Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Jun 4, 2016 13:54:41 GMT -5
The Simpsons Movie
Dir. David Silverman
Premiered July 27, 2007
When Minnie and I had just started dating, it became clear that while 5 1/2 years was not that big a difference emotionally, it was pop-culturally. I don’t remember how we got to the subject, but she was shocked when I told her of a time when The Simpsons was not only funny, but controversial: a cartoon that’s not just for kids? That has a biting sense of humor? That shows children not being complete angels? Yes, there was a time when this national institution was denounced by a sitting President. I was there. The Simpsons briefly scandalized a nation of pearl-clutchers, put the Fox Network in the black, brought animation out of the Saturday morning ghetto, helped define a decade, and influenced the humor of a generation.
The idea of a Simpsons movie was almost as old as the show itself. As soon as it became a runaway success, Matt Groening wanted to make a movie, but planned to wait until the show was canceled. Once it became clear however that that wasn’t going to happen, lots of film ideas were proposed and subsequently scrapped. Finally, we got this.
Lake Springfield has become extremely polluted. Luckily, the good people of the town have agreed to clean it up. Meanwhile, Homer Simpson, during a rash of even greater selfishness as usual, has adopted a pet pig, dumping the animal’s waste in the lake and causing an ecological disaster so severe that EPA chief Russ Cargill (Albert Brooks) has all of Springfield placed under a giant dome. Although the Simpsons themselves manage to escape, Homer has to confront his demons and deal with the damage he’s caused.
The Simpsons Movie had a lot of buzz. Some called it a return to form harkening back to the show’s nineties heyday. Seeing it in the theater, on opening day even, I thought it had its moments, but something, something wasn’t quite right. And it wasn’t Marge swearing, Otto actually smoking pot, or Bart’s penis.
First off, the animation. Not only was The Simpsons a great show because of its content, but the animation was a massive upgrade in the age of Nelvana, made by people who loved classic cartoons. The Simpsons Movie has great animation too, most of the time, but it’s not the same: in the tradition of every animated movie since Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, the look of the film is gratuitously shadowy. There’s also way too much CGI in line-drawing drag. For some reason, the animators decided that “cinematic” means lots of sweeping tracking shots, which only accentuates this lazy trick. I expect better from a feature film.
Second, the story. The Simpsons Movie tries to have heart, but comes off as hollow. And while it’s much shorter than I remembered, it still has a ton of padding. What enabled The Simpsons to keep towering over its imitators was that the its sense of humor, be it snarky, silly, or sweet, came directly from the situations and characters; the movie, meanwhile, is a buffet of non-sequitur asides, cameos, and dated cultural references. Yeah, the filmmakers tried to get as many of the old writers back for this as they could, but the lingering absence of Sam Simon, Brad Bird, and Conan O’Brien is very much felt in the final product.
Like I said, it definitely has its moments, especially in the third act, but with all the problems weighing it down, The Simpsons Movie ends up just on the mediocre side of good.
Sign This Was Made in 2007
Aside from the aforementioned dated references, President Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was Governor of California at the time, which was funny in 2003 when he took office, but immediately became boring old news. It’s especially weird here, as The Simpsons already has a Schwarzenegger analogue in Rainier Wolfcastle. Regardless, this movie is convinced that Arnold Schwarzenegger being in politics is inherently funny. He’s voiced by Harry Shearer, and judging by the humor on Shearer’s old radio show, I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole conceit was his idea.
Additional Notes
Dir. David Silverman
Premiered July 27, 2007
When Minnie and I had just started dating, it became clear that while 5 1/2 years was not that big a difference emotionally, it was pop-culturally. I don’t remember how we got to the subject, but she was shocked when I told her of a time when The Simpsons was not only funny, but controversial: a cartoon that’s not just for kids? That has a biting sense of humor? That shows children not being complete angels? Yes, there was a time when this national institution was denounced by a sitting President. I was there. The Simpsons briefly scandalized a nation of pearl-clutchers, put the Fox Network in the black, brought animation out of the Saturday morning ghetto, helped define a decade, and influenced the humor of a generation.
