The Simpsons Movie

Review by Loc

Remember “Do the Bartman?” Yeah, probably not, cause all you folks are youngsters. But I’ll tell you this much, back when I was a young’in, when cell phones were the size of refrigerators, there was this huge TV show named The Simpsons. It was hailed as a modern day Flintstones, a prime-time animated series that poked fun at all of pop culture. It was so huge it even took down The Cosby Show at one point. Do you youngsters know what The Cosby Show was? Oh, fer crying out loud, your generation is lost, don’t know quality sitcom TV if it hit you on the head five times a day on TBS. Back to the movie. Quick hit: it’s good, but you kids wouldn’t know good if it gave you a swift kick to the behind!

Yes, The Simpsons were a phenomenon in the early 90s. They were so big, they spawned very bad catchphrases like “Don’t have a cow, man” and “Ay caramba!” It led to the perfunctory pop album with stuff like “Do the Bartman” filling the airwaves. Yes, life for a The Simpsons fan was great. Then the hype died away, and the show hit some lows and bounced back with smaller highs, finally settling in to a nice comfort zone. Other shows came up, trying to recreate the irreverent, cynical humor, things like Futurama, Family Guy, even recent things like American Dad. However, The Simpsons became an American institution at some point, strolling along on its own path without a care in the world.

So, why not pump out a feature-length movie at the height of its popularity, why not have the “Do the Bartman” movie when crowds would eat it up? Who knows, that’s for the creators to answer. Yet, holding off on the movie until now, nearly two decades after it burst on to the scene, leaves hope. Hope for a quality film over hot-shot, quickie sludge. Hope that the Hollywood machinery would have less control over this long-stewing project as opposed to a slam-bam, churn-it-out mess. And for all that hope, The Simpsons Movie delivers quite well.

It’s not magnificent, it’s not pure comic genius, but it does deliver a good round of laughs. It escapes the feel of an extended television episode, which so many TV-show-turned-movies fall prey to once they hit the silver screen. With several plot threads running through the film, you’re treated to a nice variety of good stuff. There’s the Homer/pig debacle, the environmental sludge of Lake Springfield, the on-the-run travels to Alaska, the environ-dome over Springfield, Bart recognizing the value of the paternal Flanders, and the big finale. Lots of different things to keep your mind from wandering.

The comedy is very good, but not necessarily gutbusting humor. There’s the straightforward stuff like President Schwarzenegger or the Homer/pig sight gags. There’s more subtle stuff, rips on the government and the EPA, random jokes about Bono, but those jokes are far fewer than expected. There’s some PG-13, never-before-seen on TV gags, too, such as Bart’s buck naked skate ride or Homer flipping the bird. It’s fun stuff, nice to get a chuckle and a laugh. Yet, it was never funny enough to make your eyes water or your abs ache from uncontrollable laughter.

With a full-length feature, one would expect more from the supporting characters of Springfield. More Apu or Barney, subplots with Mr. Burns and Smithers, just more ensemble. But that’s not what you get. Instead, you’re left with small cameos, and a completely Simpson family-centric flick. Which is a shame, because some of Springfield’s cast have become prime-time players in their own right.

Overall, The Simpsons Movie is a fun ride, it does bring the television show into the big screen arena with quality entertainment. And while it does live up to the movie-level expectations, it doesn’t necessarily exceed them by that much. There’s some pretty funny stuff and you won’t be disappointed. However, it’s slightly unsettling when visiting a real-life Kwik-E-Mart, which is a movie-tie-in converted 7-11, is more thrilling than the movie itself. Maybe we just want to experience Springfield more than we want to watch more antics from the Springfield crew. Out of 100 d’ohs, The Simpsons Movie Homer’s its way to 75. Solid effort, good fun.