The Simpsons Movie Review

Hitting theatres before it begins it's 19th season on Fox, and probably about a decade too late for most fans' tastes, The Simpsons Movie is nevertheless one of the more surprising success stories of the 2007 summer box office movie season.

As most diehard Simpsons fans know, the show has been almost unwatchable for the last 3 seasons or so (some would go back even farther, some a LOT farther), mostly due to the fact that, well, after 400+ episodes, there's only so much you can do that hasn't already been done.  But thankfully, the producers of the show were smart enough to go back and grab some of the writers who have since moved on (though despite rumors, neither Brad Bird nor Conan O'Brien are given credits).  The result is an enjoyable film that helps cement the Simpsons legacy as the single greatest television creation of all time.

The plot is simple, but a bit convoluted.  Homer dumps a homemade silo full of pig droppings (don't ask) into Lake Springfield, which was on the verge of becoming a toxic disaster.  This results in President Arnold Schwarzenegger deciding to encapsulate Springfield in a dome.  When the town finds out that Homer is responsible for them being completely cut off from the outside world, they try to kill him.  The family soon finds a sinkhole and is able to escape from Springfield, and move to Alaska.  When the government finds out, they decide to blow up Springfield.  Naturally, it's left to Homer and family to save the day.

First off, I must say I was horrified by the ages of some of the kids in the audience.  Apparently, these parents stopped watching the Simpsons around season 2, and haven't realized the show has become much more adult in the last 16 seasons.  It was always questionable how appropriate the Simpsons was for some kids anyways, but the first two seasons were relatively harmless. 

I thought the writing was very good in comparison to what the show has offered as of late.  The jokes were funny, and even some of the oldest gags in the show were brought to fresh life.  The humor also wasn't all spelled out for you.  If you weren't paying attention, you will have missed a myriad of jokes and social commentary.  In essence, the film tries, and mostly succeeds, to attain everything the TV show had that made it once great.

With that being said, I did find the film to drag at some points, and the laughs are more chuckles than great big belly laughs.  But given how nervous I was about how good this movie could actually be, I must say, I was happily surprised.

3.5 stars, rounded down.