Rousse Rant: "The Simpsons Movie"

Welp, I thought I wouldn't see it, but it seems Fate has decided otherwise (ha ha, thing I don't even believe in). So, here's a Rousse Rant on The Simpsons Movie.

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE
Released July 27, 2007
Directed by David Silverman
(Poster hosted by Wikipedia)

THE BASICS
After seeing yet another band (Green Day) perish in its foul waters, the citizens of Springfield ^%#@$! pledge to clean up the lake baring their city's name. However, Homer Simpson disposes a large amount of waste in the lake, finally pushing its toxicity past the tipping point. Facing the fact that it is now the most polluted city on Earth, the EPA and President Schwarzenegger vacuum seal all of Springfield under a gigantic dome... with the worst yet to come. Ultimately exiled, homeless and alone can Homer find the courage (and competency) to win back his family (and Bart's respect) and save Springfield?

THE PROCESS OF GETTING TO THE GOOD
All right, I'll be frank. I probably started watching The Simpsons when I was at least in third grade (mostly because I think I got hell from a teacher for touching a game or something... that's when I started getting hints grade school would be sooooo not fun). I watched it consistently for six or seven years. And I mean consistently. I'd get pissed if I missed it for any reason. If I had lost TV privileges, I'd beg and plead to at least have The Simpsons (most of the time, I won; but I held a grudge against Mom the one time she refused on a special episode and it took me three years to watch it!) So, yeah, pretty substantial part of my life.

Then the show (and my life) really started to suck in 2000, 2001. "Kill the Alligator and Run" was what did it; I was so profoundly dumbfounded and unamused by the episode that I started to lose the drive to watch it. I also became (and still am) rather humiliated about how I reacted to Futurama at the same time, so Matt Groening's work basically fell by the wayside as I moved onto slightly better years and finally to college. While there, my tastes in everything flourished and expanded, including to newer, more recent cartoons. But still, there was a "hurt" nostalgia for The Simpsons, the first big, contemporary cartoon I watched. I did make sure to watch the Halloween specials, but even they had seen better days.

So, when I heard a movie was coming out, I really wasn't all that geared up. But, the trailers were so fucked up, part of me was curious. But still, I felt I needed to be invited, not volunteered, to see it.

Well, guess what my best friend did today, proving someone I know right (and I know you're reading this, you jackass)...

(FINALLY) THE GOOD
So, well... after the literal Rousse Rant above, what'd I think? Well, I was, well...

...pleasantly surprised.

What really got me was the memory. Everyone was in the movie. And I mean EVERYBODY. Unless they're dead or live outside of Springfield, you saw them. We're talking characters we haven't seen in years, if not a decade. Lurleen Lumpkin, Princess Kashmir, Scott Christian, Chester Lampwick, Gabbo, Roger Myers, Rabbi Krustofski, Lance Murdoch, John... all of them and more can be seen at least once. There's even a reference to the classic scene of Homer's repeated falling down Springfield Gorge! Even if the show's writing has tanked lately, I can't fault them for rewarding devoted fans by remembering all of the characters we've seen over two decades.

Funny thing is, the writing... The movie was hilarious. I was laughing or snickering for most of the movie from the opening to the end credits (Sit through them!). I noticed the entire writing staff, including Matt Groening himself, worked on the script. And, of course, there's great barbs at idiotic pop culture; I especially appreciated attacks on FOX and that bane of my history/movie existence, Titanic. Perhaps that was part of the reason the movie was fun to watch, a throw back to the olden days.

Speaking of watching... the animation was just gorgeous. It usually is with cartoons jumping to the big screen (South Park in particular comes to mind), but the colors were crisp, clean, and appealing to look at it. I noticed that they in fact brought in a lot of the old production staff of Futurama, including the very talented CGI animator Scott Vanzo. The film was very appealing to look at.

As for the voice acting, it was good as always. Nancy Cartwright, as always, invigorates Bart; Yeardly Smith makes Lisa huggable and sweet as always; and we have the usual standbys of Tress MacNeille, Hank Azaria, and Harry Shearer bringing life to the city of Springfield.

But, the people I feel really standout in the film are Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner as Homer and Marge. "Homer pisses off Marge, and has to appease her" has long been a standby of Simpsons plots. But, the movie takes it to a new level. There's several scenes, including a particularly powerful one from Marge, that make it clear that the stakes have never been higher for the survival of their relationships. Dan and Julie are very talented by default, but they really shown here.

I also want to note Hans Zimmer's awesome score. He (along with James Horner, John Williams, and Howard Shore) is one of my favorite movie composers. It was fitting of a film of this magnitude but stayed true to The Simpsons.

Also, in regards to problems I have with current episodes, there were no cameos for the sake of cameos or a ridiculous thing that finally led to the main plot! They played characters or had a purpose in the plot! The plot was there from the first few minutes! As Homer would say, "Woo hoo!"


THE BAD
So, uh, what didn't I like...

Well, there was a good bit of "jerkass Homer" as some have taken to calling him in the beginning. And there were sometimes where it seemed like Homer was being an idiot just to be an idiot. So, such scenes felt very forced and needless. Of course, once we were past that stuff, the above redeemed him.

You know, there's probably other things, but I really had a good time being with my best friend and reliving the entire series all over again with each other in an hour and a half with him.


AND THE VERDICT
Like every movie, it had its flaws and such. But, like I said above, it was a fun trip down memory lane in the glory days of one of my favorite shows. Maybe I'll turn in more often because of the film. But, above all, it was a great time with my best friend at my side. And with me about to leave Maine (which was shouted out :)) for good for New York City, it was an experience I appreciated even more.

GRADE: Hell, bias. A-.

BEST SCENE/LINE:
There's too many to count, but this one addresses a lot of what I enjoyed...


So, there we go. Good from beginning to end, at least for me. If you're a fan of the show, past or present, you'll probably find stuff to like.

Oh, and for the hell of it, self portrait of me in the Groening style from the website. My hair's a little more unruly and I'm a little pudgier, though.