Blamblog - Brett Lamb's Blog

Monday, August 13, 2007

Nothing New Under the (Cartoon) Sun

Saw the Simpsons movie last week. I smiled several times and I think I chuckled once or twice. It's a pleasant movie. Yes, it's ... lame.

If you watched the Simpsons before it jumped the shark during the horrible 97/98 season, you probably remember that the show once had an edge and a wacky bent, especially during the seasons when Conan O'Brien was involved. There's nothing edgy about The Simpsons Movie; it's as weak as a kitten and tame as Mountain Dew.

And there's nothing new in the movie, either. It's full of recycled jokes we've seen done -- better -- dozens of times. Homer adopts a pig. Not as funny as the time he adopted Hans Moleman. Homer and Marge's marriage is tested ... only this time it's just a sappy storyline, there's no country singer involved. Lisa has a crush on a boy. But they don't even bother to joke about it, unlike the time she had a crush on teen pop cupcake, Corey. Former bad-boy Bart spends the film pining for a real father figure and figures it's Flanders. Except ... wasn't there an episode when he actually went and lived with the Flanders? Wasn't it actually funny? And Maggie's "first words" are a cheap gag, especially since we supposedly heard her talk twenty-seven thousand seasons ago.

The first half of the movie is better than the second half. The first half is more like the tv show. During the second half, the jokes are jettisoned for sap, an earnest 'environmental' theme and a predictable Hollywood happy ending.

Some people might argue that The Simpsons defined a generation ... but that's crap. It was just a 90s show that worked best when it lampooned 80s excess. The worst parts of the film are when they try to lampoon 'post 9/11' America. If the show had stayed true to it's original spirit, they would have quit while they were ahead. In 1996.

SUCKTEST: If you want to gauge how tame The Simpsons Movie really is, trying watching the South Park movie first, the watch the Simpsons flick. The South Park movie was in theatres eight years ago.

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