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Dec 28, 2009, 4:59am

C.I. Works :: General :: Cinema :: The Simpsons Movie

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Topic: The Simpsons Movie (Read 32 times)

inthemidst17
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The Simpsons Movie
« Thread Started on Aug 13, 2007, 1:16am »

Well, I figure the best way to really get started up in this forum is to do a review!

The Simpsons Movie (and some history too...)

Overall: pretty d**n funny. Granted, I had concerns—I think ANY self-respecting Simpsons fan in my generation would have had concerns. After all, I think most of us would agree that recent seasons have been, oh, somewhat less than stellar……Ok fine, that’s an understatement; they’ve been Family Guy rip-offs! (Yea I said it…)

Anywhoo, I’m not here to discuss my disappointment with recent seasons of The Simpsons (although it is sort of vital to my point.) Fact is, under par or otherwise, there’s never been an episode that I’ve hated. So I won’t bash… But allow me to briefly explain the root of my former concerns, and the immense relief that followed.

The series, as a whole, is a masterpiece of adult animated comedy. It pretty much started the phenomenon, and served as a template for those to follow. The “heyday” of this great series left members of my generation with an idea of what 21st century comedy was to be centered around: the lewd, the rude, the random, and best of all, the idolization of American laziness. Add that with a bit of clever timing and a new comedy was born.

The tragedy of the Simpsons is that overtime, the “random” became king. With a series of nonsensical interludes and meaningless side stories, comic relief became something to dread, rather than anticipate. Much of this was a result of a new show called Family Guy. Equally praised as a modern animated marvel, Family Guy quickly grew a massive audience. As a show that had always been about the “random” from the getgo, Family Guy had no trouble shattering the stigma that all modern animated series were modeled after the Simpsons (which, in fact, they were—they just disguised themselves well). At this, Seth McFarlane was a genius.

Sadly, I wish I could bash Family Guy and exalt The Simpsons all day in this post…. But I can’t. The thing is, I and many others today acknowledge that after a shaky first season and 2 hiatuses, Family Guy has finally earned its place among the Fox “select”…. *cough* (Sorry, that was irresistible). But in all honesty, it’s true; Family Guy has become the show of the newer generation, and IS GENUINELY FUNNY.

Now, back to The Simpsons. Family Guy never really needed to copy comedy in order to stay afloat, but after 12 great seasons, it seemed the Simpsons did. The real answer is: they probably didn’t… and they certainly shouldn’t have. But they did. In the early 2000s, The Simpsons adopted much of the “randomness” used in Family Guy, which made their recent 5 or 6 seasons a strange blend of the two great series. Match made in heaven? ‘Fraid not. The product was more like an illegitimate child with a bad attitude. The fast-paced plotlines were not suited to the Simpsons characters, and the comedic timing suddenly seemed lacking and forced. Many fans, including myself, nearly abandoned the series in last two seasons.

As for the movie… we always knew it was coming. Decline or no decline, the massive cult following was the writing on the wall: there WOULD be a movie. But I suppose none of us were really thinking about it very much until it was right on our doorstep. Then, we got concerned. With the series in the state that it was in, we could only imagine what a full length feature film would mean— If it flopped… it could mean the death of the Simpsons altogether. So yes, we were all biting our tongues, and praying that Mr. Matt Groening hadn’t forgotten his roots altogether. But we all gave it a chance.

And so, the synopsis:

The intro was acceptable, the plot was intriguing, the timing was mended, and the jokes… hilarious. I must say, the Simpsons creators saved themselves from HELL, because believe me, if 14 million people were certifiably pissed off, then that’s just what they’d be going through. Yes, that’s right. After ranting for a page and a half, I actually DID quite enjoy the movie. Sure it had certain disappointments: i.e. the lack of Sideshow Bob, Sessile, and Hank Scorpio amongst others… HOWEVER, I was most relieved to find that much of the good ol’ Simpsons humor that made the show a national treasure was present on the big screen. No… the movie didn’t take a trip back to the 90s (when the show was at its height)… but it gave viewers a nice reminder of what the Simpsons were always about—a family that, despite its dysfunctional tendencies, still loves each other.

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