Solid film, but enough's enough.

Rating: 7/10 (29 July 2007)

The Simpsons Movie - The once well-loved yellow family gets a big screen debut in which they are exiled from Springfield after Homer dooms the city. The family heads to quite possibly the only place left in the world that they HAVEN'T gone to: Alaska. Homer is forced to learn a life lesson. Marge nags as per usual and sounds closer to Patty or Selma than her original voice. Bart skateboards nude in a hilarious sequence, but becomes an obnoxious thorn in the movie's paw as he becomes a total jerk towards Homer (He never realized Homer was a bad father in how many seasons?). Lisa, almost no one's favorite character, actually gets some great moments and she finds a cute Irish boyfriend.
Tom Hanks has two funny bits on the film, and Al Brooks is underused.
Now, any true Simpsons fan probably stopped watching about 7 years ago, as the show's last best memorable episode was probably "Behind the Laughter". The film gets a better sharper aesthetic that is a little more reminiscent of the show's golden years. Think of it as Revenge of the Sith to the original Star Wars trilogy. Hardly stellar, but a breath of fresh air compared to the recent garbage.
The film strikes at brilliance once or twice, keeps the laughs coming generally, and I'm sure everyone will be singing "Spider Pig" to the point of tedium by the end of the summer. The film kind of runs out of steam halfway through, but picks it up by the end.
Sidenote: Subtly making the EPA the villain of the movie just put a bad taste in my mouth, a reminder that FOX controls the strings of The Simpsons.
This was a solid movie but I can't in good conscience support what means God knows how many more unnecessary Simpsons seasons. It's funny, but please FOX, for the love of God, STOP. The cow is milked.
B.