The Simpsons Movie

The first preview for "The Simpsons Movie" is one of my all time favorites but I really wish I had seen it in the theaters because then the element of surprise would have been there completely. Instead, I saw it during an episode of the TV show. Speaking of that, this movie was long overdue. "The Simpsons", over the course of its long existence, has changed society. The word "D'oh" has been added to the dictionary and other idioms from the show are equally famous. The characters are known the world over and the show lead to the creation of other successful primetime animated shows such as "King of the Hill" and "Family Guy". The movie was another successful outcome of the show. I like the dramatic undertones in various scenes and how many past writers of the show came back to help with this motion picture. The show is funny and should be watched at least once by moviegoers.

Because of the colorful characters of Springfield, this movie did not need a hit story to be successful. The only thing that I desired going in was a story that could have been a TV episode but was stretched out to feature length instead. Otherwise, it wouldn't have felt like "The Simpsons". The cast of characters is more that capable of carrying the movie. I wanted humor above anything else and I got it. There is also a slight level of drama so that is good. Some gags that I enjoy are Ralph's contribution to the 20th Century Fox theme and Homer calling the audience stupid for paying to see something that they can see on TV for free. I saw this movie on the big screen a second time in 2012 as part of a charity event so the latter joke was just as funny then. That cocoa that Flanders offers Bart is way too funny. No way anyone could resist it. This movie has a similar villain as on "Ghostbusters". Albert Brooks, who plays Russ Cargill, has been on the show a few times before so he worked as the villain. When the dome approaches Springfield, I find it extremely funny that the church members go to Moe's and those already at Moe's run into the church. I love the "Get him" icon on Springfield news as well as Grandpa's line, "I'm part of the mob". Later in the movie if you are watching, Homer is playing a videogame in a bar called "Eski-moe's" in Alaska. I find that pretty funny as well as "Clap for Alaska". The film also has some needed drama although some moments on the TV show in its first few seasons felt more dramatic. The best performance in the film goes to Julie Kavner as Marge. She had to record Marge's message to Homer over a hundred times and the end product is really good. I would next applaud Harry Shearer as Flanders. The story required Flanders to be a little dramatic and Shearer accomplished this. I really applaud the use of "(They Long to Be) Close to You". This song has come to represent Homer and Marge's love ever since it was first used on the TV show episode "The Way We Was". The climax is fun and I love the use of Springfield Gorge from the second season episode "Bart the Daredevil". If you watch Carl during the subsequent celebration, he moves just like Lando does as the end of "Return of the Jedi". The callback with the line "Best kiss of your life so far" is very smart. The end credits have some funny moments but the teenage employee's line hits a little too close to home. The weird part is that when I saw this movie, I was in film school. After I graduated, I got a job working at a movie theater.

All the main cast members from the TV show did some of their best work on this movie. Tom Hanks' cameo was really good and I love his line during the end credits. The script for "The Simpsons Movie" was worked on in the same bungalo where Matt Groening first pitched the show back in '87. Many of those who used to work on the TV show came back to be a part of the film. The long list of writers is proof of how many "alumni" came back. Brad Bird wanted to help but he was too busy making "Ratatouille". Conan O'Brien also fancied the idea of helping to write but he felt that he had lost his touch. The director of this movie, David Silverman, did quit his job at Pixar to help with the film (he co-directed "Monsters Inc."). To be frank, the music of the film did not perfectly work. We are so used to Alf Clausen's score on TV that Hans Zimmer's score just doesn't fit. I do like the story of how the choir version of "Spider Pig" came to be. Zimmer had some extra time with the choir in the studio and so he quickly put this together for no apparent reason. The filmmakers liked it so much that it was added to Homer's dream sequence and Zimmer ended up having to record the song in many languages as a result. In my personal opinion, "The Simpsons" is not PG-13 entertainment. Thus some moments in the film just don't work such as Bart's male body part and when Homer fingers the mob.

This movie was a huge success financially and it was thanks to the fact that both fans and new audiences were entertained. I remember the promotions for this show such as some 7-Elevens being transformed into Kwik-E-Marts. For the DVD release, the Empire State Building in New York City was illuminated yellow. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes but lost to "Ratatouille". This is basically what happened with every award that "The Simpsons Movie" was nominated for in 2007. While I feel that "The Simpsons" and its movie are not for young children, the film is funny and contains the drama that a feature film needs. I guess I can ignore the PG-13 elements but not enough to allow me to buy the Blu-ray.

4 Stars