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The Simpsons Movie Reviewed by Rich Drees
Yes, it may seem odd to release a movie version of a television
series that was still currently airing new episodes (the only other
example that springs to mind is The X-Files film, which was
also a Fox network show), but The Simpsons Movie addresses
that right up front. It also comes up again with a couple of other
inspired jokes as the movie progresses. But rather than feel like a
regular length, half-hour episode stretched to barely feature-length
size, the writers, all eleven of them, of The Simpsons Movie
have created a story that feels epic enough to be on the silver
screen. The writers clearly seem to be energized by the larger
canvas they have to work with, even though the expanse of the story
sometimes feels to come at the expense of the comedy.
The story twists and turns in many unexpected but hilarious ways. A series of at first seemingly unrelated events escalate to appoint where the President of the United States orders the town of Springfield to be isolated from the rest of the country via a large dome. Tracing the cause of this turn of events back to Homer, the Simpsons clan finds themselves on the run.
Surprisingly, the movie has, not one, but two, emotional storylines and the credit for them working as well as they do rest on the vocal talents of Julie Kavner as the Simpson’s blue-haired matriarch Marge and Yeardley Smith as daughter Lisa. (Oddly enough, Kavner and Smith are the only two members of the main cast who don’t do multiple-duty voicing numerous characters.) As the long-suffering wife of perpetual screw-up Homer, Marge has always stuck by her man despite his flaws. But as the film enters its third act, she finds herself faced with a heartbreaking decision and Kavner delivers Marge’s decision in a way that genuinely tugs at the heartstrings. Meanwhile, Lisa has met a boy with whom she falls immediately head-over-heels for. The script does a good job at capturing the nervous giddiness many experience during their first flush of young love. The key to both is that the actresses bring a sweet sincerity to their performances that totally sell their scenes. Bart and Homer also have a storyline where they come to understand each other better, though I fully expect such character development to be jettisoned by the television series for the sake of continued comedy. |
It seems odd looking back to January 1989, that the Fox Television
Network animated series The Simpsons created quite the
outrage among the usual folks who tend to get outraged over things
on television. To hear them speak, one would have thought the fall
of western civilization was imminent due to one little yellow-tinged
cartoon kid telling his teachers “Eat my shorts.” But the show
proved popular with the public, civilization more or less stood its
ground and the morally outraged soon found other things to vent
about. Now nearly two decades later, the show has become an
institutionalized part of American pop culture. It’s also making the
jump from the small to big screen with the release of the
appropriately titled The Simpsons Movie. 