THE SIMPSONS MOVIE: EVEN BETTER THAN I EXPECTED
Written: Jul 27 '07 (Updated Jul 27 '07)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Non-stop hilarity from beginning to end and even a sentimentality thrown in
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: For an escape from the hum-drum of movieland, this one is a must-see
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| mike.holmes's Full Review: The Simpsons Movie |
All too often, a movie based on a successful television series doesn't live up to expectations. Think "Mission Impossible", "The X-Files", and "Bewitched." I wasn't really too worried that this would happen to one of the most successful franchises in television history, namely "The Simpsons" because I knew that all of the people responsible for the television show made the movie.
Yet, one question that I wondered about is whether the movie could sustain the high level of humor over its full 85 minutes. That's actually more than 3 television shows because there were no advertising breaks in the bigscreen version.
All of those fears were quickly dispelled from the very first "scenes" from the animated film which include an otherworldly fight to the death between the mortal enemies Itchy and Scratchy. If you are a fan of the television show, you'll automatically realize that the Itchy-Scratchy scene is a show that the Simpson family is watching on the tube. The nature of Matt Groening's humor (the creator of the T,V. show) and show developer James L. Brooks is immediately shown by Homer's Simpson's castigation that "everyone was a sucker to pay for a movie that they could see free on television." These guys don't just make fun of everybody and every thing else. They even pick on themselves.
THE PLOT
A professional review that I read about this film very wisely pointed out that trying to explain the plot of this film is a virtual impossibility. In a nutshell, Homer Simpson falls in love with a pig; this causes his son Bart to wish his neighbor Mr. Flanders was his father; Homer and his pig cause a major environmental catastrophe; Springfield is isolated from the world (as ordered by President Arnold Schwarzenegger); and Homer and his family are chased out of their hometown.
However, the brilliance of this film (or the television show for that matter) is not the plot. No, what makes this film special are the constant verbal and sight gags that fly at you at the speed of light and sound. There is hardly a 30 second span in which something funny is not said or shown. Oh, there are a couple of side plots that I've already mentioned. Lisa Simpson, in particular, strongly advocates taking better care of the environment, especially the polluted Lake Springfield, but she is totally ignored. And, the aforementioned story of father-son attachment is important.
With all that aside though, "The Simpsons Movie" makes fun of the U.S. government (a rather easy target lately), organized religion, the entertainment industry and everything else that can be thrown into the works.
I don't want to spoil the gags in the film but I will mention one that really had me laughing:
When the Simpsons are considered fugitives by the U.S. Government, we are shown a giant room in which individuals are listening in to all the phone conversations in the U.S. no matter how banal. When one operator happens to hear Marge Simpson's voice, he jumps up and yells, "We finally found somebody the U.S. government is looking for."
WHY I LOVED THE FILM
With the most obvious reason I loved this film being its continuation of the high level of comedy, kudos must also be given to all of the actors who provide the voices for the film. Most, if not all, are the same as on the television show. Just a few of those actors are:
Dan Castellaneta: Homer Simpson, Itchy, Barney, Grampa plus numerous others
Julie Kavner: Marge Simpson
Nancy Cartwright: Bart Simpson
Yeardley Smith: Lisa Simpson
Harry Shearer: Mr. Burns, Scratchy, Principal Skinner, Arnold Schwarzenegger
The art direction by Dima Malanitcher not only re-creates an accurate representation of the television show, but also includes some beautiful scenes from around the country.
All of my worries were dispelled as I laughed from beginning to end. The 85 minutes flew by as the absurd actions of this dysfunctional Simpson family provided continuing surprises and laughs for the audience. One other hint: this is a film that you don't want to leave when the credits start to role.
FIVE BIG STARS
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Funny Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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mike.holmes
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Member: Mike Holmes
Location: Odessa, Texas
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TO HONOR TED KENNEDY, CONGRESS SHOULD PASS A MEANINGFUL HEALTH CARE BILL
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