Product: The Simpsons: Christmas 2 [Region 2] (1989)
Rating: 4.0
"It's like a class three kill storm!"
The Simpsons--Christmas 2 has four Christmastime episodes despite the fact that not all of these four episodes focuses on Christmas. However, the episodes are well thought out and funny with the exception of "Dude, Where's My Ranch" which has cute moments in the latter (and longer) part of the episode only after the real laughs are over. The quality of the print is very good and the sound is fine, too. The plots move along very well and they will entertain fans of The Simpsons as well as newcomers. You don't need to know too much background information about the characters to enjoy these four episodes; and that's a definite plus. The characters are nicely developed in an incredibly short period of time for the maximum amount of humor and action.Here is an outline of the four episodes; and no, I won't spoil it for you!"Homer vs. Dignity:" The Simpsons become financially destitute--to the point where a financial counselor tells them they may have to declare bankruptcy--several times. Desperate to raise much needed cash (he even sold the back seat of the car for money), Homer takes advantage of Smithers' vacation time to do increasingly humiliating acts for the money he and his family have to have. How far will Homer go to satisfy Mr. Burns? Will Homer ever draw the line or does something else happen that makes Homer's stunts for Mr. Burns go bad? And, how does this story line tie into Christmas? Watch and find out!"Skinner's Sense of Snow:" Watch for a hilarious spoof of Cirque de Soleil when it comes to Springfield! It's not soon after that an incredible blizzard snows the kids into Springfield Elementary. How do Skinner and the kids get along--or will there be a tug-of-war between them? Homer and Ned Flanders set out to rescue the kids, but their car is stuck in the snow and ice so it looks hopeless. What happens to Nibbles the hamster? This episode has practically nothing to do with Christmas except for the very end where Lisa wishes the audience a Merry Christmas--what gives? It's good; but not tied into the holiday theme here."Dude, Where's My Ranch:" When The Simpsons go Christmas caroling, things don't exactly go as planned. However, Homer writes a new Christmas carol--and it gets noticed! However, what happens when the song gets produced? The answer may surprise you. When the family later on goes to a dude ranch, Lisa falls in love with young Luke Stetson. Will he return her love? What happens when Lisa overhears the boy talking on the phone with Clara--could there be a rival for the boy's affections? The laughs come mostly before Homer and his family gets to the ranch and it's not a bad episode; but it's also not much of a Christmas episode. Sigh. Watch and find out!"`Tis the Fifteenth Season:" We see The Simpsons hanging out their holiday lights; and then the holiday season gets underway for real when Mr. Burns' nuclear power plant has "secret Santa." Homer gets a bad reputation fast for being selfish and spending his $500 bonus on a fancy present for himself--but what happens when he watches "Mr. McGrew's Christmas Carol?" Homer gets remarkably generous and kind--will he be able to keep it up? Will Flanders be pushed out of the spotlight and what might happen if Flanders IS outdone by Homer? There's plenty more action to this one; so watch and find out!There's also a bonus feature complete with storyboards from "`Tis The Fifteenth Season." It's good for people who want to have a taste test of how these animated episodes are produced.Overall, The Simpsons--Christmas 2 is very good; but I can't give it five stars because these four episodes don't always tie very well into the Christmas holiday. While I still recommend this for newcomers to The Simpsons and Simpsons fans who don't already have these episodes, please remember that not all of this material is as holiday oriented as the title would have you believe.