Product Description

Movie DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9944 in DVD
• Brand: TCFHE
• Released on: 2007-12-18
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 87 minutes

Amazon.com
The Simpsons had already ruled TV land for many years by the time they finally attempted to conquer the movie world as well. It was never any big secret that a Simpsons movie was in the works: Fox registered the domain name "Simpsonsmovie.com" in 1997, a full nine years before the film was finally greenlighted. When creator/producer Matt Groening’s creation finally made it to the big screen in 2007, it only turned out to be the biggest hit of the summer, raking in over $100 million gross in box-office receipts in its first week, before heading on to do over $500 million worldwide, proving that the best joke in the movie was actually played on the audience: "Why pay for something when you can see it for free?" asks Homer at the movie’s start. Naturally, all the trouble starts with him. When he adopts a pig ("Sir Oinks-A-Lot") destined for Krusty’s slaughterhouse, it triggers an environmental catastrophe, forcing the government to seal Springfield into a dome and destroy the city. While the family manages to escape and flee to Alaska, they eventually decide to return and help save the city in more-or-less classic Simpson fashion. As Homer’s joke about the audience shows, Groening and producer Al Jean are keenly aware that their franchise is first and foremost a TV show. Maybe a little too aware, as the movie fails to ever rise above anything more than an extended episode, and not even one of its best episodes at that. True, there are plenty of good jokes; the animation has been kicked up a notch to be particularly sharp and detailed; and there are some truly memorable moments such as Bart’s nude skateboard ride and the "Spider-Pig" song. But when the film finally materialized, the payoff for long years of anticipation turned out to be small as the movie failed to live up to its potential; it’s amusing but not truly funny. The Simpsons Movie leaves the impression that maybe the show’s writers and producers had already spent their best ideas on the best years of the TV show. Had it been made years earlier… well, we can only wonder what could have been. --Daniel Vancini

Get to Know The Simpsons

"Oh, so they have internet on computers now!" -- Homer Simpson	"I'd like to visit that Long Island Place, if only it were real." -- Marge Simpson (drinking a Long Island Iced Tea)	"Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You know, the birth of Santa." -- Bart Simpson
"If cartoons were meant for adults, they'd put them on in prime time." -- Lisa Simpson	"Daddy" -- Maggie Simpson	> More Simpsons Characters

Beyond The Simpsons Movie

The Simpsons Toys & Games

The Simpsons Video Games

The Simpsons Books & Comics Store

The Simpsons Automotive

More of the The Simpsons on DVD

The Simpsons TV Series	The Simpsons Movie on Blu-Ray	The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror
The Simpsons Christmas	The Simpsons Gone Wild	The Simpsons Kiss and Tell: The True Story of Their Love

Stills from The Simpsons Movie

Customer Reviews

Departure from strip format, but still good
In the TV series, what you've got is something of a linear main-plot with a lot of sub- and mini-plots interwoven. And those plots revolve around the humor and comedy, kind of like the plot revolves around the sex in an x-rated movie-not that I would know, but just based on what I've heard. Anyway, this movie does not reflect this strip cartoon structure, which is actually the kind of material that Matt Groening started off doing. Anybody remember Life Is Hell comics? So with The simpsons movie what you've got is the reverse: more of a dominant main linear plot, with the comedy revolving around it much more than what you've got in the TV series. And this makes sense for a feature-length film, otherwise why make one, right?
Also, remember the film The Adams Family? A lot of people got caught up on the fact that it seemed choppy. It seemed choppy because they tried to do a strip cartoon format (TAF started off as a strip cartoon) with a full-length feature. It works fine for something short, like say 30 minutes or under, but can tire and confuse the audience if they get a solid hour and a half of it, and I think the makers of this film took that into consideration as they put together a film somewhat more plot-driven than its TV counterpart.
In a nutshell, they had to slow things down a little bit in order to work in a story line that was clear enough to keep the audience focused on the movie for the entire time. But there's a lot that's funny in this movie, typical Simpson's stuff, along with one or two things that they probably wouldn't even put on prime time. Plus it's just cool to see a movie and have it be The Simpsons.

A LIttle of the Good Mixed With a Little of the Bad
Let's get one thing straight from the get go. The Simpsons is one of the most beloved TV shows in the world. Let's also get another thing straight, the show has been around for nearly twenty years and has actually caused a divide among fans. Those who believe the show is still good (or sometimes better than ever) and still has legs; and those who believe the show has been declining in quality for years. I warn you of two things before you read on. The first: I am one of the Simpsons fans who believes the show has been declining for years. I still sit down and watch the show, but in all honesty, the last good season was probably season 10. The second: Because of my stance, this review is heavily biased. I love the Simpsons. I've sat down and watched it since the first episode aired. But sometimes even fans have to realize when their favorite show churns out something that doesn't live up to the standards of fans. Perhaps its because I've been with the show since the beginning that it's easier to find fault with the newer episodes.

Despite that, this movie will please people from both sides of the specturm. Whether you think the show is is better than ever or you think it has declined in quality as I have, there's something here for you and it's partly because every writer who has ever been a part of The Simpsons chipped on.

The movie begins in Springfield where Green Day is giving a concert at Lake Springfield. Unfortunately the lake is so polluted that the stage Green Day is singing on (it's floating on the lake) that it eats away at the stage and it sinks taking Green Day with them. This forces Lisa Simpson to hold a town meeting where she presents her lecture entitled "An Irritating Truth," (obviously a parody of Al Gore's documentary). In addition, Homer and Bart have some fun (a moment so hilarious you'll miss out on some of the dialog because you'll be laughing too hard) which eventually lands them in Krusty Burger where Krusty is doing a shoot for a commercial. When its over he orders the Pig be killed... and Homer can't let that happen. So instead he saves the pig's life and takes him home.

