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The Simpsons Movie
Directed by: David Silverman
Starring: Dan Castellaneta (voice)
Genre:
Animated
Run Time: 87
min.
Release Date:
July 2007
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Chad Wilson |
I've
largely managed to avoid the last 18 years of THE SIMPSONS MOVIE
popular culture saturation simply by avoiding most television. While
the characters have been filtered through to me via the odd episode,
many water cooler discussions and obvious references in daily life, it
had been years since I watched a complete episode of the show. The film
version of The Simpsons Movie is much funnier than I recall of
the television series, but still not so great a success that I would
become a new fan.
In a sufficiently hilarious plot, Homer accidentally pollutes the river
of his town Springfield by dumping a makeshift silo filled with pig
crap. In response to the massive ecological damage Homer causes, the
Environmental Protection Agency seals the entire town under a massive,
transparent dome. When Homer's mistake becomes public, his wife Marge,
son Bart, and daughters Maggie and Lisa must all flee Springfield to
escape the angry mob. As the situation in Springfield worsens, Homer
must face his shortcomings, bring his dysfunctional family together and
rescue his hometown.
The Simpsons Movie is larger and better animated than the
television series, but retains all the many characteristics of the small
screen version. The film features a memorable opening sequence, plenty
of quirky characters from the show and much of the fast paced wit. The
plot of the film, patently ludicrous in concept, succeeds as both
visually stimulating in animated form and cleverly delivered with jokes
that hit home again and again. There is as much intelligent comedy as
there is baser jokes and some really biting jabs at everything from
politics to popular culture itself which offer a lot to smile at. The
voice acting is amusing and faithful and many jokes appear in the movie
that became standards in common usage thanks to the television show. As
a comedy film, you'd be hard pressed to find many other movies in the
genre that could match The Simpsons Movie.
The one common complaint I hear about The Simpsons Movie is it
just wasn't funny enough and as a non-fan I found this true in my
case. The film is an enjoyable work of popular culture comedy and even
social satire, but is not as great as the quality I would expect from
such a universally popular television show. I would suspect the film
makes for a top tier episode from the show or a worthy television movie,
but I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed for such a high
profile film. Disappointment is no stranger in today's world of
overblown media hype, but The Simpsons Movie is still judged by
whatever measure of quality the viewer has. In my case, I found the film
enjoyable and worth watching, but its not the best comedy I've seen.
This animated film is far funnier and more entertaining than most live
action comedies, but not quite the classic for which many were hoping.
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Image from The Simpsons
Movie
DVD cost: $19.99
Purchase:
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Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
The Simpson's movie
debuted in Springfield, Vermont. 20th Century Fox held a contest to
select 1 of 16 possible Springfields (spanning from Oregon to Nebraska
to Massachusetts) to decide which city would host the premiere.
Springfield, Vermont won, just beating out Springfield, Illinois.
Movie Quote: "This
book doesn't have any answers!"
Other Actors/Actresses
from The Simpsons Movie
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