Congratulations, Simpsons - you are finally legal!
What I mean by that is that having been the most well-known television family in history and having pervaded every aspect of American culture (pop, humor, comic, commentary, and whatever else you've got), the Simpsons have become so much more than what they started out as, to the extent that it is easy to forget that they premiered 18 years ago, in 1989. While the opinion of this reviewer (and hardest-core fan) is that the show peaked in the late 1990s and has gone steadily downhill in quality since, one must nevertheless keep in mind that by this point, it is difficult to simply think of the show as, well, just that. Even though creator Matt Groening has said that there is seemingly no end in sight for the yellow-skinned fivesome, I think it does no harm to think of The Simpsons: The Show as having come to a comfortable and dignified end by season 10 or so, and the remaining seasons as simply an extension of The Simpsons: The Phenomenon, something that has taken on a life of its own. Accordingly, then, the writers and producers more than deserve to rest on their laurels. And with The Simpsons: The Movie, they have done so.
Is The Simpsons Movie perfect? No. But ask again if it is hilarious, epic, well-written, and satisfying, and the answers are yes, yes, yes, and yes. More than just a long episode, the film definitely has a full, "movie-ish" feel to it, and it does justice to the Simpsons family that has grown and developed over the past two decades. The plot is ambitious without being ridiculously over the top (for a cartoon, at least), and with the main characters more than filling out their roles, it coheres better than expected. The celebrity guests are kept to a bare minimum (one musical group and one actor) to prevent the movie from being a sell-out extravaganza, and this helps give it a cozier, homey feel. While the jokes are certainly not as clever as they were in the early seasons of the show, they are without a doubt laugh-out-loud funny. Bart's brief full-frontal, easily the funniest part of the movie, is a good example of the writers' attempt to keep things fresh without being gratuitous. Another high point is the only curse word in the film. Once you see it, you'll see why it's funny. In short, The Simpsons Movie does a good tribute to the show without unnecessarily seeking to take it to a whole new level. And let's face it - The Simpsons have done more than their share of breaking from tradition. The writers are smart to let the movie just be itself.
So what keeps the movie from being perfect? Only one minor thing for this reviewer: not enough inside jokes. As a longtime fan who can recite quotes from heart and recognize self-references within self-references, I would have appreciated some more nods to the diehard demographic. There are a couple, but a few more subtle winks would have really been a delicious reward. Of course, the flipside is that if you've never seen the Simpsons before (is this really possible at this point?), you won't feel that anything is going over your head.
Once again, Simpsons, congratulations. You arrived over a decade ago and your self-homage is the glaze on an already tasty doughnut. Nobody else could have done it better. Kudos.
What did you think of The Simpsons Movie? Leave your opinion in the comments section.
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