From a die-hard Simpsons fan

Rating: 5/10 (30 March 2008)

I've been with the Simpsons since the very beginning, when I enjoyed the short cartoons on the Tracey Uhlman show. Even before that, I've been a fan of Matt Groening's work since the Life In Hell syndicated comic, and I fondly remember Akbar and Jeff ("lovers, or brothers, or possibly both"). Who knew that the sly satirical comedy of Matt's genius would translate so well to one of the longest-running TV shows of all time. It's amazing that the show has always found writers who can capture this spirit of satire, which walks a fine line between both portraying and ridiculing the typical American family and the characters with which they are surrounded. Granted the show has not always been spectacular, but it has always been among the best shows on television.
So with such a storied pedigree, you would expect the film to be just as spectacular. Unfortunately, it suffers from what a lot of TV-to-movie translations suffer from: it's difficult (and apparently impossible) to translate a 30 minute program to a 90-minute feature film. First off, Marge's voice sounds weird. Because the characters have breathing room in the film, there is no incentive for them to speak as fast as they can before the next commercial break, so all the snappy, witty dialogue that I have come to expect from the t.v. show has been slowed down so much that the characters sound like they're sedated.
Secondly, I have a huge believability problem with the film. Granted it's a cartoon, but it is physically impossible for Homer to ride the motorcycle at that angle inside the dome, for Bart to be able to reach the little hole at the top. In addition, pig poop is an organic waste, it's not some weird chemical that would cause genetic mutations in a squirrel, this whole thing was just beyond stupid and unwatchable, I had to hit the mute button during that. Also, the part where Maggie moves in and out of the sinkhole was lame, the physics of that are just impossible.
Third, the eskimo woman sequence just comes out of nowhere, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I guess I expected a lot more parody from the film, at first I thought they were parodying Misery with that sequence, which would have been really funny, but instead it was just some lame plot device to get Homer to realize how self-centered he was being.
Overall, there is a weird "reality" type feel to the film, all the lightheartedness of the t.v. show has been sucked away to leave a harder, grittier Simpsons that I don't think a lot of people expected. In a nutshell: the film isn't any fun.
As flawed as the film is, there are several bright moments that still make it worth watching: Homer and Bart on the roof, Homer daring Bart to ride the skateboard naked, the scene in the gas station when Bart doctors the wanted photo, Flanders constructing the hot chocolate. I'm glad I finally saw this movie, not because it was an entertaining way to spend an hour and a half, but because it proved that not everything is translateable to the big screen.
Given the considerable talent and cash behind this film I expected much, much more.