Another Lousy Sequel: The Smurfs 2

The Good: Generally good moral, Most of the voice performances are good.
The Bad: Simplistic plot, character arcs, and dialogue, Underwhelming special effects.
The Basics: The Smurfs return with a less-than-spectacular sequel with The Smurfs 2.


Sequels and children’s movies have a hard time getting good reviews from me. I am not against films for young people – often enough they have good messages and the best have a decent charm factor to them – but frequently they are made figuring that their target demographic is less-discriminating and an inferior product is churned out by the studios. Sequels, more often than not, are not the result of having more of a story to tell, but rather the financial success of the first film feeding into the studio’s desire to see similar returns on investment. The Smurfs 2 is definitely that type of sequel.

The Smurfs 2 is a live-action sequel that follows up on the events of The Smurfs (reviewed here!). The movie is intended for a younger audience and while one might assume that Neil Patrick Harris was under contract to do The Smurfs 2, how Brendan Gleeson became associated with the project is a mystery to me. The Smurfs 2 trades on fairly advanced computer generated graphics to blend the live-action elements with the artificial Smurfs and utilizes the voice talents of some very talented individuals (and Katy Perry) to embody the Smurfs and their new, evil, counterparts, The Naughties.

After a retcon with the story of how Smurfette was created, after originally being a creation and tool of Gargamel, Smurfette has a nightmare of reverting. Papa Smurf reassures Smurfette. Meanwhile, in the real world, Gargamel has become a huge celebrity doing magic, using the essence of Smurf stolen from Smurfs in the prior film. At their birthday party for Blue, Patrick’s step-father turns up, much to his annoyance. In Paris, Gargamel reveals his plan: he wants to use the Eifel Tower to open a portal to Smurf Village, where he plans to abduct Smurfette, learn how Papa Smurf turned her blue, then turn his Naughties into Smurfs, extract their essences and rule the world. When he is unable to fit through the portal he opened, Gargamel sends Vexy and Hackus to the Smurf realm to get her. Thinking that the other Smurfs have forgotten her birthday (when, in fact, they are planning an elaborate surprise party for her), Smurfette is susceptible to Vexy’s suggestion (and friendship) and returns to Earth with her.

While Smurfette learns about the Naughties and develops a friendship with the energetic Vexy, Gargamel makes plans to transform his collection of Naughties into Smurfs so he will have an unending supply of Smurf essence. Papa Smurf selects some of the best Smurfs to join him on a trip to Earth to recover Smurfette, but magic events conspire to put him on Earth with the likes of Grouchy and Clumsy instead. When Patrick and Grace encounter Papa Smurf and his crew, they become determined to stop Gargamel, an effort that is hampered by Victor getting himself and Blue into trouble at the same time!

The Smurfs 2 is an utterly simplistic film; Smurfette’s story arc is obvious from the beginning when she believes that she has been forgotten by her entire village and they are planning a big celebration for her. She falls in with the “wrong crowd” in the form of Vexy and Hackus and her willingness to explore her “Dark Side” is curbed long before she goes into truly rebellious territory. The conflict is simplistic, as is its resolution. In fact, the only lingering thematic quality for The Smurfs 2 is that the children’s movie explores the possibility of relapse. Smurfette was created to be an evil spy for Gargamel before the love of the Smurfs changed her; in The Smurfs 2 she is fearful that she will fall back into her old behaviors.

Such complexity is entirely absent from the human characters in The Smurfs 2. Patrick has a pretty reasonable beef with Victor from his backstory, but when Victor pops up and basically forces his way into Grace and Blue’s life – and back into Patrick’s, the movie seems to endorse the action. Victor shows no respect for the carefully-balanced (if annoying) life that Patrick and Grace have (as evidenced by their respecting one of their friends’ children’s peanut allergies and Victor sending the kid to the hospital). Victor becomes the hyper-involved grandparent and the message of The Smurfs 2 seems to be that if a grandparent wants to be involved, be happy and shut up about it!

The acting in The Smurfs 2 is mediocre, at best. Brendan Gleeson appears without any of his innate charm or charisma and even Neil Patrick Harris seems remarkably flat in the role of Patrick. Of the voice talents, only Christina Ricci stands out as Vexy; the rest emote adequately at best. Ricci sounds nothing like herself as Vexy and she gives a good performance with her altered voice.

