 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The North Avenue Irregulars
- Review Date: January 13, 2012
- G
- Genre: Comedy
- 2004
Common Sense Media says
Church ladies become screwball sleuths in mild '70s comedy.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this mild madcap comedy from 1979 is full of silly car chases, one explosion where no one is hurt, and that's about it. The incompetence of some stereotyped church ladies turned sleuths generates most of the laughs; it's all pretty harmlessly funny except when men call them "ding-a-ling dames" and "stupid broads."
What's the story?
When Minister Hill (Edward Herrmann) starts work at the North Avenue parish one of his first decisions is a bad one: he hands over responsibility for the church emergency fund to a parishioner whose husband bets it all on a horse. When Hill tries to get it back he finds out the town is full of gambling rings and the police are in on it. Then come two men from the U.S. Treasury Department hoping Hill will help them break up the ring with the right connections in town. Hill goes door to door and can't get anyone to come forward, giving him the idea that no one would suspect the sleuthing of the nice church ladies who volunteer daily. They're a little too eager to help when he asks and bumble through placing bets with planted tape recorders and tailing the crooks through the streets. So much goes conspicuously wrong that the gamblers finally decide to fight back, putting the church ladies at risk and Minister Hill's job in jeopardy.
Is it any good?
THE NORTH AVENUE IRREGULARS is mild screwball silliness for a good 98 minutes. There are two minutes where the church explodes and Minister Hill questions himself, then we're back to it. The end car chase/crash scene keeps those giant '70s cars piling up -- but nowhere near the level of Blues Brothers. The ensemble cast is probably the best part, though they're not given the greatest forum for their talents. Cloris Leachman and Barbara Harris are particularly funny.
This is one of those comedies that would make you pause and enjoy 15 minutes on TV -- perhaps -- but it's not something viewers would actively seek out for full-throttle comic enjoyment. In other words, this '70s Disney effort is forgettable but will garner a few laughs.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about madcap comedies. Which ones do you like? How are older comedies like this one different from today's comic fare? How are they the same?
Families can also talk about the "ding-a-ling dames." Do terms like that offend you or do you think they're just hilariously outdated? Or a little of both? How does it show how things have changed since the '70s?
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| Topics: | misfits and underdogs |
| Studio: | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment |
| Director: | Bruce Bilson |
| Cast: | Barbara Harris, Edward Herrmann, Susan Clark |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 100 minutes |
| DVD release date: | July 6, 2004 |
| MPAA rating: | G |
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