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Why I Didn't Like The Simpsons Movie
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I am a huge Simpsons fan. I still Tivo the 6:00, 7:30, and 11:00 episodes even though I have all the DVD’s. One of my best friends and I have entire conversations based on Simpsons quotes. My background image on my computer is a screen capture of Marge holding a box of the “number three cracker company”, Allied Biscuit.
And yet, at the risk of sounding pretentious, I just couldn’t get into the movie.
I’ll start by saying that I understand how, in order to maximize profits, you have to appeal to a wide audience. That’s fundamental marketing. Which is why I won’t geek out over certain obscure-yet-hilarious characters’ lack of presence in the film (Lenny, Carl, Bumblebee Man to name a few) But I think the writers seriously overlooked some of the characters that made the Simpsons legendary. Where was Krusty’s overt gambling and alcohol addiction? Mr. Burns’ use of antiquated lingo from the 1890’s? Allusions to Smithers’ latent homosexuality? All of these things and more are what made the show brilliant.
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The writers had a blank canvas to do whatever they wanted on the big screen. And what did they do with that? Three seconds of Bart’s “doodle” and Homer giving the middle finger. Big fucking deal. I’m not saying that I wanted gratuitous sex and more swearing than usual (I’d be happy with a “hell-damn-fart” any day!) But why not take the opportunity to take that satire to the next level? That could mean more jabs at Fox’s sub par programming, more characters parodying the corruption of American society, more making fun of Nazi’s and Betamax, and a hell of a lot more creative freedom.
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I also thought that some of the main characters’ personalities were lost in the movie. Contrary to popular belief, Marge can be funny. I always thought her character was used as a tool to enable the others (e.g. through her tolerance and blatant repressiveness), which is why she is so useful. Yet in the film she was just depressing. And what was the deal with Bart getting drunk? That was so much more dramatic than it needed to be. The last time Bart got drunk he pointed his finger to a news camera and belched “What are you looking at”, resulting in a city-wide prohibition. What did this drunken escapade lead to? Not laughs.
The thing is, there were great gags in the movie that made me do that nasal-blow type laugh that sounds pretty bitchy in reality. Like that “Trappuccino” graphic beside Kent Brockman. That was great, yet Brockman had to actually set up the joke to make sure we all got it. If it were in the show, they’d simply flash the graphic and either people were paying enough attention to catch it, or they weren’t. That’s what makes me appreciate the show more than anything else. I do in fact hope that they make another movie. But more importantly, I just hope that they use the big screen more wisely.
In conclusion, the exports of Libya are numerous in amount. One thing they export is corn, or as the Indians call it, "maize". Another famous Indian was "Crazy Horse". In conclusion, Libya is a land of contrast. Thank you.
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