. The scenes of domestic abuse and his relationships with his TV family were told from the child's perspective and rang truer than the rest of the film.

The Partridge Family was never high art. What kept it going for four years were the songs and the on-screen chemistry between Bonaduce, Cassidy, and Madden. This TV film shows a little of what was behind that -And what more could a fan ask for?

OK, but superficial

[gjw · 6/10 · 6 July 2022]

This TV movie bio is very similar to "Daydream Believers: The Monkees Story", which was shot the following year (although the two productions weren't the effort of the same company or crew).

Both are somewhat simplistic biographies about the making a fictional pop-rock band that starred in a TV show, and the friction behind the scenes.

Both movies used look-alike actors to play the original cast members. And both movies focused on young men who got a tremendous break in showbiz, and achieved teen Idol status, yet who weren't satisfied because the roles they played didn't represent who they really were.

In the case of the Monkees, the boys resented the fact that they weren't originally allowed to play their own music, and spent much of their time trying to become a real band. In this case, it is David Cassidy who is the disgruntled member, chafing at the fact that he has to play a high school student on the show and be a heartthrob to a lot of little girls, when he was really 20 years old and apparently a bit of a scoundrel in real life. And it appears that members of both groups resented being on rather silly, unrealistic shows.

Yet they all sought out those parts, auditioned for them; they were actors who knew what they were getting into, and their job as actors was to play the roles written for them. If they didn't like the parts, it seems they shouldn't have taken them in the first place, rather than whine about their roles once they had them.

In the case of the Monkees, their effort to perform their own songs did not turn out well in the long run. The group had some of the best songwriters in the industry, and churned out a large number of hits when they were performing them. But once they switched to their own music, they started sliding down the charts into obscurity.

And according to this movie, David Cassidy's adult antics and threats to leave the show apparently resulted in them canceling the sitcom earlier than they otherwise would have. And his post-Partridge career didn't exactly set the world on fire.

In both instances, it seems that the adults in the room actually knew what they were doing when they were making the shows, and the kids rocking of the boat ultimately just cut short their own careers. They would probably have been a lot better off if they had just kicked back and enjoyed the ride on the fame train while they were on it.

But back to the movie itself.

It kept repeating the same beats: focusing on Danny and his sullen, unemployed father who resents his son's success; the youngest boy on the show, who is constantly pictured as a hyperactive, out-of-control child; and David's resentment about playing a younger role and being a teen idol.

Honestly, David Cassidy was incredibly lucky to land this role to begin with, so it's a bit irritating to hear that his character complain about it not reflecting his real life. Fictional TV roles aren't supposed to reflect an actor's real life; the actor is supposed to pretend to be the fictional character. That's why it's called acting.

And they spend much too much time focusing on Danny's grumpy father. Since he never turned out to be an ax murderer or anything, there is no reason for the camera to spend that much time staring at the sad guy, except for a poverty of other ideas.

They throw in mock concert footage of most of "The Partridge Family"'s major hits, so newcomers can at least get a taste of what they sounded like. And the songs are still catchy today.

There isn't much new here. Most of the anecdotes we see are probably already well-known to fans of the show, via various biographies and cast interviews. And those situations are presented in a very abbreviated fashion.

But the movie is also dotted with scenes that seem exaggerated.

One example is when David "kidnaps" Danny, steals the Partridge Family bus, rams it through the studio gate (breaking it), and then the bus just happens to break down next to a private school so that obsessed teenage girls on the playground can spot David and mob the bus. And if that's not enough, a public school bus stops at the same exact moment, so the girls from that bus can join the screaming mob. Good grief.

There's probably just a grain of truth to that story. David probably did once borrow the bus and drove some of the kids that around the Valley, but, as usual, Hollywood just can't resist goosing it up into nonsense territory.

On the positive side, the actors they found to portray the original cast members did actually resemble the original players (at least to some extent), although the actor playing David Cassidy lacked that somewhat debauched look that David often had, despite his young age.

Overall, there are worse ways to spend 100 minutes. But it's sort of like reading a Reader's Digest version of a gossip magazine.

Better than I thought, which isn't saying much

[jagorham · 6/10 · 15 November 1999]

This movie ended up better than I expected, after the annoying advertising blitz that ABC used to promote it.

Basically, it ended up being more "The Danny Bonnaduce Story" than anything else, although David Cassidy played an important second in the storyline.

The lady who played Shirley Jones had her mannerisms down pat, and came across very convincingly. Less convincingly (and absolutely unimportant) was the heavily-used-in-promos showdown on a back lot between the Bradys and Partridges.

