The Simpsons Movie [DVD] [2007]

Great movie for kids. They sat still the whole tile

Another awesome Simpson’s video. Anyone who likes or loves the Simpson’s has gotta get this movie.

It's the Simpsons! What's not to like!?

It's tough to review a film like this, because it is for such a particular audience. If you know and love the Simpsons...you simply MUST go. If you've never seen the Simpsons, you probably wouldn't go to the movie anyway...but if you did, you'd certainly miss out on most of the fun. The movie TOTALLY assumes you already know all the people...there's no introduction, no easing into it. It's basically like 4 great episodes strung together.But that's too simple. To me, the makers of the film had to overcome the obstacle of how to bring an 18 year old series to the screen and make it seem worthwhile...not just charging money to see something that we could see at home. So how did they succeed so well?To me, many, many episodes of the Simpsons revolve around Homer screwing up something so bad that he's seriously in the dog-house with Marge, and must then try to win back her affections. Well, in the movie, Homer mananges his BIGGEST screw-up ever and it results in much, much more than simply ticking Marge off. Their marriage is truly threatened. When that moment sinks in for the two of them...it's touching filmmaking indeed. When did a couple of hapless cartoon characters become capable of bringing us to tears? (Years and years ago, actually...but the film drives it home).Also, the animation is kicked up a notch...mostly because the backgrounds are much richer than the TV show. It's the Springfield we know...but it's also more textured. And there are a couple of scenes so monstrously huge (I don't want to spoil anything, but they involved Homer on a motorcycle inside a giant glass dome) that they BEG to be enjoyed on a big screen. It's kinda like wondering why a PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movie is better on a big screen. Just look at it, and you know why.Also, even without these elements, I would now say that seeing a Simpsons "episode" in a theatre with a few hundred other fans is a beautiful experience. That alone was worth the money. It was a communal event. One drawback...I must now see the movie again, because we were all laughing so hard at times that I know I missed some stuff!!The movie is funny, touching and inventive. It's a wonderful effort and I had a GREAT time!!Couple of little things that seem to be of concern to some of the reviewers here. Remember, the movie is PG-13 and it should be. Don't take a five year old or ten year old. Do they fully appreciate the humor of the Simpsons anyway. But just so you know...Homer gets to flip the bird (VERY funny), Marge let's out a non-TV friendly obscenity and in a jaw-droppingly funny scene, Bart skateboards in the nude and we briefly see a bit more than we expected!! This scene also brought what is now the funniest Ralph Wiggums line ever (replacing "My cat's breath smells like cat food.")Just writing this review, I want to go see the movie again right now.

