not great but very good

Rating: 7/10 (31 July 2007)

With an extended running time of one hour and twenty-six minutes and a wide screen ration of 2:35 instead of the usual 1.33:1, "The Simpsons Movie" is longer and bigger than the average series episode to be surebut is it funnier? Well, not quite. That's a caveat I feel obliged to offer for those expecting this to be the laugh-riot sensation of all time. It isn't. Still, compared to most of the big screen comedies that have come our way this season, "The Simpson Movie" is one heck of a funny and entertaining movie - provided you don't go into it expecting more than the movie itself can reasonably deliver.
The plotting, which is normally pretty freeform and surrealistic to begin with, has been ratcheted up even further in that direction for the movie. The story has Homer causing a major environmental catastrophe in the town of Springfield when he thoughtlessly dumps a massive container of pig manure in the local lake, turning it into a sludgy toxic swamp. To deal with this emerging national threat, President Schwarzenegger has a huge glass dome placed over the city, trapping the understandably irate citizenry inside. There's no point in revealing anything more about the storyline except to say that it is up to Homer to save the day, which, of course, he does, in his own inimitable way.
Fans of the series will be happy to know that "The Simpsons Movie" effortlessly captures the manic energy, sophisticated satire and devil-may-care spirit that have been its hallmarks from the very beginning. Homer's good-natured bumbling, Marge's exasperated pragmatism, Lisa's unquenchable optimism, and, of course, Bart's fresh-faced mischievousness are all on full display in the movie (along with something else of Bart's that is very much on display as well). The other favorites who show up on screen include the perennial toddler, Maggie, Grampa Simpson, Ned Flanders, Mr. Burns, Millhouse, Krusty the Clown and others too numerous to mention.
A team of well over a dozen writers - headed by series creators Matt Groening and James L. Brooks - has come up with some hilarious situations and one-liners, enough, in fact, to compensate for the very few ideas or jokes that flame out or misfire. The zinger-to-dud ratio is one of the best we've encountered in quite some time at the movies, though it's not as high, perhaps, as the best work in the series. As with most feature-length comedies, the concept does feel a little stretched at times and the humor itself runs a trifle thin. Still, with this much talent plugging away at the movie, it would be impossible for it to miss or disappoint its fans in any major way. And, of course, there's the instantly familiar and outstanding voice work from regulars Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer and Hank Azaria to get us into the spirit of the enterprise.
The animators have chosen not to tamper too much with the look of the film for its big screen presentation. There may be a bit more elaborate movement in some of the shots, but, for the most part, this is the same uncluttered, two-dimensional Simpsonian world familiar to us from the series.
Indeed, the defining philosophy of those who made the film seems to be "Why mess with a sure thing?", an approach that can be both a strength and a weakness depending on how one looks at it. For unlike the "South Park" movie, which used its jump to the big screen to expand the scope of its vision and carry the series to a new level, "The Simpsons Movie" feels more like an extended version of a single episode, simply blown up to a more impressive size and length. Thus, those looking for this to be the best and greatest "Simpson" episode ever may find themselves disappointed with what they find here. Ditto for those who expect it to provide something different from what they've already seen on TV. However, those who just want a few good laughs at the expense of everyone's favorite lovably dysfunctional adult and his wise guy progeny will have a rollicking good time at the movie.