The Simpsons Movie: Review

The Simpsons Movie has been something a long time in the making and with its recent release, it was met with near unanimous praise, most of which seemed to be merely because it was a film dealing with the characters that we've grown to love for the past 19 or so years. Unfortunately, the film doesn't deal with all of its characters (no one really expected it too) and in reality, it doesn't even deal with most of its characters (but runs at a measly 87 minutes) resulting in a film that is, at times, mercilessly funny but doesn't quite cover enough ground to be fully satisfying.

Now I wholeheartedly understand, as most supporters are quick to point out, that almost every character in the show's history is in the movie at one point or another but for the most part, those appearances amount to cameos at best and with the exception of Flanders, none of those characters play a truly vital role to the film's progression. The Simpsons Movie is very much like the show in its focus on the Simpson's nuclear family as the narrative center. However, unlike the other bad boys of animation, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who took their small scale aspirations for South Park and transformed them into the magnificent South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, one of the finest musical comedies in recent memory. The team behind The Simpsons doesn't seem to have the same cinematic aspirations as Stone and Parker and despite the immense film experience the cast and crew possess, the drive, the ambition seems lacking here.

In many ways, the film itself is nothing more than a longer episode of The Simpsons and all in all, there is nothing wrong with that. It tracks the Simpson clan through their usual perils, this time starting with Homer dumping a giant silo of pig waste into the local lake, thus polluting it to a point where the Federal Government lowers a giant glass dome onto our beloved Springfield. Needless to say, an angry mob quickly descends onto the Simpson plot demanding Homer's head and only with the help of Maggie is the family able to live to see another day. They escape to Alaska but are soon drawn back to their hometown to save the day from the evil government agency that trapped them there in the first place.

Despite the possibility of the narrative, the film plays it tight, relying on the tried and true comedic styling of the show and for the most part, the film is very funny. In fact, more often than not, I found myself laughing hysterically, enjoying even the slightest visual gags the film had to offer. However, by the end of The Simpsons Movie, I had trouble finding many specific parts that I could talk about as being funny, certainly less than I had during the best years of the show. With little to no memorable scenes with the secondary characters, the humor was left to the family and too many of the jokes seemed familiar (yet funny) to fully leave a lasting memory. The best way I can describe it is that after a while, if one experiences life's great moments too often, they are still enjoyable, yet ultimately, mean less and less, each time they happen.

Unfortunately, there were too few instances of the sharp, biting humor that once made the show so indispensable and while the physical comedy that Homer and Bart endure is entertaining, without having the counter effects of a separate source of laughs, they blur together. After all, Modern Times without the political satire is a funny but meaningless film. City Lights without the painstakingly integrated pathos is a funny but emotionless film. The Simpsons Movie without the wit of the show's classics is a entertaining yet unfulfilling experience.

I don’t mean to completely bash the film as more often than not, I enjoyed it. It is just imperative to point out that the film leaves little lasting impact compared to the show's best moments. While it is obvious that the heyday of The Simpsons has come and gone, it still is slightly disappointing that these characters feature film debut could not better represent the glory days of the past. Rather, the film is no more than a diversion, a small pleasure for fans of the show but nothing to convert any of the non-believers. I wish it could have been more, I really do but I imagine that most would rather spend their hour and a half by just re-watching 3 or 4 episodes that one holds dear to their heart.

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