Overall, a passable movie of the week; a so-so movie about a so-so series.

The Partridge Family, According to Danny Bonaduce

[mdouglasfresno · 1/10 · 16 January 2007]

Basically a glossy but empty-headed TV-movie that never should have been made. Since Danny wrote this mess, I wasn't surprised at how self-serving it was. Yet I have to wonder just how much of the Partridge Family he truly remembers...after all, he was only 11 when it started. Did he keep some kind of detailed diary, complete with acid observations about his co-stars? His seeming total recall 30 years later is truly astonishing, especially considering the chronic emotional problems he's had ever since, including heavy drug and alcohol abuse. A far more interesting movie would have been "The Danny Bonaduce Story" written by an uninvolved party, which covers his life from the Partridge Family up to the present. Talk about an expose!

Unlike many posters, I not only watched the Partridge Family TV show both originally and in reruns, but have followed books, articles and interviews on it ever since. It's not surprising that the producers of the original show, men like Bob Claver, Bernie Schwartz, Paul Witt, and Mel Swope, all "steared clear" of this movie, since much of what they've said in interviews over the years seem at odds with Danny's version of events. I think what annoyed me most was the total trashing of poor little Jeremy Gelbwaks, the first actor to portray Chris Partridge. By everyone's admission, Danny and Jeremy simply didn't get along, yet Danny practically portrays him as the anti-Christ! And from what I've heard from the original producers, Danny outright lied in this screenplay about the reasons Jeremy left after one season. The poor kid got a bum-rap back in 1971 with wild and speculative rumors about his leaving; Danny sees fit to re-hash it all for the sake of a fast buck.

P.S. Just to set the record straight, Jeremy WASN'T disliked by the cast and crew (except Danny and David Cassidy), but his MOTHER sure was! She was so annoying and caused so many complaints that Executive Producer Bob Claver was considering not renewing Jeremy's contract, rather than having to deal with her for another season. Fortuitously, right after the end of the 1st season Jeremy's dad got a lucrative offer through his employer to transfer to Virginia, and took it, thus saving them from any embarrassing "showdown" with the producers over Jeremy's future on the show.

Excellent.

[shrek2004 · 17 September 2003]

An excellent depiction of the actors who played the roles in '70s sitcom "The Partridge Family." It mostly focused on Danny Bonaduce and his family, but also David Cassidy and how he as a young person dealt with fame. I would strongly recommend you watch it if you get the chance.

Fake freckles

[kirk2121 · 4/10 · 27 July 2022]

So funny how fake Danny's freckles look and how they get lighter and darker depending on the scene. Looks like the makeup person put them on with magic marker.

The Danny Bonaduce story, whatever.

[Lathe · 3/10 · 18 November 1999]

The original story for the screenplay was written by Bonaduce and it shows. Everything is about him, narrated by him. There is almost no backgound on the other cast members, like they didn't have lives away from the show. The film was just as suger coated and hokey as the original series. Nothing really bad happened or if it did it was glossed over. A very lame attempt at storytelling and acting. Why bother doing this if it isn't going to be interesting and at least somewhat factual?

Is This Really What Happened ?

[aesgaard41 · 10/10 · 11 December 2000]

Call me crazy, but I like this movie. It has some very light hearted bits and some very funny scenes as through the eyes of Danny Bonaduce's memories of getting on the show, working on it,getting kidnapped by Keith...whoops,I mean,David Cassidy, a tough family experience as a childhood TV star and the disappointment of the series's end. I was never a big fan of the series, but I did like some of the songs and now thanks to the movie I know some behind the scenes trivia about the music. All of the actors are dead-on lookalikes good enough to bring this series back to TV, especially the lovely Kathy Wagner who plays Susan Dey. Someone please thank Danny for peeking in on Susan for the peeping-tom scene. As a kid, Danny is portrayed like some sort of kid prodigy, which he probably was, and as well sets up the preminitions of what was set to happen to him in the later years of his life.Hey, I think I love,,,,,,,this movie !

They forgot to tell the story of the Partridge Family

[Johnny-125 · 4/10 · 14 November 1999]

I wanted to see a movie that told the real story of the family, but instead you got pretty much nothing. A little bit here and a little bit there but no story. There was no character development at all really, and there should have been some kind of look at where they are now segment.

Worth a second showing

[mbilbrey · 7 June 2000]

The movie showed a lot more depth than the recent David Cassidy Story and addressed one of the major flaws in that movie. By focusing on only the 4 years of the Partridge Family, it gave a more complete portrait of the Partridge Family phenomena. From recent interviews of cast members, "Come On Get Happy" seemed pretty accurate. Even so, like the David Cassidy Story, it tried to cover too much territory. They should have focused more on 1 or 2 of the characters - like Cassidy and Dey or Danny Bonaduce - instead of cramming all the characters in 1 movie. (I'm still waiting for the Danny Bonaduce story which I think has the most dramatic appeal).

