Between these jokes, however, there were enough winning lines to keep me engaged, and to keep the movie from feeling way too long, which would have been an obvious problem if it was really just a long episode.
Positive criticism aside, however, there's something unsettling about the nostalgia involved in watching an epic retrospective on a franchise that's dimmed in recent years. Part of me sees this movie as a tribute and a farewell to the series, rather than a renewal, and part of me would be happy if this were the truth. Is this blasphemy? It's been an awesome series, and the movie attests to that fact. Even among the later episodes there was an occasional winner, such as the January 6, 2002 episode "Brawl in the Family" (note how the critics disagree with my assessment of this episode). With such a good two-hour long summary, it might be a good time to administer last rites to the series itself.
As long as I'm being nostalgic, I'll throw out one thing that I feel was a flaw in The Simpsons Movie -- virtually all of the character conflicts were yanked from Simpsons history. The family was definitely recycled, rather than re-imagined, for this film: Bart's disgust at Homer's bad parenting, Marge's loss of faith in her husband and her marriage, and Lisa's unlikely romantic attachments were each the subjects of multiple episodes in the past. If the jokes were a positive retrospective, the conflicts were a negative one, driven by familial issues that we've seen resolved before. Maybe I can give it credit for developing these same conflicts to greater intensity, but that doesn't quite save the film from a hard truth — we, the fans, have cried these tears before. But we all know the Simpsons, I guess, so we can't expect an earth-shattering realization about the family or the town. Our familiarity and expectation render this criticism almost moot.
So whatever Simpsons era you're a fan of, go ahead and see the movie. Whether it refreshes your impression of the franchise or just reminds you of better days, it's probably going to leave you laughing at least a bit, and remembering all the jokes and Simpsons anecdotes you've appropriated over the years.
Bart's genitals are also probably worth the price of admission.
Article comments
1 - Brad Schader
With it being a week I can now speak of the greatest reference joke the movie had. When Bart and Homer jumped Springfield Gorge (again) the ambulance from season one was still crashed into the tree 18 years later. Amazing subtle background joke and that one moment made me go from loving the movie to LOVING the movie. Great review. This movie balances between diehards and novices with plenty of great jokes for all.
2 - Jesse
Good call, Brad. I need to go back some day and piece through the background jokes and references. If you've got any more to draw my attention to, don't hesitate.