I have been a Simpsons fan
since high school, wore my Don’t Have a Cow T-shirt
with pride, and spent
many of my favorite nights with friends and family watching the show,
so you’ll
see my bias coming through loud and clear.
However, with that history of loving the show came a
fear The
Simpsons
Movie could never live up to the wildest and highest of
expectations. Could
this adventure be as great as jumping
Springfield Gorge? Those
visits from
Sideshow Bob? Ralph
choo choo choosing
Lisa? Yes. Worst episode ever? No.
It might appear to be
another day in Springfield,
but everyone is in for a more gigantic challenge than ever. Homer’s (voice
by Dan Castellaneta) selfishness,
oafish behavior and poor parenting skills are about to culminate in one
of the
worst days of his life. Bart
(voice by
Nancy Cartwright) is fed up and drawn towards the loving kindness of
his new
father figure hero, Ned Flanders (voice by Harry Shearer). Lisa (voice by Yeardley
Smith) finally has
found a soulmate, but is being torn away from him just as love starts
to
bloom. Marge (voice
by Julie Kavner) is
being asked to stand by her man through another silly debacle. And,
the entire town of Springfield
wants to kill Homer for causing a disaster that threatens to destroy
their
homes and the town forever.
Can Homer make it right, win
back his family and save Springfield
from destruction?
The
Simpsons
Movie is
fantastic and hilarious because it focuses on the main characters and
avoids
the non sequiturs that have been driving away some fans of the show. The writing team (11 strong)
puts together the
best story we have seen in years, and sticks to it as each subplot
contributes
to the whole, instead of going off on tangents and roads to nowhere. GONE are the quick changes
in plot that don’t
seem to make sense and make you wonder what the first 10 minutes of the
show
were about, and IN is a story of epic proportions, complete with big action movie-type "camera angles" and motion.
Plus, we get to see our
favorite Simpsons characters from Homer and Bart all the way down to
Milhouse,
Otto, Groundskeeper Willie and more.
Instead of bringing in a bunch of big name
stars, The
Simpsons
Movie
is about
the characters we love, and gives each one a special moment for their
fans to
embrace, which is how it should be.
This
is a unique world with only the occasional visit from reality or people
we
actually know. Sure,
a couple of big
stars show up, and we get a different opening sequence than the TV
show, but these
factors never dominate. They
compliment
what we already love.
Since it is a movie, The
Simpsons
Movie
does take advantage of the PG-13 rating to show us parts of Bart
you never thought you would see, while a couple mild swear words find
their way
into the Simpsons’ vocabulary, as well as someone flipping
the bird. However, The
Simpsons
Movie
is not a festival
of four letter words that makes you think the writers had been storing
it up
for years and years, then let it pour out in overkill mode. The movie is at its best
as it skewers 20th
Century Fox, Disney, and its own audience instead of
unleashing the
filth.
The
Simpsons
Movie is
dedicated to being entertaining from beginning to end, so make sure you
stay
through the entire credits.
4 Waffles (Out of 4)
The
Simpsons Movie is
rated PG-13 for irreverent humor throughout (I'll also
add someone flipping the bird and we see one character's naughty bits)
.
Copyright
2007 - WaffleMovies.com
