More Woohoo For Your D’Oh!
Like the second coming of Christ it would be something of an understatement to say that The Simpsons Movie has been eagerly awaited. After years of rumours, innuendo, and a script-in-progress that’s been shrouded in more secrecy than the Ark of the Covenant, America’s longest running animated series has finally made it to the big screen. And thankfully, unlike some recent TV-to-film adaptations, this one doesn’t disappoint.
While the television series of late has been marked by more misses than hits, the longevity of the show and its ability to ‘pull one out of the bag’ just when it seems that the writers’ think tank has well and truly run dry, remains impressive. It’s perhaps not simply a coincidence then with questions looming over the future of the show, that the plot for The Simpsons Movie has a fairly ‘apocalyptic’ premise.
Continuing the environmental theme of recent Hollywood fare (from An Inconvenient Truth through to Happy Feet) The Simpsons Movie opens with Springfield in the midst of an eco-crisis. Too much pollution in Springfield Lake has brought the town to the brink of disaster, until Lisa, with the aid of Colin (“No, my father’s not Bono”), the Irish new kid, leaps into action. That is of course, before Homer and a truckload of waste take an erroneous detour en route to the donut store, landing the town in strife and sealed off from the rest of America. As the residents look to assign blame, it’s the Simpsons who once again find themselves ‘personas non gratis’ while the town rushes headlong toward destruction.
While the storyline retraces similar ground to that already covered on the small screen (after 400 episodes it’s not that surprising), the film’s energetic screenplay effectively sidelines the potential for déjà vu tedium. Penned by a team of scribes (including TV stalwarts Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Al Jean and Mike Scully) the catchy dialogue and innumerable site gags tirelessly poke fun at, among others, the government, the FOX network, Disney, advertising, celebrity politics, and even itself – the opening sequence ends with a disgruntled Homer standing up in a cinema demanding, “Why would anyone wanna pay to see something you could get for free on TV”?
In fact, across the film’s 88 minute running time there’s barely a dull moment. Whether intimating Homer’s suspect affection towards his porcine friend “Spider-Pig”, or orchestrating Bart’s nude skateboard ride through the Springfield streets, the comic sequences in The Simpsons Movie are genuinely (and consistently) amusing. Tom Hanks and Green Day also turn in deliciously self-mocking performances though thankfully the writers have resisted the temptation to stack the cast with celebrity guest voices. The relative absence of supporting characters may seem out of step with the show, but in the cinematic format, restricting the action to the family proves a smart move.
The only minor drawback here is that while the comedy strikes the right notes, the plot never moves beyond the comfortable territory that the television show has established over the past two decades. Then again, The Simpsons has never sought the level of political satire proffered by South Park, and only rarely ventures towards the comedic extremes of Family Guy. Instead, The Simpsons has always seemed more interested in the centrality of the family unit to American culture and the struggles inherent in keeping it together. If anything, the dysfunctional domesticity and the harmonious resolutions that have characterised the show through each of its 18 seasons have perhaps contributed to its lasting appeal.
Like a suburban Neverland, The Simpson’s Springfield has a definite timeless quality. Characters never age, their personalities, idiosyncrasies, and catchphrases (“D’oh!”) seldom alter, and only on the rare occasion does death intervene. Yet in this movie, it is precisely this consistency that ultimately provides the film’s central emotional conflicts. After years of “overlooking” his faults and disappointment, Marge’s tolerance of Homer is pushed to the brink of divorce, while Bart’s oft-screened paternal anxieties sees him pushed into the arms of Flanders.
You needn’t be too worried about any lasting conflicts though, but to its credit the film plays on these uncertainties to good effect. In particular, Marge’s videotaped ultimatum to Homer lends the film a moment of genuine emotional empathy, while leading nicely to a sequence in which The Carpenter’s “Close To You” offers a moody comic refrain. If nothing else The Simpson Movie suggests that even after all these years, perhaps there’s still some life in the old show yet.