The Simpsons Movie (David Silverman, 2007)

[denti alligator]

They dropped the ball on this, I think. Before ad-time cut the show down to just over 20 minutes, they consistently had a main plot and a Nebengeschichte, or side plot. Now, with a whole lot of extra time, they didn't even bother to build in any side stories. What a waste of time. It was too focused on the family. A side story or two would've improved the picture greatly.

It was still fun, though.

[tavernier]

What a waste of time.

It was still fun, though.

So which was it?

[flyonthewall2983]

I imagine in some ways it was a testing ground for the creators to get their film legs, so to speak. If a sequel will wind up in the works, I think a lot of the mistakes that were there the first time around (and I agree with some of the criticism spoken here and elsewhere) will be vastly improved. Otherwise, it's probably one of the funniest films I've seen in a long time.

[Mr Sausage]

What a waste of time.

It was still fun, though.

So which was it?

The two aren't mutually exclusive categories.

[denti alligator]

What a waste of time.

It was still fun, though.

So which was it?

The two aren't mutually exclusive categories.

I did not mean "what a waste of time" in the sense of a "waste of time" for me. I meant that the makers of this film wasted the extra time they had. I thought that was clear from my post.

[rs98762001]

As for the actual movie, I didn't think it was very good. To me it felt like an extended version of an episode from the past few years. Inconsistent jokes, crass humor, forced attempts at emotion etc: Then again, I wasn't expecting much more.

Yup, agreed. Although the first 20 minutes were extremely funny and promising, it was all downhill from the introduction of the EPA storyline. Overall, it felt much more like the recent seasons than the classics.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Did anyone else get upset at the sappiness in the movie? We're watching an animated comedy, nothing serious, so why throw it in?

Fan boys of the show must crowd IMDb, because after 3 days of being out, it's the 43rd best film of all time.

[davebert]

Emotional connections, dear sir, are why The Simpsons rise above mere animated comedy. I couldn't care less if someone on Family Guy dies or gets in marital trouble; Peter on FG has always seemed boorish, sadistic and retarded without any particular redeeming qualities. The Simpsons, on the other hand, have in some of their best episodes really illustrated what any good sitcom should be able to do--get you to care about the characters and really plow into those "awwww" moments of hard-earned reunification and genuine sweetness.

So nope, I found the sappiness perfectly exceptable. However, I'm an apologist for the film, so I guess that could be one reason.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Emotional connections, dear sir, are why The Simpsons rise above mere animated comedy. I couldn't care less if someone on Family Guy dies or gets in marital trouble; Peter on FG has always seemed boorish, sadistic and retarded without any particular redeeming qualities. The Simpsons, on the other hand, have in some of their best episodes really illustrated what any good sitcom should be able to do--get you to care about the characters and really plow into those "awwww" moments of hard-earned reunification and genuine sweetness.

So nope, I found the sappiness perfectly exceptable. However, I'm an apologist for the film, so I guess that could be one reason.

Admittedly, it works in the show. I can think of so many episodes, mostly early ones, where it works (Lisa and the Substitute episode, the one where Homer tries quitting beer, and the one where Homer and Marge meet) , but here it didn't. It came off as tacked on.

[domino harvey]

Holy smokes, the film made just under $72 Million on it's first weekend, making it the fifth biggest opening of the year. I don't think anyone was expecting it to do that sort of business. Woo hoo!

[Highway 61]

Yeah, I was stunned at the sheer number of people at the theatre seeing this. Huge lines formed well over an hour before showtimes, which never happens except for Star Ward or LOTR, with dozens of people turned away because it sold out so fast. That said, I thought it was disappointing. Granted, I laughed a lot, but the gags were simply that, gags. The humor was not nearly as rewarding and sly as the golden age seasons. And the pacing was horrible. Virtually every episode from the first 8 or 9 seasons feels longer and more natural than the movie because they're just better structured, better told stories, whereas the film was simply a series of rapid-fire sketches.

[flyonthewall2983]

Interview with Groening and Brooks.

[domino harvey]

I am surprised at the negative-to-mildly-tolerant response to this film here, it seems to me that a lot of lapsed fans went in with a "Prove it" attitude more than anything. I honestly believe that this is about as good as a the Simpsons movie can be. It's like the negative reaction to the Seinfeld finale, where people said it wasn't as good as a regular episode and David responded "That's because it wasn't a regular episode, it was a finale!" This isn't the same as an 87-minute episode of the series, it's a movie, and as such there are consolations and conventions that have to be made to justify it being a movie. I for one thought the action sequences, particularly the extended finale, were ingenious and delightful in their creativity, and while the film certainly had its share of misfires (the indian woman, most of the pig subplot), it felt "big" and succeeded at being a big summer blockbuster-type film and a faithful extension of the show's dynamic. I fail to see how they could have appealed to as many audiences as was required and produce anything drastically different than what was given.

Also, based on the audience, if there's one thing twelve year old girls love more than anything, it's gay jokes.

