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The Simpsons Movie – Spoiler Free Review

Why? Why did Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, et al… have to go and make a feature movie from their classic brainchild, The Simpsons? Are not the 18 seasons enough to sooth even the most casual fan?

No? Well then go to the theatre and check out the big screen version of everyone’s favorite family in, The Simpsons Movie; I mean, why not? People have been tuning in for the last 18 years on their televisions at home, so progressing to the big screen, I guess, was only natural.

Right?

My apathy towards The Simpson Movie coming through yet?

I have been a fan of The Simpsons since their first appearance on The Tracy Ullman Show way back in the late 80s, and have stuck with them ever since. But during the last few years, the show has been descending into mediocrity and the formula is been wearing thin.

Perhaps the lack of television edginess happened because the writers focused on The Simpsons Movie. After all Groening and company have been working on the film for four years, using traditional (and some darn beautiful) animation.
Unfortunately, I discovered that was not the case about fifteen minutes into The Simpsons Movie. The story played out like an extended episode on television.
Lake Springfield has been the dumping grounds of waste and garbage for years, everything from Krusty the Clown’s restaurant waste to Fat Tony’s “packages”.
Finally, Springfield’s own little Al Gore, Lisa Simpson, convinces the town leaders that dumping in the lake must be prohibited and the dumping ceases.

Until everyone’s favorite Dad (Lisa’s Dad to boot), Homer, dumps a silo full of pig droppings into the lake. This puts the EPA in a tizzy so much so that the head of the EPA, Russ Cargill (wonderfully voiced by Albert Brooks) puts an end to Springfield by placing a dome over the entire city to protect the surrounding areas from this environmental nightmare and, of course, all hell breaks loose.
I didn’t hate The Simpsons Movie, nor did I love it. There are some hilarious moments, including a great cameo by Tom Hanks, but nothing really stood out as noteworthy. The film took advantage of the rating system, earning a PG-13 rating and let some of the characters do things they could not get away with on network TV, but it wasn’t enough.

If a feature film jumps from television, then there has to be something deeper going on or at least continue the course of the television show, or its characters. Not just an excuse to see Otto, the school bus driver, taking a toke on a bong.
The X-Files is a good example of a television show made into a good film. It played into the integral story line of Fox Mulder and did a great job of taking the concept of the show to an area never seen before.

Of course, The Simpsons was never as deep or intriguing as The X-Files, it was (and occasionally still is) a fun half-hour just to tune in and have fun with. This leads me back to my original question…

Why?

What makes The Simpsons such a fresh and entertaining show is not the namesakes of the show’s title. If I were to take a poll among the fans of the show, I would bet dollars to doughnuts that Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie are not the most popular characters.

Mr. Burns, Moe, Lenny & Carl, Professor Frink, The Comic Book Guy, Ralph Wiggum…they would make my list and many other lists I am sure. My point being that there was not enough time spent on any of the minor characters. In a half hour episode you can have a story line about the family, but the true joy was the inclusion of others. The Simpsons Movie just did not have the time to devote to the minor characters. Yes, they were all there and I applaud the writers for giving us a chance to see everyone, even Itchy and Scratchy, yet it was just not enough.

So there you go folks. The Simpsons Movie while entertaining just did not have that little extra something to make it necessary to transform on the silver screen. And still leaves that nagging question as I left the theatre…why?

The Simpsons Movie receives 2.5 out of 5 critical hits.

Boo Ya!