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The Simpsons Movie
Translating a television show into a cinematic experience will result in failure more often than not. Be it critical, financial, or even both, failure is basically inevitable. The film landscape is littered with ideas that were better left on the small screen. Bewitched, The Dukes Of Hazzard, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Flintsones, Rocky & Bullwinkle… the list goes on and on and on and on. It’s because of this less than stellar track record that it would be only natural to approach The Simpsons Movie with a decent amount of apprehension. Who would want to see the legacy of one of television’s smartest and most innovative comedies tarnished by an ill-advised trip to the multiplex? Talk about real pain. Add to that the reality that the series has been spotty at best over the past few years and that the movie itself has been some sixteen years in the making and you have all of the ingredients for a disaster. It’s a relief, then, that Matt Groening and crew have managed to buck the odds and deliver what amounts to a giant “thank you” to their fanbase. Using our decaying environment as their topical hook, Groening and his writing staff have fashioned a more than worthy foray onto the big screen as the film finds the town of Springfield in dire environmental straits. After Lake Springfield swallows Green Day in the middle of a performance (a very satisfying visual, by the way), the town’s citizens, spurred on by much prodding by resident rabble-rouser Lisa, adopt measures to clean up their polluting ways, one of which is the elimination of dumping waste (nuclear and Krusty Burger included) into the lake. Of course, this being The Simpsons, Homer ignores all warnings, setting off a chain reaction of events that leads to the federal government’s decision to encase the entire town in a giant glass bubble that prevents any Springfieldian from escaping and spreading their damaging habits across the country at large. This forces the Simpsons family on a journey of self-discovery for each member, which proves to be one of the strengths of the film. Whereas the series has gotten formulaic almost to a fault – the first five minutes will be a total non-sequitur, leading into the overriding plot of the episode until a crazy finale – the film’s lengthier running time allows for the ability to give every member of the family a purpose: Marge’s dilemma of conscience; Lisa’s predictable martyrdom; Bart’s sad realization that Ned Flanders represents a stronger father figure than Homer; Homer being… well… Homer; and even Maggie’s surprising discovery that shifts the plot in new directions. The writing is top notch as well. Gags that make the series what it is are employed throughout the movie, namely good natured pokes at the audience and at the series’ corporate master, the FOX network. Naturally, this being a film, the pacing is a little different and the animation has been punched up to fit its more grandiose settings, but the movie succeeds in feeling like a logical extension of the series. For something that was anticipated for as long and as strongly as The Simpsons Movie was, that’s really more than anyone could ask for. Groening and company also wisely avoid the temptation to pack the larger landscape with celebrity cameos, deciding instead to pepper a few here and there to exceptional result. The experience of seeing the town of Springfield and all of its denizens on the silver screen is striking, and while it’s not entirely perfect (there are so many beloved ancillary characters that including them all would have been impossible, and the film honestly does lag at spots) The Simpsons Movie is the funniest and smartest work that this crew has put out in years. It’s beyond inspiring to see that in the Family Guy/South Park age, The Simpsons is still as relevant and as irreverent as ever.

Dirty Rating: 84/100

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