Homer’s odyssey

>> The Simpsons Movie is funny but falls
short of the show’s best work

by MATTHEW HAYS

In the spirit of full disclosure, I should begin this review by outing myself. For years, I was an utter and complete Simpsons geek: reciting dialogue from the show, recounting episodes as if that passed for good conversation and never missing it during its first airing (not to mention copious rerun viewing). I was one of the mob who was pleased when Time magazine declared it “the best television show of the 20th Century.”

But the 20th Century ended seven years ago. And The Simpsons, an ingenious bit of alternative culture that somehow ended up conquering the entire culture, began to stumble in the new millennium. Jokes grew stale and overdone, things got very repetitive and—dare I say it?—the yellow clan jumped the shark. About four years ago, I did something I never, ever thought I’d do: I stopped watching the new episodes. The writing had become so bad it was just painful. The Simpsons had morphed into something that might one day have been parodied on the show itself: a bit of pop culture that had run its course, but was being kept alive due to irresistible cash flow.

Then came word about the movie, and, like many, I held out the hope that, like the South Park movie, a feature film would inject the entire phenomenon with a life-saving shot in the arm. Here’s the good news: The Simpsons Movie does buck the recent trend of episodes, which, to paraphrase Bart himself, suck and blow at once. The creative team behind the show have heard the grumbling of some in the fan base, and thus assembled those they consider their 11 best writers and concocted what they see as an epic Springfieldian storyline.

This is one of those impossible reviews to write, because getting into any detail means giving too much away. Matt Groening and James L. Brooks are clearly trying to push the envelope of what the show can do, while also delivering those familiar parts that has made it so resilient (hard to believe, but it’s been 19 years). Trouble is, much of what made The Simpsons great was that, because it was animated, the writers often let loose on the possibilities, thus the envelope has already been pushed.

There is a sense of nostalgia that hangs over the movie. There’s something thrilling about seeing these familiar characters on the big screen, and, for the most part, the screenplay remains engaging. But the new film does reflect the experience of watching one of the more recent episodes: things start out very well (the first 20 minutes of the movie were very lively and funny), then things fall off rather dramatically. And, predictably, The Simpsons Movie conjures up many of the motifs and plot twists we’re used to seeing: angry mobs, Homer’s stupidity, Marge and Homer on the rocks.

For any of its shortcomings, however, The Simpsons Movie is generally pleasing. It is not as great as many of the best-written episodes, but it’s got enough surprises to make it worth seeing. Simpsons, Inc., hasn’t quite been dragged back over the shark, but this feature makes up for at least some of the bad taste left by the past few seasons.

The Simpsons Movie opens this
Friday, July 27

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