Along with millions of other Simpsons geeks, I waited with baited breath and not a little bit of anxiety for the release of The Simpsons Movie. My expectations weren't soaring, but there was never any doubt that I would be there for the midnight premiere. The whole day I repeated a silent prayer to Matt Groening for it to pretty pretty please not suck, a fear not alleviated by the apparent need for a full-on blitz marketing campaign. And you know what? It was better than I could have hoped even despite my faith that the show's creators and the crack team of early-season writers wouldn't let it be an embarrassment. And without any further droning on, here were the best moments, in no particular order, all of them the kinds of gags that seemed to come so effortlessly in Seasons 3-8.
"And especially you!"
The movie's opening bit involves Our Favorite Family in a movie theater watching an "Itchy & Scratchy" cartoon (which was surprisingly good in itself), where Homer starts ranting to the audience about going out and paying money to watch what they get at home for free. The direct call-out was a gutsy way to start the movie, and this was the point where I felt it wouldn't let me down despite the weird-looking animation that looks like a hybrid of hand-drawn and CGI. I was already a few belly-laughs into the movie, and this was a good sign.
Bart's Penis
This got the biggest audience response of the whole movie: Bart skateboards naked down the street on a dare from Homer, his shame being covered up in about 30 different clever ways, until all of a sudden, the gag reverses: he passes an object with a slit down the side, and all you see is the little yellow wang going past. The most brilliantly conceived, timed, and executed visual gag I've ever seen; imagine how we'd remember the Austin Powers movies if they'd thought of this.
Spider-Pig
Anyone who has seen a trailer for the movie knows this bit because it's in every single goddamn one, so I was expecting a bit of disappointment here. Not only that, but whenever it was in a trailer, it was the featured moment, where the producers have bet the farm on it being the comedic high point of the movie, where the music suddenly stops and we can hear them scream, "See? You laughed there, didn't you? Even if nothing else is funny for the rest of the movie, you can laugh at this part! Isn't that worth $9?" But here's the thing: That bit only got peoples' attention for the funniest part of the gag, which wasn't in the trailer. The Spider-Pig song keeps going, and it only gets funnier after "Doing whatever a Spider-Pig does..." Well played.
Marge's Farewell
I've never been a Marge fan. I appreciate the subtle way that the writers poke fun at mom humor and mannerisms, as well as all the thankless work she does to hold together an otherwise hopelessly dysfunctional family (an aspect that nobody who derides the show for its poor example for families seems to grasp), but she always seemed underdeveloped in the same way that TV wives have been, cartoon and otherwise, from Wilma Flintstone to Lois Griffin; namely, what is an attractive, smart, morally sound woman doing married to a fat, selfish slob prone to weekly misadventure? The video Marge leaves for Homer after he refuses to go back and save the town he helped to doom may singlehandedly change the plight of underachieving TV women forever. Though she has left Homer before in the show, those cases were all involving Homer screwing up something within the family, and typically came with a concrete condition that he could bring her back by setting right. Here it is Homer's actions upon and subsequent indifference to others that makes her question what has kept the marriage going this whole time, and realize that she can no longer live with his impulsiveness and selfishness. What really makes this scene is the voice acting by Julie Kavner. Perhaps it was intentional or perhaps she had a cold on that day of recording, but Marge's voice had a quality I've never heard from her before; resolved, but with the kind of low, measured, congested tone that only comes after a lot of crying. The significance was not lost by anyone of her speech being recorded on Homer and Marge's wedding video, the one thing she ran back to save from their burning house, but when the speech ends and the wedding dance cuts back in, longtime fans immediately picked up on the meaning of "Why Do Bird Suddenly Appear?", a song originally used as a sort of gag representing the cornball 70's where they fell in love but which became a recurring motive for the young couple's innocence. Could be the most touching moment of the franchise to date, though it would have to compete for that title with the closing credits of Season 7's "Mother Simpson".
Jumping the Gorge
This shot at the end of the movie was set up in almost the exact same way as the classic bit from Season 2's "Bart the Daredevil", where the pan shot from behind makes it look like he's going to make it until he drops beneath the lip of the gorge a good 50 feet short of the other side. I was hoping, perhaps a bit sadistically, that the homage (is it an homage if you're paying tribute to yourself?) would lead to the same painful payoff, but he managed a more fortunate outcome this time. Yet I was ultimately satisfied at the end of the scene with the sight of the same ambulance from that episode smashed against a tree in the background as Homer and Bart embrace back on solid ground. No attention was drawn to it, yet any Simpsons fan worth his salt knew exactly why it was there. Thanks for that one, guys.
In all, they did a hell of a job adapting the show to the big screen. It clearly isn't just an oversized episode like Family Guy's Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, shown by the relative linearity of the plot and the absence of a B-story; nor is it purely an excuse to crank up the risque dial for what they can't put on TV, like South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. It takes on a much broader scope, paralleling the family's rise to popularity. It is about everything about the family being now larger than life: Instead of consistently reacting to the circumstances placed before them, they are now, however unwitting, the cause of the action that surrounds them. As far as criticisms, there aren't too many. The environmental message was a little much, but it ultimately wasn't the point of the whole movie. Making Schwarzenegger president made little sense since The Simpsons universe already contains a thinly-veiled caricature of the Governator in Reinier Wolfcastle, and being native-born he'd be constitutionally ineligible to run anyway. And Lisa was even less likable than usual here, never actually reconciling with her dad after being bitterly angry with him, and pursuing an undeveloped love interest by a pretentious musician kid who was Irish for some reason. There was once a time when Lisa could be bright and mature but still be 8, but the more she becomes a mouthpiece for the writers' personal beliefs the less her character is able to stand up on its own.
Is it possible that I've written enough about this movie yet? Fine, I'll give you one more great moment, straight from the classic mid-90's gag book. The fleet of government helicopters approaches, towing underneath the giant glass dome that is to be lowered on Springfield, sealing it from the outside world. As its shadow advances, two crowds appear from the respective doors of the church and Moe's Tavern, which are apparently next to each other now. After a moment of gaping awe, the two crowds scream and disappear through the door of the other building; the barflies into the church and the believers into Moe's. Perfect timing, perfect execution, thank you, come again.