[flyonthewall2983]

I am surprised at the negative-to-mildly-tolerant response to this film here, it seems to me that a lot of lapsed fans went in with a "Prove it" attitude more than anything. I honestly believe that this is about as good as a the Simpsons movie can be.

I thought it was great. Best comedy I've seen in a theater in years.

[jbeall]

I am surprised at the negative-to-mildly-tolerant response to this film here, it seems to me that a lot of lapsed fans went in with a "Prove it" attitude more than anything. I honestly believe that this is about as good as a the Simpsons movie can be.

I thought it was great. Best comedy I've seen in a theater in years.

I enjoyed it, especially the parts that were slightly racier than television ordinarily allowed for (Homer flipping off the citizens of Springfield, for example).

I don't think it reaches the heights of, say, season four, but it's a fun movie nonetheless.

[Mr Sausage]

The movie is certainly made in the Simpson's 'new' style rather than its venerated 'old' style. That said, it is the best the 'new' style has ever been, and the hardest and longest I've laughed at The Simpsons in a good while.

[cdnchris]

I have to agree with Sausage, I hadn't laughed this hard at anything Simpsons in a long while (not counting reruns of their older episodes.)

[flyonthewall2983]

I'm normally in the middle of the road concerning language, but I'm glad they didn't feel it necessary to use any PG-13-league foul language (except in one, hilarious instant) throughout the movie. It did make it feel more like an extended episode that way.

[domino harvey]

I am betting they did have at least some other instances of language and it just ended up being one of the many deleted scenes. I am hoping for as much extra Albert Brooks as possible once the DVD comes out!

Also, I was amazed that in the three weeks since this came out, no one had spoiled the surprise Big Celebrity Guest Appearance (which I will also not spoil here) for me, as I was watching I kept wondering if they'd have a bigger name than Green Day involved and lo and behold!

[flyonthewall2983]

I am betting they did have at least some other instances of language and it just ended up being one of the many deleted scenes.

Actually, there was. An animatic of some rough footage of the rally sequence posted here showed Dr. Hibbert calling Homer a "son of a bitch".

[cdnchris]

Also, I was amazed that in the three weeks since this came out, no one had spoiled the surprise Big Celebrity Guest Appearance (which I will also not spoil here) for me, as I was watching I kept wondering if they'd have a bigger name than Green Day involved and lo and behold!

I liked the last bit where he tells the audience if they ever see him in person don't approach him

[tavernier]

I enjoyed seeing the end credits where they showed all the characters that each actor voices....too bad they didn't have an "In Memory of" Phil Hartman and show each of his (now retired) characters...

[davebert]

Until I saw the credits sequence, I was under some impression that Joe Mantegna was dead. I seem to remember some side character voice actor dying recently and I guess I attributed that to Fat Tony, but maybe I just made that whole story up? Anyone hear anything like that?

And I guess I've remained generally silent on this topic thread, but the film blew me away and as a fan there on opening night, surrounded by other fans, I haven't had a similarly satisfying cinema experience in several years. The emotional segments did not ring hollow to me, and while I agree with the general consensus that this is "the new style" of Simpsons comic tradition, I think it excelled at using the new style's strengths.

Some people just can't be satisfied, as I guess is the case with any franchise with die hard legions of fans. But I, like A.O. Scott, left happy.

[Antoine Doinel]

I was planning on seeing this next week (and I probably still will) but part of me wants me to hold off until the DVD. The recently announced extras are damned amazing and include:

Widescreen View: View the movie in its original theatrical 2.39:1 aspect ratio.
Fullscreen View: View the movie formatted to fit your screen.
Halfscreen View: View the movie formatted to fit half your screen.
Ullman View: Recreates the movie in the style of the original Tracey Ullman Show shorts.
Animatic View: View the movie through animatic.
Storyboard View: View the movie through storyboards.
Pop-Up Plagiarism: A "Pop-Up Video"-style factoid bubble pops up every time a scene rip-offs a previous episode. (Fullscreen only)

Audio: Among the standard languages there is an option for Pig Latin.

Subtitles: Among the standard languages there is an option for Futurama Alien Alphabet

A plethora of audio commentaries including one by Rupert Murdoch.

Two secret (and probably completely silent - ha ha) commentaries: One by former Showrunners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein and another by Participants: Writer John Swartzwelder; Authors J.D. Salinger and Thomas Pynchon; Cartoonist Bill Watterson; Comic Book Publisher Jack Chick; The Residents

Two illustrated commentaries: One by Matt Groening, director David Silverman, and a team of assistant directors and layout artists sketch directly over the movie. Another "dirty" one in which director David Silverman draws dicks on all the characters.

[davebert]

I haven't seen the DVD-preview on the new season set yet, is that where this came from? 7 discs for $29.99 MSRP sounds like a total joke, and yet all of that sounds unbelievably awesome. I hope it's not a sick joke...