The Simpsons Movie

Itchy & scratchy
Reviews by Vives Anunciacion.

Directed by David Silverman
Based on the TV characters created by Matt Groening
PG13 / 87 minutes
20th Century Fox/ Gracie Films
*** ½ (3½ stars)


After being on TV for 18 years, The Simpsons jump to the big screen with big jokes, big set-ups and a cute Spider Pig. Suddenly, Springfield comes to life. Spoilers ahead.

In this edition of the famous show, the Environmental Protection Agency quarantines the town of Springfield after Homer Simpson dumps a silo of his pet pig’s waste into the already polluted Springfield river. President Schwarzenegger orders the town to be encased in a giant dome of glass, sending the entire town into chaos and thirsty for Homer’s blood.

The Simpsons flee to Alaska, where they hear the news that Springfield will be nuked. Marge decides to split with her husband to force some sense into half-smart Homer. An Inuit native helps Homer find his epiphany (and define it for him), and Homer treks back to Springfield just in time to save the town from destruction.

For the first time in some years, 2-Dimension animation looked refreshing, compared to the almost generic computer generated 3D animation seen everywhere.

As in the TV show, nothing is spared from ridicule, from politics to religion to pop culture and even Bart’s relationship with his dad. But that is the movie’s strength and weakness – the movie is just like an episode of the famous series, only longer by 30 minutes. The movie relies on familiarity with the beloved characters that the few persons who aren’t familiar with them may find them strangely crass and unapologetic. The story is bland, the jokes are fast and furious, the voices are reassuringly the same – but overall, it’s one big crazy family reunion.

Ratatouille
Written and Directed by Brad Bird
Featuring voices of Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Peter O’ Toole
GP/ 110 minutes
Disney Pictures/ Pixar Animation Studios
**** (4 stars)
Fancy a movie about a gourmet rat, which receives an unlikely defense from a food critic. Pixar’s latest animation is as much a delicious family entertainment as it is a crash course on art and criticism.

Remy is a country rat who is inspired to become a chef like his cookbook idol, Chef Gusteau. After being separated from his colony and chased into the underground sewers, Remy emerges above ground and finds himself in the middle of romantic Paris, exactly inside the kitchen of Gusteau’s restaurant.

There he meets flat-footed garbage boy Linguini, who messes up a pot of soup until Remy comes in to cook up a solution. The soup becomes a hit to patrons, who then ask for repeat servings. Realizing that they must develop a unique method to prepare food to save both of their meager lives, the duo resorts to hair pulling to communicate.

When food critic Anton Ego hears of the revival of Gusteau’s restaurant, a challenge is made for Linguini to prepare the best food he can serve, or else the restaurant is doomed again by the critic’s deadly words. Remy and Linguini busily prepare for the challenge, except that Linguini develops feelings for chef Colette, Remy’s colony invades the kitchen, and the nosy chef Skinner smells something ratty under Linguini’s toque hat.

Delicously directed by The Incredibles author, Brad Bird and impressively voiced by a group of not-so big Hollywood names, Ratatouille is a flavorful animation overflowing with detail and resonant with poignancy. Never before, in a movie, has an artform defended its essence; and never has a critic defended the very artform he normally pillages.

As is the hallmark of every Pixar animation to pursue the limits of the technology of computer animation, so is the story of Remy who persists to fulfill his dream, implausible it may be to hear a rat become Paris’ finest chef. Eat, drink and be merry, merry.