Review: The Simpsons Movie (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