Second, they didn't really show the sheer hysteria surrounding the program, which was covered better in the DC Story. They also didn't show the emotional devastation of the death of the fan at Cassidy's farewell show or cover the greed of the producers. All in all, I'd give it 3 stars. It's worth a second showing.

The Trials of Talent, The Farce of Fame (oh, spare me!).

[dunmore_ego · 2/10 · 15 February 2009]

Narrated by the real Danny Bonaduce (in between jail time and radio airtime, we presume), COME ON, GET HAPPY: THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY STORY is a tiresome television biopic of The Partridge Family's rise to popcorn fame in the early 70s.

A travesty at best; at worst, some form of mild brain damage. If it is at all possible, acting is even worse than the actual Partridge Family members. This "review" only exists because the David Cassidy character (Rodney Scott) says something that really bugged me...

Scott, who keeps looking more like David the longer the film runs (cos of that brain damage kicking in) complains that he's not being taken seriously as a musician. He can really sing and play guitar, yet complains that because the studio "bought" him, he is not being allowed to extend his full range of talents; further, that he is merely on a salary instead of being paid a percentage of all the records he actually sings on.

Noted. But wait, spoiled brat! The irony is that all those really hot session musicians who ACTUALLY played on the Partridge Family songs were the ones who were bought! Those real musicians who didn't have perky breasts and prettyboy faces, who were eternally behind the scenes, who made the morons diddling their instruments look talented - they never got a percentage either - AND - they never had the advantage of being in front of the camera so that recognition by the public or the industry could grant their performances further legs; and I'll wager that those sessions musicians' salaries were far smaller than that of the "stars" in front of the camera.

It is no secret that during his Teen Idol years the real David Cassidy did whine about not receiving any profits from all the dolls, lunchboxes and likenesses of him... well, those great musicians WHO DID YOUR WORK FOR YOU got even less! Cassidy was a good vocalist, no doubt - no Pavarotti, of course (but I'm wagering Pavarotti never posed nude for Rolling Stone - oh! those controversial pubic hairs!), but at least he was on camera and achieved the fame to build on his career.

Cassidy has had a full career because of that fame; Susan Dey and Shirley Jones have enjoyed continuous television careers, and even that f*ckup Danny Bonaduce (with all his arrests and addictions and jail time) can get work. The rest of the kids faded out because - well, they were untalented little snots.

And so we're subjected to this guy playing Cassidy whining like the real Cassidy about people not taking him seriously when he's doing a TV movie about a TV series, in which the guy he is playing, complains about not being taken seriously even though other people are doing his work for him! Is this irony or some new form of brain damage I'm experiencing?

Where is that poor bastard who played the famous opening keyboard riff to the Partridge Family theme, "C'Mon Get Happy"? What's his name? Where's his action figure? Name any of the real bass players on those soppy tracks: "I Think I Love You," "I Woke Up In Love This Morning"... What about the slick drummers? Those guys got the raw deal - not David Cassidy!

Watching old videos of the Family miming, I feel dirty every time the camera pans across anyone besides David, who is at least miming his own voice. (And what pretty eyes!)

In a Gallup Poll during the Partridge Family heyday, Danny Bonaduce was named the second most famous bass player behind McCartney - just for holding a bass guitar around his neck and flapping his untalented sausage fingers.

If fame can ever be construed a harsh mistress, it is because Danny Bonaduce can be mentioned in the same breath as one of the pioneer geniuses of rock and roll.

Come on, get happy, indeed! Come on - GET REAL!

--Review by Poffy the Cucumber (for Poffy's Movie Mania)

Better than the average TV movie, but that doesn't say much.

[DrStrangelove114 · 4/10 · 14 November 1999]

"Come on Get Happy" is better than the average TV movie, but that doesn't say much.It is the tale of the rise and fall of the Partridge Family's real life, and television show. The acting was mediocre, the writing was pretty bad, and technically it wasn't very good either.

I think the only redeeming quality was the factual information in the movie. I am too young to have ever viewed an episode of the Partridge family, even on reruns, so it was interesting to see that. I imagine for older viewers it would be nostalgic, but this would definitely not be on the top of my rental list if it ever is released on video.

WASTE OF TIME

[coonoocoo · 1/10 · 17 June 2022]

I FEEL EMBARRASSED WRITING THIS BUT, IT'S SUCH A LOUSY MOVIE THAT I WANTED TO THROW-UP!

