Inside the Osmonds (2001)

TELEVISION RELEASE: FEBRUARY 5, 2001 (ABC)

INSIDE THE OSMONDS tells the remarkable tale of an amazing family. From their early television appearances through to their emergence as a pop-rock phenomenon in the 1970s, the film then takes viewers through the Osmonds' years as producers and performers on the Donnie & Marie Show, and finally into their financial ruin in the '80s. Between the stage performances, behind the scenes look at family dynamics, and brief montages of historical events, this made-for-television movie is highly entertaining. Produced by Jimmy Osmond, the youngest of the brothers, the film appears to whitewash some elements of the Osmond lives--including Donnie's difficulties with anxiety--but on the whole, it gives its audience a good sense of what being an Osmond was all about. Devotion to family and the Mormon lifestyle kept these singers and dancers together for close to two decades, but inter-family jealousy, exhaustion, conflicting artistic desires, and their father's patrician values and greed created a setting with high tension and high stakes. Casting deserves kudos for finding a dead ringer for the real Marie, and the cutest thing on two legs for the role of young Donnie. Fans of the family or those with even idle curiosity about the Osmonds will find this docudrama highly entertaining.