HOME IMPROVEMENT: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON

(TV-G)
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *1/2 (out of 5)

STARRING
Tim Allen as TIM TAYLOR
Patricia Richardson as JILL TAYLOR
Jonathan Taylor Thomas as RANDY TAYLOR
Zachery Ty Bryan as BRAD TAYLOR
Tarn Noah Smith as MARK TAYLOR
Richard Karn as AL
Earl Hindeman as WILSON
Debbe Dunning as HEIDI KEPPERT

Studio: ABC

BY KEVIN CARR

With the release of “8 Simple Rules,” ABC has also released its other Detroit-based sitcom family with “Home Improvement: The Complete Seventh Season.” I have been hard on this show in the past, mainly for its ultra-feministic attitudes in earlier seasons. However, by the fifth season, things had smoothed out and found the entertainment value with the silliness and ineptitude of everyone in the Taylor family.

While the seventh season does regress a bit into the feminist stand-by of Jill being the ultra-perfect mother, it resists the political preaching enough to make these episodes enjoyable. More irritating, however, is the way the show dips into the “issue of the week” bucket. We see Brad’s flirting with illegal drugs, and we watch how Randy takes on the world’s environmental problems.

I can give a bit of a pass on the show’s message because the kids are no longer little boys and are now teenagers. At least in this season, when the show preaches, it isolates it to just an episode or two. And for the first time, the antics at home have become as funny as the antics on the “Tool Time” show-within-a-show.

Running dry on DVD extras after six other collections released, there’s only bloopers on this one.