In Review

21 November 2008 21:40 BST

The Simpsons Movie

Directed by David Silverman, out July 25th in cinemas, created by Matt Groening, starring Dan Castellaneta (Homer, etc), Hank Azaria (Moe, etc) and Nancy Cartwright (Bart, etc), running time 87 minutes.

In a nutshell…

Simpsons revel in big-screen limelight

What's it all about?

When Homer accidentally turns Springfield into a toxic waste dump with his new pig friend, the combination of an angry town mob and the US government means that the beloved and dysfunctional family have to do a runner.

With accompanying marriage trouble and a disillusioned son, Homer soon finds himself alone and searching for an epiphany (once the word is explained to him). With new resolve, Homer becomes determined to save his town and restore his family's pride in him.

Who's in it?

After more than 400 episodes, the dozens of voice actors are more than accomplished in their roles and perform comfortably and with all the expected skill.

Dan Castellaneta voices the most characters, chiefly Homer, Krusty the Clown, Mayor Quimby, Grampa and Itchy.

Hank Azaria voices Moe, Chief Wiggum, Apu, D. Nick and the Sea Captain among others. He has previously starred in live-action movies such as Godzilla (1998), Dodgeball (2004), and guest-starred in Friends as Phoebe's geeky boyfriend David.

Yeardley Smith voices Homer's daughter Lisa, and Nancy Cartwright voices Homer's son Bart and Ralph Wiggum.

As an example…

(Homer is fending off an angry mob through a locked door. Arms start breaking through)
Homer: "Stand back! I've got a chainsaw! [begins miming the motor] NUM-num-nnnnn-NUM-num-nnnnn….."
(The arms retreat and eyes appear)
Homer: "Num num… num… [sound peters out]."
(Door is broken in)

Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars

After almost 20 years the Simpsons are internationally loved icons, but the film does not break any animation boundaries and satirises the USA far too much to be graced with a little gold man.

What the others say

"This is not the worst film of the summer, just the biggest waste. Then, perhaps that is the problem. The Simpsons never needed to be a movie." – Empire

"Worth every minute of the 17-year wait, The Simpsons Movie confirms Groening's creation as the smartest, funniest, most inventive cartoon in history" – Total Film

So is it any good?

"I can't believe we're paying for something we could watch at home for free! Everyone in the audience is a sucker!" Homer thus begins the movie pointing a finger at potentially a worrying problem with this film – sure, it's probably funny, it's The Simpsons, but is it worth being out of pocket for what is just an extension of what's on your TV at home?

Short answer: Yes.

The Simpsons is the longest running and most successful sitcom and animated series on American television, ever. With 18 series under their belts, the iconic writers were never going to let this opportunity slip them by. As Homer precariously attempts to fix the roof (Homer + hammer + nails = funny) and Bart laughs at the result, he traditionally grabs him round the throat shouting, "I'll teach you to laugh at something that's funny!"

Homer is as slapstick and as 100 per cent pure American dumb-ass as ever, and his attachment to new best friend Spider-Pig inspires much giggling. What other writers can make a pig joke extend for over 20 minutes and pen a song that actually eclipses the original Spiderman theme? ("Spider-Pig – Spider-Pig – Does whatever a Spider-Pig does") Most of the secondary storylines are given little attention – Bart's longing for a consistent father-figure is poked at but never dragged through and Lisa's new love is hardly touched upon – but the main family plot and rescue of Springfield is enough to keep the attention. The only small gripe is that the vast expanse of additional and much-loved characters get very little screen time – Mr Burns should be bestowed with far more than a couple of bare minutes – and there are notable exceptions such as Sideshow Bob and Snake, but it would be impossible to keep everyone in the Simpsons fan club happy.

There are several terrific scenes that are simply too long or complicated ever to fit into a 22-minute show, and they revel in the glory of the big screen. The animation is as expected ('glorious 2D') with some intermittent jazzed-up digital animation.

If you're a Simpsons fan, you're guaranteed to laugh and have fun. If you've never seen a Simpsons episode before (where have you been?) then you'll still be able to appreciate these canary-yellow characters and laugh your head off. For slapstick and yet simultaneously meaningful and socially cynical animated comedy, The Simpsons is simply the best.

Go and don't laugh. I dares ya.

Overall film rating: 8/10

Melanie Green