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Few television shows are marked as iconic of American culture. Even fewer animated series capture the turbulent absurdity of the socially mundane lives we endure daily. Yet the Simpsons reached beyond the point of shocking audiences with physical child abuse and a profanity spouting 10 year old while being encased in the supposed family safe animated genre, and ventured into a more subtle form of social and political commentary that has had liberal colleges abuzz for many years.
The television show laced humor with a poignant philosophy of American tragedy to brew a satirical and exaggerated view of the typical American life. No I am not a Simpsons fanbois. Quite the contrary. I am one of the simpletons that liked the show for the shock value when they first hit the little screen, then lost interested when they became more social and political. Not that the message was lost on me, but I grow tired of preachy bullshit. Especially when it is already something I am aware of.
Being the shock junkie that I am, I expected very little from the movie. A few laughs perhaps, but not much more. I got precisely what I anticipated. The movie is really just an elongated television episode that barely explores the big screen boundaries by showing Bart's penis, Homer donning a defiant double middle finger salute, and Marge screaming 'Goddamn'. That really is the extent of their move to the big screen. Everything else will make it to national television spotlight without a hitch. Disappointing. Am I the only one who wanted Bart to go on a South Park 'Uncle Fucker' tirade?
What's more the plot was rather thin, even for a regular Simpsons TV episode, and barely filled 80 minutes. It was obvious they did not anticipate the short run of the film because they threw in some overly Bugs Bunny-esque slapstick comedy that felt like more a stretch than usual for most cartoons.
As if ripping off Looney Tunes was not bad enough, The Simpsons Movie actually ripped off some of its' own gags from the television show. I am not an avid watcher of the television show, but even I caught the repetition and felt jipped. Did Quinten Tarantino have anything to do with this film's production?
Overall Impression: The movie version of the television show delivered a few laughs. About as many as is expected from the syndicated series. The big screen boundary was not pushed to the extent it should have, or to the extent due the loyal fans who have followed the show since the its' controversial roots.
Recommendation: If your a fan of the TV series, you will most likely enjoy the movie. Presuming you do not expect anything over the top or beyond what you get from the nationally televised show. If you dislike the TV show for any reason, you might as well skip this film as it will offer you nothing near remotely redeeming for the theater price.
The television show laced humor with a poignant philosophy of American tragedy to brew a satirical and exaggerated view of the typical American life. No I am not a Simpsons fanbois. Quite the contrary. I am one of the simpletons that liked the show for the shock value when they first hit the little screen, then lost interested when they became more social and political. Not that the message was lost on me, but I grow tired of preachy bullshit. Especially when it is already something I am aware of.
Being the shock junkie that I am, I expected very little from the movie. A few laughs perhaps, but not much more. I got precisely what I anticipated. The movie is really just an elongated television episode that barely explores the big screen boundaries by showing Bart's penis, Homer donning a defiant double middle finger salute, and Marge screaming 'Goddamn'. That really is the extent of their move to the big screen. Everything else will make it to national television spotlight without a hitch. Disappointing. Am I the only one who wanted Bart to go on a South Park 'Uncle Fucker' tirade?
What's more the plot was rather thin, even for a regular Simpsons TV episode, and barely filled 80 minutes. It was obvious they did not anticipate the short run of the film because they threw in some overly Bugs Bunny-esque slapstick comedy that felt like more a stretch than usual for most cartoons.
As if ripping off Looney Tunes was not bad enough, The Simpsons Movie actually ripped off some of its' own gags from the television show. I am not an avid watcher of the television show, but even I caught the repetition and felt jipped. Did Quinten Tarantino have anything to do with this film's production?
Overall Impression: The movie version of the television show delivered a few laughs. About as many as is expected from the syndicated series. The big screen boundary was not pushed to the extent it should have, or to the extent due the loyal fans who have followed the show since the its' controversial roots.
Recommendation: If your a fan of the TV series, you will most likely enjoy the movie. Presuming you do not expect anything over the top or beyond what you get from the nationally televised show. If you dislike the TV show for any reason, you might as well skip this film as it will offer you nothing near remotely redeeming for the theater price.
