It actually works

Rating: 9/10 (30 July 2007)

To me The Simpsons died with Phil Hartman and Troy McClure and have jumped the shark seven times since the year 2000. However the 90's episodes were beyond brilliance. I own all the seasons of the DVD and I still laugh at them. Even though I am very annoyed by the current quality of the show I couldn't pass up an opportunity to see Homer on the big screen. I walked in expecting to be disappointed but to have a few laughs and I walked out pleasantly surprised and I laughed a lot.
The plot is actually quite clever. Homer dooms Springfield by dumping a silo of crap from his beloved pig in the town's polluted lake. Russ Cargill, the head of the Enviormental Protection Agency states that Springfield must be cut off from the rest of the world because of it's high pollution and puts the city in a giant dome. Homer and his family escape the dome just before a lynch mob kills them. Homer takes the opportunity to take his family to his dream home,Alaska. The Simpsons seem to get used to their new life until a video starring Tom Hanks tells them that Springfield will be destroyed to create a new Grand Canyon(Apparently the old one wasn't generating tourism) Marge takes the kids back to save Springfield while Homer goes on a mystical journey with a Eskimo whose cleavage doesn't leave much to the imagination. Just as Cargill moves in to destroy the city, Homer comes back to save the day.
I really was surprised by how clever the jokes were. Recently the age of The Simpsons writers has shown by their lack of being able to market to The Simpsons age group. The pop culture references on the show now are stale at best. Recently the show has been relying on stereotypes for humor. The movie reminded of the reason I loved the show in the first place, Homer. This is Homer's movie and rightfully so, he got the most laughs in the theater. Dan Castellaneta's performance is down right genius, he is able to salvage some of the weaker material and deliver it in a way that makes it funny.
My one really disappointment with the movie is that A.Brooks doesn' reprise his role as Hank Scorpio. Scorpio fits Cargill's character traits perfectly and he is the most beloved guest star character after Sideshow Bob(Who also isn't in the movie. That was another huge let down!) The animation is great as well, Don't count 2-D out yet.