The citizens of Springfield agree to stop dumping trash in the lake. Of course, there is one man who will dump something in there, of course... Homer Simpson. When Marge asks him just Homer has been doing with the pig's "leavings" he shows her a silo aptly marked: Pig Crap. Of course, Marge is disgusted and says that Homer still has to do something about it. So what does Homer do? Dumps it in Lake Springfield which causes a series of events that soon reach Washington D.C. and a corrupt politician. In the end, Springfield gets encased in a giant glass dome. When they wonder why, they eventually find out that Homer is to blame. Through strange circumstances the family manages to escape Springfield and go to Alaska where they no longer have to worry about Sprigfield's state. What they find out later, of course, is that the corrupt politician (voiced brilliantly by Albert Brooks) plans to destroy Springfield. Its up to The Simpsons to save the day.

The movie is complete with all the humor you'd expect from the show itself. Parodies, clever and witty dialog (there are some keepers here), physical abuse of Homer, Bart's shenanigans, Lisa's unpopularity... even the over the top zaniness that some from my side of the spectrum have come to loathe. And of course, the movie pokes fun on a political and religious scale. The whole plot of the movie is based around environmentalism and corrupt politicians while they also do their share to make fun of religion. The Simpsons has never been shy about tackling controversial issues and this movie is no different. Take some things too seriously and you'll surely be offended.

Still, it's actually a very funny movie. Especially the first twenty minutes. There wasn't a single person in the theater not laughing at what was happening. This movie is fun of memorable moments. The infamous Spider-Pig is but one ingenious example.

And then there are some bits of the movie that just fall flat. This would be the humor that has been coming out within the past couple of seasons. There are some parts that so over the top in stupidity that you'll either love them or hate them. Homer's character is also unbalanced. Homer has always been an oaf but at some moments he is unreasonably stupid. At others he's not nearly as dumb. In other words, the mesh of Classic Simpsons vs. Newer Simpsons is all too obvious in many areas.

There are some other nit-picky things. Some stories just aren't complete. Lisa, for example meets a boy who she falls head over heels with, but the movie never completes this story arc. Another nit-picky fan gripe is that a lot of the film just isn't in Springfield to begin with. This means that while you see many of the residents, you don't spend much time. Most of the Springfield denizens we've come to love (Principal Skinner, Mr. Burns, Chief Wiggum etc.) are on camera for mere seconds and hardly say or do anything. It's almost like playing "Where's Waldo" only with The Simpsons cast. It's not too big of a gripe, however. With so many residents in Springfield you couldn't expect to see them all. Just the same we don't really explore Springfield to begin with. We don't go inside the school or the police station or anything. Most of it is spent either at The Simpson's home or various places you've never seen in the show.

But the biggest gripe? That this is a Simpsons movie where Mr. Burns is not the main villain. While watching this, I couldn't get over the fact that you only see Mr. Burns twice. He's one of the most malicious characters in the show. He's been involved in some of The Simpsons best lived moments, but here he doesn't even use his famous, "Excellent" phrase. Not that the corrupt politician voiced by Brooks is bad, but it would've been far better had Mr. Burns been the main adversary.

The final thing is that the movie is rather short and feels more like an extended episode rather than a full blown movie. At 87 minutes it goes by in a flash. And yet, despite which side you fall on: Classic vs. New, you yearn for the movie to be longer because regardless of anything, it's funny. But it's also because you wish you could see more.

It can't be easy to make a movie to a series that's been around for nearly two decades. Especially with expectations so high. The Simpsons Movie succeeded by having a successful run at the box office. However, if you're from my side of the woods: Meaning you love the classic Simpsons episodes a lot... there's something to be desired that isn't there.

For what it's worth it IS a good movie. It's just a movie that had so much potential to be so much better.

Like an overlong episode
I used to be a very passionate Simpsons fan but the show kind of lost me and this movie made me realize why: it's been done. I would certainly say that The Simpsons has been one of the most subversive, one of the most clever, and one of the most entertaining shows in television history. Still, it is inevitable that any show, no matter how good, will reach saturation point and I feel this is the case with The Simpsons. There's really nothing in this movie that hasn't been seen before--with the exception of Spiderpig. And I agree with the reviewer who said you won't get that song out of your head--you won't.

The plot of the movie centers around an act of heinous stupidity committed by Homer that causes Springfield to be encased in a dome from which only the Simpson family is able to escape thanks to a handy sinkhole that Homer has failed to fix. Homer is normally my favorite character but I felt he crossed the line too much in this movie. Usually his problems stem from his stupidity but in this case he was fully aware that what he was doing was spectacularly wrong. I was also bothered by the truly cavalier way in which he treats his family after the town starts baying for Homer's blood. That Homer is insensitive and self-centered is undeniable but the show usually does a good job of showing that he does have some genuine goodness. This movie, however, does not. In fact, he is downright callous and I found myself truly disliking Homer, so much so that I did not want the rest of the family to reconcile with him.

There were some good points of the movie, though. Lisa finding her perfect mate was definitely a highlight and the animation was really fun to look at, particularly the scenic views of Alaska. Bart's new take on the Flanders family was amusing, though Ned didn't seem quite as colorful to me as he usually is. I also really enjoyed the crowd shots as they caused me to marvel at the seemingly endless number of vivid characters that have populated the series throughout its run. Still, these things alone do not a movie make.