The idea of a Simpsons movie was almost as old as the show itself. As soon as it became a runaway success, Matt Groening wanted to make a movie, but planned to wait until the show was canceled. Once it became clear however that that wasn’t going to happen, lots of film ideas were proposed and subsequently scrapped. Finally, we got this.
Lake Springfield has become extremely polluted. Luckily, the good people of the town have agreed to clean it up. Meanwhile, Homer Simpson, during a rash of even greater selfishness as usual, has adopted a pet pig, dumping the animal’s waste in the lake and causing an ecological disaster so severe that EPA chief Russ Cargill (Albert Brooks) has all of Springfield placed under a giant dome. Although the Simpsons themselves manage to escape, Homer has to confront his demons and deal with the damage he’s caused.
The Simpsons Movie had a lot of buzz. Some called it a return to form harkening back to the show’s nineties heyday. Seeing it in the theater, on opening day even, I thought it had its moments, but something, something wasn’t quite right. And it wasn’t Marge swearing, Otto actually smoking pot, or Bart’s penis.
First off, the animation. Not only was The Simpsons a great show because of its content, but the animation was a massive upgrade in the age of Nelvana, made by people who loved classic cartoons. The Simpsons Movie has great animation too, most of the time, but it’s not the same: in the tradition of every animated movie since Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, the look of the film is gratuitously shadowy. There’s also way too much CGI in line-drawing drag. For some reason, the animators decided that “cinematic” means lots of sweeping tracking shots, which only accentuates this lazy trick. I expect better from a feature film.
Second, the story. The Simpsons Movie tries to have heart, but comes off as hollow. And while it’s much shorter than I remembered, it still has a ton of padding. What enabled The Simpsons to keep towering over its imitators was that the its sense of humor, be it snarky, silly, or sweet, came directly from the situations and characters; the movie, meanwhile, is a buffet of non-sequitur asides, cameos, and dated cultural references. Yeah, the filmmakers tried to get as many of the old writers back for this as they could, but the lingering absence of Sam Simon, Brad Bird, and Conan O’Brien is very much felt in the final product.
Like I said, it definitely has its moments, especially in the third act, but with all the problems weighing it down, The Simpsons Movie ends up just on the mediocre side of good.
Sign This Was Made in 2007
Aside from the aforementioned dated references, President Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was Governor of California at the time, which was funny in 2003 when he took office, but immediately became boring old news. It’s especially weird here, as The Simpsons already has a Schwarzenegger analogue in Rainier Wolfcastle. Regardless, this movie is convinced that Arnold Schwarzenegger being in politics is inherently funny. He’s voiced by Harry Shearer, and judging by the humor on Shearer’s old radio show, I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole conceit was his idea.
Additional Notes
- One thing this movie does have going for it is that Ned Flanders comes off as a decent human being. On the show, Flanders began as a freakishly perfect foil for Homer before devolving into a caricature of right-wing American Christian fundamentalism as the show’s quality rapidly declined. Here, Homer’s self-absorption and callousness drives Bart to embrace Ned as an alternative father figure, and you know what? It’s genuinely touching, even if he ends up as the butt of a joke. I’m glad to see that Ned back again.
- If you’re still looking for some of that classic Simpsons flavor, I have a couple of recommendations:
- The Simpsons: Hit and Run, a video game based off Grand Theft Auto that makes great use of the giant world that the show built, and really captures the original’s smart sense of humor. It was released on PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and PC, and can be found pretty easily and cheaply online.
- The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios (Hollywood and Florida). Brought in to replace Back to the Future: The Ride, this was also written by creators of the show, gave Star Tours a run for its money with the intensity of its simulation, and delights in skewing and celebrating the theme park experience just as the classic show both skewed and celebrated television.
- Most Simpsons comics are actually pretty lame, but keep an eye out for the annual Halloween comics, Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror. Of course, The Simpsons does halloween like no one else, but these were written and illustrated by guest comic artists who clearly love the show. There are paperback collections of these available from Bongo Comics.
- The Simpsons: Hit and Run, a video game based off Grand Theft Auto that makes great use of the giant world that the show built, and really captures the original’s smart sense of humor. It was released on PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and PC, and can be found pretty easily and cheaply online.
Next Time: I Know Who Killed Me
