The Simpsons Movie
There have been a few exceptions over the years but, as a general rule, film studios, 20th Century Fox in particular, don’t typically allow alterations to their logos in the opening of a film. Occasionally, you’ll see some tweaks in trailers but when it comes to the final product, it’s usually just the same old thing.
The Simpsons Movie opens with that familiar Fox logo and epic orchestrated theme by Alfred Newman. But then, as you probably have seen in some previews, a nose-picking Ralph Wiggum chimes in to assist with the music. It’s a killer starting joke and one of the best moments of the film. It works because it’s Ralph and he would totally do that. It’s Fox’s way of saying, Hey, thanks for the billions!
I’ve been critical to The Simpsons over the last few years. I’ve gone through phases of both appraisal and criticism. I don’t think anyone can honestly say the show that airs Sunday evenings on Fox is the same show that it was ten years ago. There are hit and miss episodes but that comes with any show on television, especially the older ones. The Simpsons has aged well, and for a show that has been on for nearly two decades, it’s still better than most sitcoms.
I truly went into The Simpsons Movie without a clue of what the plot was about. All I knew was that there was a pig involved, somehow, and that Arnold Schwarzenegger was somehow president.
The plot is a fine example of how The Simpsons bite the hand that feeds them. I must admit I wasn’t expecting scathing political satire for two reasons: I thought that boat sailed a long time ago for the show, and quite frankly, I’m surprised Fox let them do it. While the environmentalist-friendly plot isn’t exactly a jab at Fox itself, it is as big of a sucker punch to the science-ignorant Bush administration as An Inconvenient Truth was. Moreover, the biggest character in the film without the last name Simpson, Russ Cargill, shares a similar corporate-fueled ideology with Dick Cheney. When a dome is placed over Springfield, Cargill (Albert Brooks) remarks that even though he has a personal connection to the company that manufactured said dome and looks to gain financially from its construction, it had nothing to do with his decision.
The film isn’t perfect. It’s funny, of course. There are some problems but you’ll never find yourself bored. It has that sharp, irreverent wit we’ve known for years, it’s just not quite as up to par as it once was. It does have a punny moment that nearly made me pee my pants. It also has those heart-warming moments that have always separated The Simpsons from the forced cheesiness of shows like Full House, which was neither funny nor heart-warming.
The biggest disappointment is how many of the supporting characters are underused. You pretty much get to see everyone (though I don’t recall ever seeing Surly) but you don’t hear everyone. In fact, the majority of the silent characters all have to do with Springfield Elementary. You see Principal Skinner, Mrs. Crabapple, Groundskeeper Willy, and Superintendent Chalmers but you never hear them. Maybe it’s because some of the oldest characters have grown tired over the last two decades but it still would have been nice for them to have a line or two. (There is one funny Crabapple/Skinner moment that works even without dialogue.)
There have been over 400 22-minute episodes over the years that managed to squeeze in more characters than a movie thrice the size could. I guess I’m just a little bit naïve since the name of the movie is after all The Simpsons Movie and it’s about the Simpson family. It’s chock full of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie goodness. Grandpa is there too but, in keeping with the status quo, he’s an afterthought for the rest of the family.
Another issue I have, and this is just me nit picking, is with President Schwarzenegger. It would have been one thing if Arnold had actually provided the voice (there are several celebrity cameos) but he didn’t. It’s just Harry Shearer doing his Rainier Wolfcastle voice. This strikes me as odd in a post post-modern kind of way since Rainier Wolfcastle is based off of Arnold Schwarzenegger. I think it would have worked better if they had just made Ranier Wolfcastle president, but that’s just me.
But I think the biggest problem stemmed from the fifteen credited writers. If the film had just been three episodes squeezed together they could have divvied up the work and come out with three stellar episodes. It wasn’t though. It was an actual movie with a plot that, despite so many hands in the donut box, was able to work. It just could have worked a little better. Sometimes less is more, but sometimes a little more can be just enough.
It took Fox longer than Warner Bros. and Disney to find their animated icon but they found a winner. The image of The Simpsons® is an image (of an image) of America. Hell, The Simpsons® might as well be America as far as the rest of the world is concerned. Despite however long the television show remains on the air, it will always be around in, not only movies, but every other form of matter that exists. The Simpsons® is Fox’s Mickey Mouse. Yellow is the new black, man.