The Simpsons Movie Review
by samseescinema (sammeriam AT comcast DOT net)July 30th, 2007
The Simpsons Movie
reviewed by Samuel Osborn
Director: David Silverman
Screenplay: James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone- Graham, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Mike Scully, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder, Jon Vitti
Cast: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Hank Azaria
MPAA Classification: PG-13
I like that The Simpsons Movie is well aware of its own near irrelevance. Homer addresses his audience in the beginning, asking what kind of dopes would pay ten dollars for something they could get on television for free. And, ironically, Homer has a point. The Simpsons Movie is no funnier than the finest episodes of its televised counterpart. The characters don't grow past their small screen existences in any essential, must-see way. And the plot, quite disappointingly, is not a draw. So why does The Simpsons Movie exist? It was a requirement of the television show from the beginning, of course. The epic legacy of the yellow cartoons wouldn't be complete had it not included a big screen doppelganger. And now that it's here, it's certainly appreciated. The film is diverting, devilish, and clever, despite not exerting much more extra effort than an updated color palette and some snazzy 3D layering. The Simpsons, somehow after all these years, can still surprise us with their sly invention on the outrageous.
But for all the tight-lipped secrecy surrounding the storyline, it's a wondrous let-down for the plot to be no more exceptional than what's appearing in this week's 22-minute episode. Continuing on the "Sick- Earth" theme of this Summer, The Simpsons Movie makes victims of our polluted planet and our ignoramus government. Governor Schwarzenegger is now President Schwarzenegger and he lets the vigilante head of the Environmental Protection Agency enclose Springfield in an indestructible bubble, imprisoning its citizens and their polluting ways for good. The bubbled fate is of course the doing of Homer Simpson (voice of Dan Castellaneta). For this the Simpsons clan is attacked by an angry mob of familiar peripheral characters and is forced to find a way to escape the bubble so as to make their escape to Alaska (where else?).
What's frustrating is that the usual smug intelligence of The Simpsons' satire is mysteriously absent here in this loaded storyline. The writing team makes countless jabs at global warming, Christian conservatism, and the EPA, but without their sharp, expected tact. The strategy here is blind hilarity. But luckily The Simpsons writers are pretty good at that too.
The doubt clouding most fans' minds, I expect, is whether one can tolerate The Simpsons' hysteria for a full ninety minutes. The formula does wear thin. But it hurries itself along quickly enough so as to not let any eyelids droop too far. And the jokes are flung in all directions, almost desperately so. By the end we're still laughing, though maybe reluctantly. There are only so many times Homer can say "D'OH!" to score a laugh.
What's important, I suppose, is for The Simpsons Movie to not be a failure. The idea is to rekindle our adoration for these many yellow oddities. And in this way the film reminds us of the television show's staying power. It's funny and diverting; which is all we tend to ask for from a half-hour sitcom. Our demands are higher within the movie theater though. And here's where The Simpsons Movie confuses. We leave the film perkier than before, our spirits mildly lifted. It's as though we've come from the couch in our living room, having put down the remote control to return to something more pressing. But we're leaving the movie theatre, ten dollars the lesser. So maybe Homer does have a point. We are all dopes paying a ticket's fee for something we could probably get for free.
Samuel Osborn
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