THE ACTIR THAT PLAYED DAVID CASSIDY WAS AND OLDER SIMI BALD ACTOR. HE IS SO BALD THAT THEY HAD TO GIVE HIM BANGS. FORGET ABOUT THE REST OF THE ACTORS!

CREEPY AND CRAPPY!!!!!!

enjoyed it

[COdy3333 · 10/10 · 9 December 1999]

I have never really seen an episode of the original show but I watched this movie and really enjoyed it. I didn't know some of the people were such jerks! and how big the show became! I would really watch it if it was on near me!.........10/10

The four-year Partridge phenomenon, told without irony or vitality...

[moonspinner55 · 4/10 · 18 September 2010]

As told from consulting producer Danny Bonaduce's point-of-reference, this well-cast but otherwise unconvincing look at the fleeting stardom which comes with a hit television show isn't going to interest anyone but fans of "The Partridge Family" (some of whom may only express contempt). An artificial TV family and music band, created by jaded Hollywood producers only interested in turning a quick buck, holds repercussions for the actors, particularly teen heartthrob David Cassidy (who fights against the squeaky-clean image manufactured by the brass) and fast-talking redhead Danny Bonaduce (who has to contend with a jealous, abusive real-life father at home). Mediocre TV-movie isn't interested in delineating the week-by-week showmanship which goes into creating a series; if we're to believe it--that the scripts and production were this simple-minded and cheesy--then the actual "Partridge" TV show would not have succeeded (nor would it have stood the test of time where it really counts--in reruns). Hollywood certainly has a knack for making the unreal look real, yet this flick has nothing on the original when it comes to being manufactured.

Come on Get Happy: The Danny Bonaduce Story

[Cyprus386 · 16 February 2000]

I knew that this movie was going to be biased towards Danny Bonaduce, since he worked on it somehow. What I didn't know is how much of the story they DIDN'T tell. The only really good performances came from Kathy Wagner (Susan Dey) and Rodney Scott (David Cassidy). The kid who played Danny was too fake for the part. Overall, this movie was a sappy biased biopic.

This film is best left unseen!

[sipowicz · 1/10 · 15 November 1999]

This was perhaps the worst TV movie to come down the pike in recent years. To me, most TV films leave something to be desired, but this one is THE worst. The Partridge Family was too complex to be shown in two hours. What was seen, was weak and left the viewer feeling as though their time was wasted. There were too many story lines. If one avenue of thought were pursued then the film might have had a little going for it. Was it a story of Danny Bonaduce? A story on David Cassidy's pursuit of a singing career, perhaps? Maybe the Partridge Family in general? I guess the most corny and worthless sequence in the whole film was the meeting between the Partridge Family and the Brady Bunch. Come on, who thought up this idiotic scene. It was so out of context with the rest of the film. Hopefully, this film will never be seen again. The money spent to make this film was wasted and so was the viewers time.

Candy-Coated Realism

[FiendishDramaturgy · 4/10 · 13 June 2007]

Having survived the 1970's, the Disco Era, and the age of wanton drug use and unprotected sexual encounters, I must say that this was not as "true" or as "gritty" as the producers of this work would have you believe.

Danny Bonaduce's childhood was far worse, David Cassidy's ability to handle the fame was much less, and Shirley Jones's love of those kids was vastly greater than portrayed here in this cotton candy version of the Partridge Family's behind-the-scenes episodic lives.

While the individual components are touched upon, the exponential elements of this hit-and-miss attempt are more miss than hit; not only because of the writing (which was lame as all heck), but also because of the horribly flaccid performances by the child "talent" in this candy-coated reenactment. There was one exception: Shawn Pyfrom. He demonstrated more than a small amount of talent.

All in all? I found this lacked the realism to stand as an actual documentary, but rather came off as a lame, candy-coated, made for TV version of reality, and as such, it lessened the effectiveness it otherwise could have demonstrated.

It rates a 4.1/10 from...

the Fiend :.

The Brady's still rule

[bates-5 · 5/10 · 14 November 1999]

Just saw the movie last night on ABC and it was preety good. I wouldn't call it "The Partridge Family story" it was more of danny's story. All of the actors were a pain on the set, but they made a pretty damn good performance on it. I don't know--i guess i was expecting more than what i saw, but some of the things on here were pretty powerful and funny. So if your a fan of the "P" clan, then see it... but the brady's still rule.

Wow! What A Blast!

