Film

“I can’t believe we’re paying to see something we can get on TV for free,” Homer complains as the credits roll on a new Itchy and Scratchy film, and he has a point. The impossible task of making a truly satisfying Simpsons movie—of taking the show to the next level, à la South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut—has inspired Groening et al. to retreat to old standbys: Lisa is trying to clean up Lake Springfield, Homer is wondering where to dump his pet spider-pig’s excrement and Bart is debating ditching his father for Flanders, who makes a mighty fine cup of hot cocoa.

In other words, this is a feature-length Simpsons episode, and possibly not even the Best. Episode. Ever. Still, there’s nothing disposable about a very special Simpsons, especially one that keeps cracking jokes about how it isn’t actually TV. (Fox programming is plugged, Disney animation is eviscerated and Bart makes a heartfelt antipiracy plea.) Nearly every character is accounted for, with the notable exceptions of Rainier Wolfcastle—who’d be redundant, really, with Schwarzenegger in the Oval Office—and anyone voiced by the late Phil Hartman. The story, involving a power-mad EPA honcho (Brooks) and a plan to turn Springfield into a new Grand Canyon, isn’t anything the writers couldn’t do in their sleep, but that kind of dependability is of a piece with the show. If the movie won’t define The Simpsons’ legacy, its greatest-hits atmosphere provides numerous reminders of what makes the series so beloved.