The Day Before
The rumours were as old as the series itself, and yet when word of a Simpsons movie attached to a confirmed release date circulated the internet last year, it still felt surreal. Sure a movie was inevitable, but the prototypical answer "it'll happen sometime in the future" had become so entrenched into the public's subconsciousness, it was difficult to wrap our heads around the very idea. A Simpsons movie? Next year? What's it about?
The early notice generated intense anticipation, and while plot details have slowly trickled from their tightly guarded safe, the majority of Sipmsons diehards are still wondering the same thing. Will it be any good? Perhaps before that can be answered, fans must consider just what exactly constitutes a good Simpsons movie?
Here are the essentials:
The hit-to-miss gag ratio must be extraordinarily higher than a season 18 episode. A bad gag from a Sunday night episode can be brushed off or forgotten, but for a movie that has supposedly received immaculate scrutiny and undergone endless rewrites, bad jokes will be significantly more difficult to swallow.
The emotional element is also an important ingredient. The movie will undoubtedly attempt to dig deeper into the characters psyche, so avoiding forced emotional content is imperative. This is not an episode that can sustain itself on gags alone. It is a movie that will require genuine feelings, relatable characters, and realistic actions in dealing with conflict. Underneath the stereotypical bumbling idiot that has overtaken Homer's character, there must be a glimpse of a real person. Stranglings and sobbings will not cut it.
Finally, it should be a fun experience. All of the hype and critiques of the series mean nothing once the curtains open. Fans shouldn't be watching the movie with a mental notepad recording the movie's hits and misses like they might with an episode. It is a movie, and even if Homer is as idiotic as ever and flopped gags are plentiful, above all else I hope to have fun. Expectations are appropriately gigantic, but remember, it's the Simpsons movie. Enjoy it.
By Jason LevyLegal Notice and Disclaimer: "The Simpsons" TM and FOX and its related companies. All rights reserved. This site, its operators, and any content on this site relating to The Simpsons are not authorized by FOX.
