Who is the Audience for This Movie?

The Simpsons TV show has always been family friendly entertainment and the movie is no different.

What I Liked About This Movie

After waiting so long for a Simpsons movie I was very apprehensive that this movie would disappointing and in that respect it did not fail me. I went into the movie expecting the same style of animation the Simpsons has used for a long time. I was happily surprised that they took cues from Futurama (Both made by some of the same people) and used a mixture of 2D/3D very effectively.

The story sticks fairly closely to what you would expect from the Simpsons; which means an unexpected event is triggered by one of the family members. The main storyline is solid and manages to introduce a few funny new characters. The most notable new character would be the head of the Environmental Protection Agency who is voiced by Albert Brooks. I have always thought he had an interesting voice and his character has great personality and some really funny lines.

Comedy in this movie favors quantity over quality but the big jokes hit when they need to and garner enough laughs to keep you entertained. I really enjoyed the jokes aimed at Disney’s squeaky clean image the most.

What Didn’t Work For Me

The Simpsons movie contains a side story where Bart feels Homer is a poor father and begins to idolize Ned Flanders. I did not like this side story because it was kind of a downer and in the end it is tossed away like it was there just to kill some time.

When did Homer turn from lovable oaf to complete ass? He has always made really dumb mistakes but his antics in this movie just seem mean spirited. It probably does not help that the movie evenly clearly points out the negative repercussions of his actions. You can usually say, that’s just Homer being Homer, but most of his actions seemed totally reckless and made him a less likeable character.

Should You Watch This Movie?

I liked it and I think that anyone who has been a fan of Simpsons over the years should be entertained by this movie.

My Rating (Out of 13)