[twelve-house-books · 10/10 · 16 July 2022]

I'm not sure how I ever missed this brilliant gem of a biopic 23 years ago! I grew up watching the Partridge Family in the original run--as well as the Brady Bunch, so their appearance in this film is hilarious! From start to finish this wild ride through the very early 70s is really not to be missed--even if you weren't born yet. But, if you've never seen an original episode, find one for free on YouTube first and watch it, then compare the original actors to their reenactors. What a blast! There's a ton of focus on Danny Bonaduce as well as on David Cassidy. The only sad thing about this film is that it could have been several hours longer!

cheesey but i still liked it.

[msvarniej · 5/10 · 27 January 2024]

I grew up a Partridge Family fan, but idolized John denver much more than Cassidy. However, i became even more of a fan of Davids after reading his first autobiography about 1994. I became even part of his fan club even as about a 30 year old at the time. (True, not an exciting life) however it took my mind off my impending death of my husband. The nostalgic times were fun for me.

As far as this movie, the David Cassidy movie which came out a few years later i think on NBC, i enjoyed much more especially since i believe they actually used the original songs by Cassidy in that and in this they didnt. The NBC rendition was much more realistic i felt and was very emotional portrayal of David hearing about his dads death in a fire over the radio.

In this movie told by Bonaduce that fact in itself gave a certain shade over the whole thing. In other wordsperhaps can be taken more from a comedic view and/or a question of realism could be asked right from the start being told with his memories. However from interviews with him and other real cast members, the incidents portrayed did happen. A real tragedy the way he was treated by his dad.

I gave the movie 5 stars mainly, because i continue to be a fan even if its cheesey. I thought the actors did a fair job. The guy playing cassidyquite a cutie.

BTW..I LOST TOUCH WITH MY PEN PAL ABOUT 1995 FROM THE DAVID CASSIDY FAN CLUB, SO IF YOU JHAPPEN TO READ THIS ... MAYBE DO A REVIEW OF THIS FILM AND PUT IN AS ALAST WORD ... TRIGGER.

Why Did You Have To Ruin The Movie Danny?

[pooh-24 · 8 January 2000]

This little TV movie about The Partridge Family,a hard to believe irony if any,is ruined by the showy selfishness of Danny Bondaduce.Look at the end Bondaduce claims in his cornball narration"well that's my story",and that's the problem with this movie.It IS his story being told.It isn't about Shirley Jones,or Susan Dey,or the other child actos on the show.It was all about Bondaduce and the people that were the center of his life,the selfish David Cassidy,Bondaduce's surrogate father David Madden and his dysfuntional family. Now it is too bad that his father hated him and the rest of his family didn't amount to very much(He portrayed them that way ,that's not my opinion).But we wanted to see the Partridge Family aside from Bondaduce and Cassidy and we didn't see that.The other actors on the show,even Shirley Jones,didn't get their stories told from what would have been an balanced film ,except this movie's screenplay is written by and for Bondaduce. The other child actors have been forgotten,Susan Dey doesn't even talk about the show anymore,and the show's makers seemed to wanted to keep their distance from it.Therefore a real presentation about the makings of the Partridge Family was not told here.You got Danny Bondaduce's Partridge Family life story instead.His post Partridge Family life story is one better left unsaid and unseen but the real Partidge Family story will have to made and seen in the future.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS MOVIE

[clarkjacquelyn31 · 10/10 · 22 April 2020]

Well I guess my review title says it all !!! I love this movie seeing how Danny and his dad got along or rather didn't get along. I have a comment about what commenter POOH 24 said. At the end of the movie Danny Bonaduce (who was narrating) DID NOT say "that's my story", He said that's "OUR" story. I made sure I hear it clearly. And so what if Danny said that it was "his" movie, it really was his movie, so what if he "owned" it. I wish I knew where I could purchase this movie, I have looked everywhere.

OK offering in a small field.

[wombat_1 · 23 September 2003]

Can't recall too many movies along the lines of "true story behind the xxxx group". Val Kilmer played Morrison in "The Doors", and there was the supposed true story of the Beach Boys. That was MUCH better than this. And I can't recall any more.

Having said that, I'm wondering if maybe there wasn't much to tell? I mean Danny Bonaduce WAS just a kid during the four years of the Partridge Family, maybe he simply aired his childhood memories, and they were... well... childish?

I would have liked to have seen more of what happened to the family AFTER the show was canned. I believe that it was quite sordid, maybe that would have added some interest to the story?

i like it

[sourapple · 9/10 · 12 January 2001]

well, it's didn't really focus on the partridge family. it went back and forth on several people. but all in all, i liked it anyway. there were cute times, nice times and whatever.

uh and rodney scott is gorgeous.