A disgrace to one of the best loved TV pieces of all time

Rating: 4/10 (3 August 2007)

The Simpsons. A show, no, a TV revolution, loved by so many. I, like many other Simpsons fans have watched the shows demise over the past few years. The Simpons was never just a TV show for me, it was a representation of society, it was clever, it was witty, it was sarcastic, it was satirical, it was layered, it was 'real' - at least as real as an animated TV show can get.
I was hoping so dearly that the movie would capture some of what The Simpsons used to do for us.
My God. I don't even know where to start when describing this movie. I grew up with The Simpsons, it almost seems wrong to admit how awful this movie was. NO, I can't keep quiet, this movie was HORRIBLE.
It pains me to see reviews stating that "any real Simpsons fan will love this movie." What a load of tripe. Any REAL Simpsons fan will see this movie as the final nail in the coffin of a masterpiece that should have gone out on top, a disgrace to one of the best loved TV comedy pieces of all time.
This movie was targeted at morons who have no idea what humour is. The kind of idiots who'll find terrible slapstick, forced 1 liners and bumbling fools falling over 'hilarious'. Dumbed down would be an understatement. Even the potentially humorous moments in the movie were ruined by overly long build-ups and predictable executions. Any intelligence and satire that the Simpsons used to portray is nowhere to be found in this pile of cheap hogwash.
This movie is NOT The Simpsons, in the same way recent TV seasons aren't either. At least the TV series will occasionally pay homage to its former self. It may have the same yellow characters on screen, but this may as well have been a completely new animated family (and the family is the only thing you'll see on screen throughout the movie) - oh wait, that wouldn't sell.
The entire movie follows the family around, most of which pointlessly takes place outside of Springfield. There is ONE 'story' going on throughout the 90 minutes, rather than two or more intertwining with each other like on the show (and I firmly believe this was one of the shows most valuable characteristics). The story itself is atrocious. It contains no solid or believable plot, utterly forced jokes and things we've seen done in the show a dozen times, void of any of the shows charm.
The sub-plots in the movie fail to even materialise. "Lisa and Colin", "Bart and Flanders"? These were impossibly frustrating to watch and went nowhere.
It seems the movie has tried to copy Family Guy and failed miserably. Instead of seeing Homer as a cute, unlucky, lovable character, he's been turned into a vulgar, loud-mouthed yob. Bart's no longer a brat  he's been turned into some kind of emotional, frustrated kid who isn't happy with his father. What on Earth? Family Guy on the other hand knows what it is  it IS crude and vulgar, but it does it well. The Simpsons, though, seems to be lost and has no idea of its own identity.
It's a real shame that The Simpsons has had to end up where it is. As far as I, a real Simpsons fan, am concerned, this movie isn't part of the Simpsons I love, and I'll always remember the show for what it was and represented to me.