We went to see the new Simpson's movie this weekend, and I have to admit it was a little wierd sitting in a large dark room with 250 other people watching the Simpsons. There were the usual gags, a few funny surprising moments, and a few genuine laughs- but the biggest thing was a dare between Homer and Bart where Homer dared Bart to skateboard naked to the Krusty Burger and back.
Bart's crusing down the street nude and a more than a few conveniently placed items cover little Bart, and then Bam! Bart's junk! Little Bart flashed on the screen for everyone to see. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it was just a little surprising- given that the male member is usually taboo in even R rated movies.
Aside from the Bart "member shot" it felt like a long episode of the Simpsons. I mean these characters have been in our lives for over 17 years! This show lasted longer than my first marriage for cryin' out loud. Standing in line and paying to see the Simpsons is kinda like going to the zoo to see your own pets in cages.
Its not that I didn't like it. I'm a Simpsons devotee- I've been watching the Simpson family not grow up or get any older since they were a short at the end of the Tracy Ullman Show. Its just that the movie didn't feel like a movie.
There was a few slow moments where I thought a remote would be handy- you know, not really "change the channel" just see what else is on for a second. The Simpsons at this point are like ambient TV. Its whats on when there's nothing on. Its what you have on BEFORE Prime time. There's much to be said about the "staying power" of the Simpsons, about its permanent place in American culture, and its enduring charm- but if you wanna pay to see the Simpsons, come to my house around 7pm every evening. For $40 I'll give you all the popcorn you can eat, a big soda, and even let you hold the remote.
2 comments:
I knew before we even went to the movie that it would be just like a really long Simpsons episode, and I was right. I thought the movie was great, but great in the sense of any other Simpsons episode.
I remember people being disappointed with the final Seinfeld episode. Those people expected it to somehow be even more hilarious than any other episode. But it wasn't; it was just another funny episode!
And so it goes with the Simpsons. I can't imagine it was very enjoyable at all for people who don't regularly watch the Simpsons.
And by the way, we were disappointed that they didn't work in a tribute to a couple of our favorite characters like Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure (Phil Hartman).
We're geeks... we were at the 10:15am showing on Friday morning!
I assumed it would be like another television episode. Still want to see it, but I might not be disappointed if I had to wait for it to come out on DVD.
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