Chances are if you are reading this paper, you grew up on the
The Simpsons. For the past 17 years, the show has completely and
totally changed the pop culture landscape—from the way we look at
animation, sitcoms, and television to the way our country deals with
the classic family dynamic, humor, and politics. (Not mention the
addition of the expression “D’oh” into our generation’s lexicon.)
But as any fan worth his weight in Squishees knows, the series has
been in a holding pattern for nearly a decade. Sunday nights are no
longer dominated by The Simpsons‘ presence, and while it hasn’t
fallen off completely, its finest days are long past. So the only
question about The Simpsons Movie is: What took so damn
long?
Unfortunately, the film doesn’t have an answer for that one.
Instead, The Simpsons Movie is the equivalent of one really long
episode—87 minutes long, to be exact—and while it’s not horrible by any
means, it’s far from the quality of the landmark early years of the
series. Longtime producer David Silverman, who’s been with the show
since the Tracy Ullman days, directs the film, doing everything in his
power to keep it close to the standard Simpsons template: Homer
gets hurt by things, Bart is bad, Lisa is a know-it-all, Marge worries,
and Nelson says “Ha-ha.” The end, roll credits.
The loose-knit plot revolves around Springfield Lake, which is on
the cusp of becoming a complete environmental disaster should just one
more bit of litter be added to its waters. Cue Homer, who does just
that, setting off a chain of marginally funny events and introducing
the film’s best character, Environmental Protection Agency head Russ
Vargill (voiced by Albert Brooks, with his best Simpsons work
this side of Hank Scorpio), who aims to destroy Springfield and all of
its inhabitants. Yes, even Lenny and Carl.
From there, familiar wackiness ensues, and the film fails to take
any risks or do anything substantial in order to justify the cost of a
ticket. (Sure, the slick animation is as “big budget” as a cartoon can
get, but looks have never been The Simpsons‘ selling point.) The
film’s better moments are when it pushes the boundaries of its PG-13
rating, giving the audience a little more than the usual Sunday evening
fare: Homer flips off a rioting mob, there’s a hilarious full-frontal
shot of Bart (most likely the reason the film isn’t just PG), and Otto
the Bus Driver finally gets to toke up in public.
From its onset, it’s clear that The Simpsons Movie isn’t
really necessary. And while it’s entertaining enough, the film leaves
us longtime fans—those of us who still quote lines from the series, or,
even worse, still have cassette singles of “Do the Bartman”—wishing
that the movie was made in the early ’90s. You know, back when the show
was truly, singularly great.