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Bookmark this pageThe Simpsons Movie (2007)
Director: David Silverman
Synopsis
It’s taken 18 years, but 'The Simpsons', the phenomenally successful animated sitcom, has finally made the transition to the big screen.
Movie review
From Time Out London
‘The Simpsons Movie’ opens with an Itchy and Scratchy short that the Simpsons clan turns out to be watching in a movie theatre. Homer is unimpressed: ‘Why would I pay to watch something I can see for free at home?’ It’s a confident gag on the part of the cartoon’s creators; perhaps a little too confident, as it turns out, for although this long-awaited big-screen outing for Springfield’s finest is far from disappointing, it can’t be said to represent the quantum leap from the TV series that fans might have been hoping for either.
We open with business as usual: Homer is lazy and dumb, Bart running wild, Marge concerned and Lisa thumping a worthy tub (specifically environmentalism, with a town hall presentation on the state of Lake Springfield entitled ‘An Irritating Truth’). Homer’s devotion of his limited mental energies to an infatuation with a pig instead of his daughter’s words prompts a catastrophe that places the whole town in existential danger, and the family in the path of its wrath.
The movie offers several risqué touches you wouldn’t get on TV, from Bart’s ‘doodle’ to Homer flipping his fellow citizens the bird, and a level of technical sophistication that outstrips the series, with several set-pieces and action shots that achieve real cinematic impact. Overall, however, too many elements are familiar from the small screen, from the threat to the town and the trajectory of the family’s emotional journey to details like a Native American vision and the effects of pollution on wildlife. The main new characters – a government villain, a love interest for Lisa – feel skimpy too.
The Simpsons’ creators may, however, be the victims of their own success in endowing the original show with a more cinematic sensibility than most TV. ‘The Simpsons Movie’ does not feel at sea on the big screen and, crucially, it is very funny. The cartoon’s trademark sharpness and density of gags easily sustains its running time which, in this summer of bloated blockbusters, is mercifully compact. Some of the best gags revolve around failure to learn from painful mistakes: Homer repeatedly shocking himself on electrified foodstuff, for instance. In other words, as long as it’s funny, there’s nothing wrong with more of the same.
Author: Ben Walters
Time Out London Issue 1927: July 25-31 2007
User reviews of this film
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- Rater said...
- Posted on Sep 01 2007 11:29 Spider pig spider pig does whatever a spider pig does can he swing from a web no he cant hes a pig look out he is a spider pig
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- Gaze Smith said...
- Posted on Sep 01 2007 10:08 (sorry forgot to rate)The one reason to see the film....Spider Pig!! The film was just average and nothing special! Sad to say but true.
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- Gaz Smith said...
- Posted on Sep 01 2007 10:06 The one reason to see the film....Spider Pig!! The film was just average and nothing special! Sad to say but true.
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- Jake said...
- Posted on Aug 31 2007 11:42 A fantastic film with great puns and you need to watch it yourself to get how good it is. dont look at all the bad points because there's no point in that
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- cal said...
- Posted on Aug 30 2007 20:22 pleasantly surprised. the newer episodes i have hated but this seems to make a welcome return to the ethos of the older episodes. sadly not as good as some of the episodes but stilll holds up as a decent film.
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- Xx~JeSs~xX said...
- Posted on Aug 30 2007 11:18 hmmm i liked and wud watch it agen but coz the episodes alone are gud n really funny i had high expectations bout the film which i thought was nothin to amazin but it had its own competiton with the episodes that eva1 luvs so it must av been hard, n eva1 was expecting somin really hilarious n outstanding compared to the series n that, but still like i sed i wud def see it agen n ne one who hasn't seen it yet n is goin to dont get your hopes up to much !!! ( but yeh still reli enjoyed it !!)
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- voodoo maker said...
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Posted on Aug 29 2007 07:52
absolutely brilliant, funny and is ful of humour!
P.S. im seeing it today. - Report as inappropriate
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- charlie!! said...
- Posted on Aug 25 2007 10:52 dis film is really gd and it makes u laugh wich iz gd
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- ~rock chick~ said...
- Posted on Aug 25 2007 00:50 1 word MAGNIFACELENTICAL (translated means maginificent excelent magical ) its the best movie ever well apart from chucky I LOVE CHUCKY CHILDS PLAY 123 BRIDE AND SEED ROCK but yeh this film comes in second for my fav defo
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- simpsonslover said...
- Posted on Aug 22 2007 09:05 what a disappointment.the whole film has about 2 or 3 laughs in it.this would have made a fairly poor episode on t.v no way can they stretch this out to a full lenght feature.dont bother with it ,watch some old epsisodes instead;they a lot funnier
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- Alice said...
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Posted on Aug 21 2007 20:48
Judging by the whole pig thing this looks so funny! :) It might be a bit long though after the half an hour episodes normaly shown
still cant wait to see it!!! - Report as inappropriate
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- Paige said...
- Posted on Aug 21 2007 12:04 i don't like it it just seemed to drag on cause i'm use to half an hour.
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- Bekki said...
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Posted on Aug 21 2007 11:11
This film sound absoulatey brillant can't wait to see it the preview looks really good speical the part about the spider pig. i have been waiting ages for this movie to come out.
P.S going to see it today. - Report as inappropriate
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- charlie said...
- Posted on Aug 20 2007 16:05 its fantastic, like one of the episodes, just longer and funnier.
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- anon said...
- Posted on Aug 20 2007 14:00 i was very disapointed with this film. I was expecting so much better. I am a very passionate Simpsons fan and this was not up to the standards of the tv show. its not a bad film overall but could be better.
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Cast & crew
Director: David Silverman
Producer: James L Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Mike Scully, Richard Sakai
Genre(s): Comedy
Rated: PG
Duration: 87 mins
UK Release: Jul 25 2007
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