marthacfe We Rhode Islanders love to claim The Cowsills as our own, and I was as big a fan as any other 10-year-old in RI in 1968. This documentary reveals the truth behind the all- American, happy family image put forth in such hits as "Indian Lake" and "The Rain, The Park."At times heartbreaking to watch, The Cowsills still gave me goosebumps when they sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" a cappella at Fenway in 2004. Those harmonies!A must-watch for anyone who remembers this very talented group.

MartinHafer The story of the Cowsills easily could have been summed up in 60 minutes--or much less. This is because so much of the thrust is how much the family patriarch was an abusive and hateful jerk. But after a while, it all became a bit numbing. It's a lot more like listening to family members gripe about a mutually hated family member in therapy instead of a documentary. The Cowsills, if you remember them, were a family singing group that went on to inspire the creation of the television show "The Partridge Family". However, unlike the TV show, the real family was NOT happy nor did they particularly enjoy their success. It seems that the father, Bud, was incredibly destructive, violent, abusive and evil. And, when the group was past their glory days, they realized that there was no money! They'd sold millions of records but the money was gone! All that I just told you was told in the first half hour...and there was still an hour more to go! Much of the rest of the film consists of talking about family dysfunction, early deaths and depression. And, eventually, the surviving members of the group began to talk about their awful father...and this pretty much makes up the rest of the movie.The bottom line is that the film was numbing. Yes, Bud Cowsill was a horrendous person...but after a while it all sounded repetitive and overly long. This all left little time for the post-we hate Bud Cowsill segment where the family learned to finally care about each other. All in all, fascinating and depressing at the same time.

CentralStateProductions "Growing up in the bay area with "Live" acid rock from the likes of Jefferson Airplane and Big Brother and The Holding Company and never listening to AM Radio, I suppose I missed all the hoopla on The Cowsills Story." But thanks to these wonderful Filmmakers, I got to see just how bad they were! There is no way you are going to convince this real flower child that the Cowsills made anything close to good music. The flaw in the doc is that they only talk to folks close to the band and the remaining band-members themselves. They forgot to talk to all of us that hated bands like this. The Cowsills, The Monkees.. my god, you can't get any worse! So now on with the review: The doc is great even though it hugs their awful music. Extremely candid and unobtrusive. America's Family gone to all hell for sure is told in a way that you hate the abusive Father that made the whole thing up. Punching out his own boys, abusing his daughter and wrecking recording contracts is the perfect fit when it comes to the "stage father" out for the cash and not caring who gets in the way. The Films paints a vivid picture of how easily kids can be swayed into anything a parent in this case makes them all do. Be a band, be sweet to everyone, lie about your life at home and ask for top dollar. When Shirley Jones testifies to herself asking why the Producers of The Partridge Family didn't use the real Cowsills? She got "Their not actors" as a bad answer. Actually I disagree, the mature Cowsills could have their own Reality Show with all the fighting, the healing and the mess their Father made of their lives still happening after all these years.This Doc is in your face, hard hitting and provocative. But then its splattered with that pastel pop music that makes one physically sick.. well at least in my case. Talented, no way Jose.. a 2 hit wonder.. yes! Another story of Babylon but at least its not a Hollywood disaster this time. If you can get around the music, this one as a lesson of bad management and abuse in the music biz should not be missed.

angel53944-923-100205 For those of you who are over 50 and remember the Cowsills or even if you haven't, this movie is sure to interest you. The family band, popular in the late 60's was composed of five brothers, one little sister and their mother. All of them were talented musicians who perfected harmonizing. There were many hits, including "The Rain, the Park and Other Things", and "Hair".This story is about their journey from the time the original four brothers started the band, to the breakup of the band, and what happened to them many years later. They open up about very personal family issues, including a brother who wasn't allowed to join them even though he yearned to. They talk about family secrets, revealing a family who was far from the perfect, happy family the public saw.This is an entertaining movie, featuring the music of these very talented family members, many of whom became solo musicians and talented songwriters. At the same time, it is a story about a very real family with very real problems and tells each of its members individual stories. Throughout the movie you'll learn about how they coped and how most of them survived.This is a family who despite rejection, failure, tragedy and some other harsh realities, still love each other.