The term "Worst. Movie. Ever." is likely to be the most overused catchphrase from Simpsons fans who walk into "The Simpsons Movie," and want to give a "critique" that makes them sound more clever then they really are. Like Jay Sherman giving a bad review of "Sleepy Hallow" on his show (saying the movie is "both sleepy AND hallow") just for the sake because it's too good a pun to pass up, I expect many others will be quoting the Comic Book Guy's most famous quote from this week to sometime in September, the time where the DVD will arrive on store shelves if recent trends are to be believed. Still, if people are to claim this the worst movie ever in an attempt to sound clever, then I am afraid "The Simpsons Movie" is going to be very, VERY shorthanded this year! If anything, "The Simpsons Movie" is a movie that delivers not only a very satisfying movie going experience, but it is also a movie that is worthy of respect.That may sound like a strange recommendation about a movie where the storyline is held together by pig crap, but it's absolutely true. Like the TV show of the same name, "The Simpsons Movie"really isn't held together by it's storyline. On the contrary, the movie is much like the TV show in that it begins with one thing only to change focus and turn into something else midway through the film. As mentioned before though, all the major events in this movie start when Homer Simpson, fresh having adopted a pet pig named Spider-Pig/Harry Plopper, dumps all of the little porkers dumpings into Springfield's lake, therefor causing the US Government to declare Springfield a health hazard and seal the town in a large glass dome.This doesn't sit well with anyone in Springfield really, but it sits the worst with Homers (very patient) wife Marge, who received a spiritual message from God prophesying this event, and warning of more danger to come from it. And while we're talking about spirituality, it appears that the passages about a father needing to take care of his family proves to be very true in this movie. It's not just Marge who Homer tends to neglect, as his own son Bart is craving the attention of a proper father figure after a particularly humiliating event involving a skateboard, a dare, and a little yellow doodle. With Homer not filling the shoes of a responsible father figure, Bart ends up looking at neighbor Ned Flanders in a new and caring light. This comes as news to Bart, who previously felt Flanders was nothing more then a conservative loser who didn't really have any fun.Lisa meanwhile is mad at her dad for polluting the lake, a serious offense in her book seeing how much of an environmentalist she is. Oh, and she has a new Irish boyfriend that I'm willing to bet will disappear once season nineteen airs on Fox in November (just in time for the annual Halloween episode to air one week after Halloween). As for Maggie...well, she's the one member of the family who says the least, yet seems to understand more then everyone else in the movie. As with the TV show (depending on who you ask), "The Simpsons Movie" delivers so many laughs you might need a spread sheet database so you can keep track of all the jokes, the first of which has Homer watching a movie version of Itchy and Scratchy, and complaining loudly "I think everyone in this theater are a bunch of suckers for paying for something they can watch on TV for free."We then have a President Schwarzenegger making all the wrong decisions now that he's in the White House. I'm wondering whether or not I should mention the big name celebrity who guest stars...nah, I'll leave that for you to see. With eleven writers on the screenplay, "The Simpsons Movie" has as many writers as "Meet The Robbisons" did, twice as many writers as all the summer sequels, yet it's one of the most intelligent scripts of the year. It reminds us why the Simpsons have been on the air for so many years, and why we continue to watch even when the quality of the show has been spotty the last couple of years: Because when this show nails it, it nails it hard.What is the "it" I refer to? Everything. It hits with the humor, so it's laugh a minute. It hits with the action, so that it's exciting when it needs to be. But most importantly, it hits on the heart. The characters may be stereotypical at times, but they are real human beings. Human beings who make mistakes, want more from life, and question the choices they make. It's this key difference that makes shows like "Family Guy" look like the cheap productions they are. While "Family Guy" is content to laugh at the characters, "The Simpsons Movie"gives us characters we can laugh with and, at times, share an emotional moment or two with. Maybe that's why whenever Homer does something stupid we sympathize with Marge and the kids so much. We love Homer. Why wouldn't we like Homer?He's generally a nice guy. The problem is he's an idiot. He's a MAJOR idiot! Yet we forgive him and all his flaws because we see he tries so hard to be good, it's just that his human failings bring him down, as they do everyone else. Rounding out the experience is a wonderful musical score by Hans Zimmer. I don't normally bring up musical composers in my print reviews of movies, but I think this is interesting to note because Hans Zimmer is one of my personal favorite musical composers and one of the most acclaimed in Hollywood right now. That said, he's not who I had in mind for scoring a Simpsons movie. His best scores are that of epic's such as "Gladiator," "Pearl Harbor," and "Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End." His comedic scores for movies such as "Shark Tale" and "Madagascar" are pretty weak though.To say I was a little concerned about the music would be putting it mildly. Thankfully the music is a revolution in itself. Working with a bigger canvas the script for "The Simpsons Movie" aims for a higher emotional reach and succeeds spectacularly. The score reaches the same epic heights while still getting the low key moments perfectly. It's sounds like Simpsons music, but more mature. A perfect sound for this movie. I'm not sure if a review for "The Simpsons Movie" is really something the world needs. I don't know if people who don't regularly watch"The Simpsons" are even all that interested in seeing this movie, and faithful viewers will watch it anyway. So regardless of my high praise, and three hours time it takes to review this movie are, ultimately, a futile effort. D'oh!Rating: **** and a half stars