The North Avenue Irregulars

What a pleasant surprise.

Given it has one of the least exciting titles out there and, on Prime Video anyway, a poor cover (the actual cover is neat, tbf) I wasn't expecting much from 'The North Avenue Irregulars'. However, I'm pleased to say I had a fun time watching it.

First things first: The plot. It's manic and rather bonkers, but they execute it nicely. I found the humour suitably amusing, while the main characters are all likeable. The run time perhaps overruns by 5-10mins, though that's nothing serious. The ending is mad, in a positive way.

The cast are good. Barbara Harris, who is terrific in 1976's 'Freaky Friday', stars alongside a whole host of other women - something I only state as it's unusual for this era of Disney. Those alongside Harris include Cloris Leachman, Virginia Capers, Susan Clark, Karen Valentine and Patsy Kelly. Elsewhere, Edward Herrmann and Michael Constantine do fine jobs.

A fun, shenanigan-filled film from 1979.

This film is very entertaining and definitely for all audiences. A group of elderly ladies forms a "neighborhood watch", or better a "neighborhood clean-up crew". They join forces to rid their formerly "nice neighborhood" of the trash that gives it a bad name.

Fearless and determined, the "North Avenue Irregulars" (played by many familiar comediennes) show the bad guys who's boss and reclaim their "turf". Many laughs, and a timely message: Don't let the scum take over your neighborhood!

This kind of story was more timely during the 70s and early 80s, when serious gang violence plagued most of America. In the 21st Century, this once hopeless situation has become much less of a problem. Much of the credit for the "cleaning up" of our streets indeed goes to the countless local "neighborhood watch" efforts, telling the bad guys to clean up their act or be hauled away. Kids will still enjoy this film for its "Home Alone" methods of dealing with "bad guys".

Excellent movie...Cloris Leachman steals the show...as she usually does in any project she is in..this group of actors work wonderfully together...loved the car chasing scenes and the ending in the junkyard with its smash up derby is funny ...Disney succeeds again

One of the last of Disney's live-action features that truly appealled to kids and parents, THE NORTH AVENUE IRREGULARS concerns a newly-arrived minister(Edward Herrman)who suggests that his flock look for ways to increase the church budget. When the ne'er-do-well husband of one of the church ladies bets the church funds on a fixed horserace, the minister sets out to recoup the funds and uncovers an illegal betting racket in his town. At the prompting of the local authorities, the good reverend and a group of church ladies go undercover to catch the crooks. What ensues is equal parts car chase/slapstick/G-rated comedy, as the motley assortment of soccer moms, little old ladies, and well-coiffed housewives race thier station wagons, pickup trucks, and Lincoln Continentals towards the inevitable happy conclusion. One sour note is a gratuitous rock group enlisted to liven up church services. The group, Strawberry Shortcake, looks and sounds about ten years behind the times, like the 1910 Fruitgum Co. after having gotten religion. Oh well, it is an Disney flick . . .

I swear, I absolutely loved this movie and I have to go out and find it to buy or buy it online. It really is one of those movies you should own. I remember my Mom, sister and I watching this as a kid. Just for giggles I rented it online and watched it tonight and was taken back to my youth and remember how hard we laughed over this movie. They don't make them like this anymore I guess (I sound old huh?) Cloris Leachman and her nail scene brought tears to my eyes just like it did the first time I saw it. Taking it to Mom's tomorrow so my nephews can watch it,I know they'll get just as big a kick out of it as we did oh so many moons ago! You want clean, family fun, rent this!