"The Simpsons Movie" review

Well I know this is like a month late, but I joined some great friends (and fellow Simpsons fans) a few weeks ago to watch the latest adventure of our lovable (and irreverant) yellow family, this time in widescreen (very cool). And though I can't say whether the movie was really worth the 18 year wait, it is very funny and will satisfy any of the classic TV show's true fans.

The story doesn't really cover foreign territory: Homer makes some horribly self-centered and idiotic decisions, goes on some crazy adventures, alienates himself from his family, and repents and returns to make things right in the end. Along the way, each of the Simpsons characters gets their moment to shine (or flash, in Bart's case), as do nearly all of your favorite Springfield characters (though I can never get enough of Mr. Burns). Though nothing horribly fresh, the story is epic enough in scale to warrant a 90-minute movie, and yet silly enough to make the film feel light and fast-paced.

The animation is slicker and more fluid than a standard TV-episode, and the movie gets a nifty Hans Zimmer score to accompany the grand nature of the story. But it's really the script, as usual, that makes or breaks a Simpsons story, and for the most part, they got it right this time. So many of the recent TV episodes focus more on jokes and spoofs than on telling a human story. But the movie, like so many of the classic, early episodes, chooses rather to center on the story, and sprinkles it with healthy dollups of satire and visual gags. Though it's a tiny bit edgier than your standard episode, I'd say the belly-laugh ratio here is about as regular as some of the series' best episodes. (And as many times as you've seen it, the Spider-pig sequence still gives me the giggles...)

The Simpsons Movie is not for everyone; a little Simpsons goes a long way with people like my wife. But for fans, it's a fun way to spend 90 minutes, and a funnier movie than most I've seen in theaters for a long time. I can't wait to see it again. (*** out of four)