Rating of
3/4
The Simpsons Movie D'oh-lighfully Entertaining
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/29/07
The Simpsons Movie reminds me of the golden age of The Simpsons TV show - that magical 4th through 6th season where every episode seemed perfect. It has that near perfect blend of comedy and compassion. Like the best episodes, it deals with religion, politics, the environment and celebrity with wit and vigor.
The plot, as you would expect, veers wildly from one scene to the next. What starts off as a wonderful tale of a man and his pig (or should I say, Spiderpig?) takes a turn for the worst when, in typical Homer fashion, he decides donuts are more important than his town and dumps the accumulated pig waste into Lake Springfield instantly turning it toxic. Of course the town finds out and a mob seeks out the nefarious criminal and his family. A lucky sinkhole provides an escape to Alaska. Tensions between the family are high, but eventually they come together to save the town they hold so dear.
That's a nutshell, but there is so much going on, this will require multiple viewings to thoroughly enjoy. My favorite moments are the little things that make The Simpsons so long-lasting. The various blink-and-you'll-miss-them signs. The cameos from characters, and places, of years past - I'm certain nearly every Springfield resident and location makes at least on appearance, no matter how brief it may be. There are guest appearances - Green Day and Tom Hanks (stay for the credits to see what he really thinks) - that have short, but memorable scenes.
If there is anything wrong with the film it's that they try to pack so much into one film, it's impossible to catch it all the first time around. When they get to Alaska, it seems to drag a little and the Bart/Flanders subplot was reaching a bit. Those small quibbles aside, I thought this was one of the funniest and most entertaining films I have seen this year. Heck, you have Bart naked, President Schwarzenegger, a Spiderpig theme song and enough injuries (mostly to Homer) for an entire TV season. If that's not reason enough to see this, then I don't know what is.
