Not necessarily just for small kids, as some claim! Especially good for those who are allergic to old B&W films, as most present-day kids and even adults are!
Unlike many reviewers, I can't compare this film with the '94 revival film, which generally gets higher ratings, as I haven't seen it.. Both films derive most of their skits from the original "Our Gang" shorts, later recycled on TV, usually, as "The Little Rascals". I noticed that the '94 film had two kid characters not present in this film: 'Froggy', and Jane, the latter have been present in just a few films after the demise of Dorothy Deborba, but before the beginning of Darla Hood, as the gang's leading lady sweetheart. Froggy was a nerdy character who didn't start the series until 1940, remaining until the series' demise. Mary Ann, who quit the series in 1931, is included in both films. She is characterized as a tomboy member of the gang. Not cute enough to quality as a leading lady sweetheart of the gang, she is contrasted with non-tomboy, girly, Darla, as the gang's semi-gang member sweetheart, mostly going back and forth between Alfalfa and sneaky, rich, Waldo: the gang's chief nemesis in this film. Strangely, in this film, Mary Ann is played by a Latino, who looks nothing like the original actress. Spanky reiterates the gang pledge that no girl was allowed in the gang. Someone points out that Marry Ann is a girl. "I mean, a real girl",i.e. Not a tomboy, he retorts. Mary Ann takes exception to this pronouncement. "Ok, Ok, You're a real girl" Spanky reluctantly admits......... A main reason I chose this film over the '94 film was the fact that Eden Wood, after having her normally blond hair dyed black, looked remarkably like the the original Darla Hood, whereas the actress in the '94 film doesn't look near as much like the original......... The kids playing Spanky, Alfalfa, and Porkey looked reasonably like the originals. Also, African American kids Stymie and Buckwheat were recognizable: the former with his Oliver Hardy-like derby hat, the latter with his long wild afro-like hair. Doris Roberts was great as grandma, and Valerie Azlynn as Miss Crabtree(June Bug, as called by her boyfriend, who periodically is hurt by a gang member, for comedic effect).
The overall theme of the film is for the gang to try to make money to help pay off Grandma's mortgage back payments, so she won't lose her long-established bakery to the bank, or have to sell it to rich kid Waldo's father, to turn it into a mall.
An early scene has the kids trying to make a 'velvet' birthday cake for a customer, while Grandma is at the bank. Of course, it nearly wrecks the oven, which rocks around, and explodes all over the bakery. After failing at various hired jobs, they decide to try to establish their own business. First, they devise a semi-automatic pet washing and grooming business, with a Rube Goldberg-like setup. But, eventually, Spanky mistakes a bottle of green dye for shampoo, causing the pets to come out green! So much for that business! ..........Next, they somehow put together a 'taxi', with gang mascot, Petey, on a treadmill, serving at the 'motor'. But, Waldo, not wanting them to succeed, sneakily, cut the wires to their brake. Hence, the taxi crashes at the bottom of a steep hill, after a wild ride.
Spanky's next idea is to stage a wrestling match between tall Alfalfa, and short Porky: posing as 'The Masked Marvel', with the assumption that Alfalfa will win. But, Waldo again foils the plan, by tying up and gaging Porky, and dressing the much taller bully ally Butch as the Marked Marvel. Well, you can imagine what happens!.
Spanky's final idea is to stage a kid's talent contest in a sizable auditorium. It looks like Waldo plus Darla will probably walk off with first prize, but he tries a dirty trick and Darla thwarts him, and abandons him for the gang. Remarkably, after a shaky start, Alfalfa's singing becomes quite melodious, and Darla eventually joins him, for a win.
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