The Simpsons Movie

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Animation

It has been called a movie 18 years in the making. Ever since they debuted on TV in 1989, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie established themselves as the funniest, most dysfunctional, yet most loving family on the tube. Now, they’re finally hitting the big screen with “The Simpsons Movie”. So, does it merit the long wait?

As has been the case in their long-running series, this film revolves around Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) and his family bumbling their way through life in America. In this instance, Homer finds himself saving a pig from being killed, then proceeds to cause the death of the Springfield river by dumping pig excrement while rushing off for free donuts. Along the way, Lisa (Yeardley Smith) meets an Irish boy who’s as big an environmentalist as she is, Bart (Nancy Cartwright) thinks about moving to the Flanderses, and Marge’s (Julie Kavner) patience with Homer is tested like never before when the family is forced out of Springfield and head to Alaska. Yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous, but can we expect anything less from “The Simpsons Movie”?

I’ve been a fan of “The Simpsons” as far back as I can remember. I have the season recap books (from season 1 leading all the way to season 14), and I’ve watched a whole plethora of the series over the years. Like many, I’ve become familiar with Homer’s brood, as well as what seems to be the thousands of Springfield residents and guests. From Professor Frink to Comic Book Guy, Krusty the Clown, Cletus the Yokel, Mayor Quimby, Carl and Lenny, Bumblebee Man, Kent Brockman, Mr. Burns and Smithers, and so many others, these have been characters that have made “The Simpsons” the longest running situation comedy in history. Therefore, when the Simpson family finally got themselves a movie, I was eagerly anticipating it. Now that I’ve seen it, I found myself enjoying it, yet at the same time feeling a bit disappointed.

Call it having high expectations, call it expecting too much from one of your favorite TV shows. Call it what you will, but I really expected more from this film. Sure, it was great seeing Ralph Wiggum tooting along to the classic 20th Century Fox theme and logo before the film, and it was cool to see each character painstakingly drawn with shadows and with more depth than before. Simpsons creator Matt Groening, producer James L. Brooks, and the rest of their cadre of writers have written so many great episodes through the years that I fully expected them to hit a homerun with this motion picture. However, I must admit that I was a bit underwhelmed.

SPOILER WARNING!!! I don’t know, maybe I felt that the “giant dome” that Russ Cargill (voiced by Albert Brooks) and President Arnold Schwarzenegger (one of Harry Shearer’s many voices) placed around the environmental hazard known as Springfield was a wee bit over the top. Or maybe Homer actually uprooting the family and moving to Alaska was what got to me. It all just felt a bit forced since the filmmakers knew that they would be given more than just a half hour to tell their story.

Please don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed watching this film and continue to be a “Simpsons” fan. It’s just that, after thinking it over, I felt that it was lacking. Maybe I was too much of a fan in the first place, that it left me looking for loopholes rather than enjoying the film for itself. If that’s the case, consider this review useless. I do hope that was the case, but I doubt it. Still, I remain a fan of the show and will continue to watch it whether they be new episodes or trusty old re-runs. “The Simpsons” is a television institution and I’ll always love it, movie or no movie.