Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Church ladies become screwball sleuths in mild '70s comedy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
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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.
Talk to Your Kids 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 Do terms like that offend you or do you think they're just hilariously outdated?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?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : July 6, 2004
- Cast : Barbara Harris , Edward Herrmann , Susan Clark
- Director : Bruce Bilson
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 21, 2019
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