Box Watcher

Here is the problem with The Simpsons movie. More than any other show The Simpsons have gone out of their way to create and sustain a great group of secondary characters which are under used here. From Flanders to Otto to Principal Skinner to Millhouse to Comic book guy to Disco Stu. Part of the appeal of the show is seeing which of these characters will be used each week. In the context of twenty some half hour episodes everyone has a chance to shine. In an a hour and a half long movie, not so much. These characters are integral to the success of the show because, let’s face it, after 18 seasons we’ve seen Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie in almost every conceivable situation.

The Simpsons Movie starts out like a typical episode, Marge is doing housework, Lisa is campaigning for the environment, and Homer and Bart are driving each other nuts. Homer acquires a pig and soon is walking it on the ceiling. They get a lot of mileage out of the Spider-pig jokes. At the same time Lake Springfield is becoming a dumping ground, it’s become so polluted that one more dump could cause terrible damage to the environment. Of course this warning falls on deaf ears and Homer dumps the pig’s poo in the lake. The government puts a giant dome over Springfield and The Simpsons are chased out of town. With everything falling apart Homer and family must find a way to save Springfield.

The humor works very well. It’s that trademark Simpsons humor where you have the stupidest gags, Bart riding his skateboard naked through town and all the clever ways to cover his twig and berries, along with clever satire such as Homer’s commentary on why anyone would pay to get something they can get for free. The jokes fly with reckless abandon. Not all work but, most do.

The downside is there is nothing to really get emotionally invested in. We’ve seen variations of this story for years on the show. I think everyone understands that Homer will find a way to save Springfield and keep the family together.

As I touched on before, the lack of supporting characters dragged things down. Don’t get me wrong almost everyone is there but little time is spent with any of them. It would have been folly to make the movie longer than it already is, but a more inventive story could have worked a few of them in.

But enough of all that, I came to The Simpsons Movie to laugh and I did. Some people feel this movie is perhaps a few years too late. The show has definitely delcined in years, though it still has its moments. The decision to bring in an “all-star” writing team from previous seasons paid off.

The Simpsons Movie is a solid piece of work. It’s like watching an above average episode of the show. It moves the story along and keeps you laughing all the way through the end credits. More importantly it won’t leave thinking “Worst Movie Ever”.

**** out of *****

If you like The Simpsons Tv show, The South Park movie, or classic Flintstones cartoons, you should like The Simpsons Movie.