The Simpsons Movie
By Jane Louise BoursawMPAA Rating: PG-13 for irreverent humor throughout
A movie 18 years in the making has finally come to theaters. Yes, that working-class family known as The Simpsons has hit the big screen in their first ever feature film.
It's hard to describe this movie in a few short paragraphs, because there's a lot going on. But here goes:
In case you're not familiar with the clan, there's loveable oaf Homer (voiced by Dan Castellaneta), a proud employee of the local nuclear power plant. His family includes caring wife Marge (Julie Kavner), underachieving ("and proud of it") son Bart (Nancy Cartwright), geeky daughter Lisa (Yeardley Smith), and baby Maggie.
At the start of the film, Homer rescues a pig from the chopping block and decides to bring him home to keep as a pet. Over a few days' time, the humorously named "Spider-Pig" manages to produce enough feces to fill up a giant silo--which Homer disposes of by dumping into Lake Springfield. In turn, the lake gets horribly polluted, causing genetic mutations in animals that come in contact with the toxic water. So the EPA steps in and seals off the town of Springfield with a giant glass dome, so as not to infect the rest of the country. No one can go in or out. Angered by the sudden turn of events, the townspeople storm the Simpsons' house with torches and try to hang them.
The family manages to escape from the dome and head north to Alaska. When the Simpsons find out that the US government plans to blow up Springfield, Marge (Julie Kavner) urges Homer to leave their new life in order to save all their friends and family from a horrible fate. When he refuses, Marge tearfully decides to take the kids and leave Homer in order to help the town.
Family disharmony, government conspiracies, love lost and found, cameos by Green Day and Tom Hanks, and a naked Bart all play into the storyline. You might not be bowled over unless you're a big fan of the show, but even the most casual of Simpsons viewers will find some good laugh-out-loud moments to keep them entertained through the film.
Note: The TV series, currently airing on the Fox network, is the longest-running animated series in history (18 years) and the longest-running prime-time show ever. And it's just been renewed for two more years. Not bad for a bunch of politically incorrect mustard-colored people. If it's foolish, silly, and slightly unnerving, you'll find it on The Simpsons.
PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5): With a PG-13 rating for "irreverent humor," best to keep the little ones away from this movie – and the TV show, for that matter. A better preschool-centric show about family is Max and Ruby, currently airing on Noggin and Nickelodeon. Despite conflicting agendas, preschool bunny Max and his 7-year-old sister, Ruby, manage to play together, go on camp-outs, and have lots of fun at the same time.
GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6 - 10): Sure, it's a cartoon, but like Futurama and Family Guy, the humor of The Simpsons is really aimed at older kids and adults. There's plenty of slapstick cartoon violence, horrible role models, and sexual / drug references. And Bart ends up naked and chained to a pole in the first few minutes of the move, which is a tad disturbing. For all these reasons, I don't recommend this movie for kids younger than 12.
TWEEN/TEEN (ages 11+): The beauty of The Simpsons is that it makes fun of everything, satirizing all the things and people we see in the headlines every day. It's not meant to be taken seriously; on the other hand, the writing is clever and witty. You either "get" The Simpsons or you don't. The people who get it will love this movie. The people who don't will still get a few laughs out of it.
Jane Louise Boursaw is a freelance journalist specializing in the movie and television industries.
