"I can't believe we're paying to watch something we could see on TV for free"
Written: Aug 02 '07
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Great script, constantly funny, good characterization, and decent animation
Cons: I want to see it again right away!
The Bottom Line: The Simpsons Movie has restored my age-old love for the hilarious program, and it's great even for casual fans
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| duke101's Full Review: The Simpsons Movie |
I'm one of those Simpsons purists who believes that new episodes of the show are not capable of being even half as funny as it was back in the day of seasons 3-6, when The Simpsons was quite possibly the best television program of all time. For that reason, I was a bit skeptical walking into the theaters to see a movie that could have come out more than a decade ago. I was surprised to find out that not only was the movie consistently hilarious (good enough to not be plagued by an onslaught of epinions that would inevitably have the title "worst. movie. ever"), but also that the movie often paid tribute to the tone of the show from many seasons ago (with such jokes as a view inside Homer's brain to see what's going on in there, if anything).
The plot of the movie (yes, it's not just a random series of jokes thrown together as it is so often on tv) is centered around the decision of the Environmental Protection Agency to seal off Springfield from the rest of the world because of its extensive pollution (largely contributed to by Homer Simpson). This plotline might sound like it has all the makings of a script written by preachy Lisa Simpson, but despite the underlying message that we have to be aware of the world outside of ourselves, the movie never hits you over the head with it. The environmental issue is just a pretext to get the story going, in which Homer must go from being Springfield's most hated to the hero of the day (if I say anymore, I'd be spoiling the storyline).
Over the course of the movie, diehard Simpsons fans are treated to cameo appearances (often in the background) of such obscure characters as that art teacher voiced by Jon Lovitz in Season 3 who kept praising Marge's work in the one where she painted Mr. Burns in the nude. But you really have to look for them, undoubtedly providing a good reason to rewatch the movie multiple times when it comes out on DVD. But fear not, the movie is good to audiences that are not Simpsons snobs as well, with plenty of jokes accessible to those who have never even seen an episode of The Simpsons (but shame on you if you fall into that category).
While paying tribute to dozens of classic Simpsons characters, the movie still finds time to focus in depth on each of the core Simpsons characters. Surpsingly, not even the baby Maggie is shortchanged, as she winds up saving the day a couple times. Bart gets a more audacious plotline than any he is had on television where he skateboards through town in the nude on a dare from his father Homer, and then tries to form a more healthy parental relationship with the neighbor Ned Flanders. Lisa gets a romantic interest in the form of a young Irish environmentally-concerned boy, who as he constantly reminds the audience, is not the son of Bono from U2. And Marge goes through a crisis that tests her marriage to Homer, which actually gets pretty heavy for some of the movie, even if you know how it's inevitably going to turn out.
But above all else, the jokes take center stage. The movie consistently self-aware and ready to poke fun at itself in a way that I don't think any movie I've ever seen has done. For instance, Homer taunts the audience at the beginning with the line "I can't believe we're paying to watch something we could see on TV for free." Even more clever, watch for a tagline on the bottom of the screen in which Fox advertises the latest television program during the movie, and then informs the audience that yes, it even advertises during movies.
And while the movie doesn't force too many slapstick jokes of Homer injuring himself down your throat, there's still a fair amount of such jokes thrown in to please any fan, but with more of a twist than you get to see on the show. What I mean is that we all know Homer is going to do something stupid, but when it's not the result that we expect, it's a whole lot more funny.
Finally, I should point out that while this movie is based on a television program with often primitively drawn characters, the animation is actually much better for this movie with a more computerized feel. It's not like the South Park movie where they just took the exact same crude animation and pasted it onto the screen, so they do give you something for your $10 or however much you have to spend.
All in all, the Simpsons Movie is an intelligent, faithful to the program adaptation, that is still accessible to only casual fans. If you have a sense of humor, you can't afford to miss this one. And even if your heart is as black as that of Mr. Burns, this movie should still make you crack a smile once in awhile.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Funny Movie
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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Epinions.com ID:
duke101
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Member: Adam
Reviews written: 174
Trusted by: 16 members
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