Review: The Simpsons Movie
Rated PG-13 for some mild language, animated violence, and Bart Simpson's wang.

For as long as I care to remember, The Simpsons has been a part of my life. Through just about all of my public school experience, I could always count on the iconic yellow family to cheer me up during dinner each night. With such emotional attachment to the characters and nearly two decades of production, however, The Simpsons movie, for some fans, will be judged with nigh unattainable standards.

Well, as far as this long-time fan is concerned...I loved it.

My concern going into it was whether or not the tone and comedic style would more resemble the early, golden years of the show or rather the newer (i.e. less funny) seasons. I was pleased to find that the former was indeed the case. With a strong--albeit goofy--main plot, the laughs come primarily from the Simpson's paternal ne'er-do-well and Springfield's enormous cast of fan-favorite background characters.

Though I'm not sure "laughs" is the best word to use to describe The Simpsons Movie. It's funny, don't get me wrong, but like the best episodes of the series, the real comedy comes from remembering the gags and one-liners later, reciting them amongst friends in (in)appropriate situations. It's more of a chuckler the first time you see it, leaving you in a near constant state of gigglyness rather than outright belly laughing.

For fans of The Simpsons (which, as far as I know, is just about everyone), seeing this at the theater is a no-brainer. An impressive amount of recurring characters and locations from the show can be found hiding in each frame, so there should be plenty for those Comic Book Guy fanboys to stay busy pointing them out on their message boards. Also, the movie includes a few 4th wall breaking moments in which Homer makes fun of the audience for paying money to see something they can get "for free on TV."

18 years was a long time to wait, but I dare say it was worth it. In writing this review, I tried to come up with ways in which this movie could have been better. I was unable to think of anything. In fact, for what's its worth, this is the funniest thing bearing the Simpsons name that I've seen in many years.

Oh, and don't forget to stay during the credits. I think we can all assume a sequel is in the works.

Rating: 5 / 5

Tags: Review