SYC Reviews: The Simpsons Movie

There are a series of movies I've missed especially in the last year in theaters. One of those is what will be reviewed today: The Simpsons Movie. I had the chance to see it recently, and it is yet another film that has expectations built up over so many years (pretty much 20 at this point) that would be hard to exceed. Regardless of that, what follows is a fun experience.

The Simpsons is both a highly loved property and by now, grating on some tv watchers' nerves. This may be because after nearly two decades of shows, it's hard to be original and creative. The show does manage to come up with new stuff each week, though many times they are retreads of old material, and the main issue some come up with is that it just isn't as clever or funny as it used to be. Ironically, a few of the shows that followed the film's release seemed to reinvigorate the funny back into the show. The issue probably just stems from the fact that culture today has moved towards the Family Guy style of random humor instead of the family showcase that is the Simpsons. So while it has always been a big bankable show, what took so long to make a movie? Why do it now, when the show isn't quite as popular as it used to be, and how can it live up to the name?

The danger in making a movie based on a currently running TV show is that if it isn't good enough, it can nearly doom the show. For instance, the X-Files film didn't really do much to keep the series alive and it seemed the Beavis and Butthead film was, while entertaining, the last joke for that show as well. However, if you look at something like South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, the film not only was a big success, it brought it back into the spotlight and allowed it to become the 10 year long running juggernaut it is today. So what does the Simpsons movie do? Well it kind of falls in between. It many ways it plays like an extended episode, but also one of the funnier episodes in years. Probably the best thing about is the big screen feel it has, even just the enhanced sound and crisper picture give it that cinematic jolt.

Plot-wise, it's not all that deep but it has just enough to give it a movie-sized issue. Enough that Homer screws things up so bad that the entire town wants his head and the Simpson family is on the run from both them and the government. Of course it is seemingly impossible to think up a story that would be bigger than anything they've ever done, let alone trying to not copy South Park's huge war/hell scenario. Still, the scope is just big enough to feel like it's worth it and the characterizations are quite excellent.

The most important part of this film though? The jokes, no question and there are quite a few good ones. Some smack you over the head like the sight gags, others are subtle yet smart/cute (Bart saying "Oh my god" after having an amazing hot cocoa from Flanders that he at first refused), and others are repetitive yet hit everytime like the totally enjoyable Spider-Pig. The film never once drags, though the beginning and parts of the middle may seem more like side trips than part of the main story. At the very least, the climax is both fun and exciting to watch.

In all, The Simpsons Movie is for those that both enjoy the series and who might like to take at least one last trip with primetime television's most beloved American cartoon family. It's also a pretty good animated film in general, just don't expect the kind of mesmerizing stuff you'd get from a Pixar movie. So The Simpsons Movie grabs the Silver Medal of D'oh-nuts. Mmm, silver pastries. Put it on, lay back, and have a fun time.