Ultimately, The Smurfs 2 is simplistic and not even worth recommending to children.

For other works with Anton Yelchin, please visit my reviews of:
Only Lovers Left Alive
Star Trek Into Darkness
Like Crazy
Terminator Salvation
Star Trek
Charlie Bartlett
15 Minutes

2/10

For other movie reviews, please check out my Film Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Famous Animated Characters Exposed! I Know That Voice Is A Middling Documentary!

The Good: Cool idea, Well-directed
The Bad: Very basic idea beaten to death, Not complicated or in-depth
The Basics: I Know That Voice is a basic documentary that is like a facebook of voice actors, but little more than that.


Ever since I got involved with the woman who quickly became my wife, I have watched a lot of animated works. My wife loves Disney movies, Invader Zim and many other animated works that we’ve watched over and over and over again. So, she was very interested in the documentary I Know That Voice when we learned about it. I Know That Voice is an interesting concept for a documentary, but it is not one that lends to a very complicated analysis.

I Know That Voice is a concept that takes half the film before it actually hits. For the first half of the film, I Know That Voice - which is a documentary intended to explore the nature of the voiceover industry – is simply a collection of almost random comments from various performers who have recognizable roles in animated works, where the voice actors are put in front of the camera. The first half of I Know That Voice is made almost entirely unnecessary thanks to the existence and success of the IMDB. The Internet Movie Database features complete biographies of actors past and present and virtually every actor’s page on the site has pictures of the actor, along with their entire resume. So, the first half of I Know That Voice trades on a novelty that no longer exists for the die-hard fans who might love this documentary; they have already looked into their favorite voice actors and seen who the actors are behind the voices of their beloved characters.

All of that changes around the fifty minute mark on I Know That Voice. At that point, director Lawrence Shapiro shifts the movie to what the documentary originally promised; a discussion about the animation/voiceover industry. In the latter half of the movie, I Know That Voice finally starts to discuss the process of getting jobs in the Industry, what the industry is like and how it is changing.

To his credit, Shapiro gets an amazing cast of voiceover actors to discuss the industry in I Know That Voice. Instead of simply seeing the human faces behind the voices that people know and love, the pretty impressive collection of voice actors do open up about their experiences in the industry. The film meanders, though, between the exposing the actors to the audience, then to a general discussion of the process actors have in defining their characters’ voices, to getting the jobs to discussing ComicCon . . . I Know That Voice is less structured or revelatory than it is entertaining.

I Know That Voice is worth a watch for anyone who loves animation, but it’s a tough sell for rewatching or recommending because it is not conceptually complicated or well-structured. At best, it is a mildly-informative vocal facebook for the most important voice actors working in animation today.

For other documentaries, please check out my reviews of:
Done The Impossible: The Fans' Tale Of "Firefly" And "Serenity"
PoliWood
Craigslist Joe

5/10

For other movie reviews, please check out my Film Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Ultimate Tale Of Peer Pressure: Lovelace

The Good: Acting, Interesting character struggle.
The Bad: Very predictable plot
The Basics: Pounding the independent film circuit at the end of Summer Blockbuster Season, Lovelace should be Amanda Seyfried and Peter Sarsgaard’s ticket to Oscar nominations.


As Summer Blockbuster Season winds down, with a particularly crowded release weekend, there are a number of independent films being released alongside the mainstream ones that are largely getting neglected. One of the most anticipated ones that is nevertheless being overlooked by mainstream audiences this weekend is Lovelace. Lovelace is a drama/biography starring Amanda Seyfried and for those who are only into the salacious, there is no need to read any further: Amanda Seyfried gets naked in Lovelace. For those looking for something more substantive, there is plenty more to read, but for the audience who just wants to see more of Amanda Seyfried, the bottomline is that yes, Lovelace lives up to the potential of its subject by showing off more of Amanda Seyfried than in her other films.

For those unfamiliar with her, Linda Lovelace was the star of the classic porn film Deep Throat. Apparently, she was the first breakout, mainstream porn actress to capture the imagination of viewers in Deep Throat. It is worth noting up front that I knew nothing about Linda Lovelace and have never actually seen Deep Throat, so this review is only on Lovelace, not how it recreates reality on screen. Lovelace is essentially this year’s Boogie Nights (reviewed here!) where the protagonist is female. Structured in plot very much like Boogie Nights, Lovelace features a woman who is pressured by her husband into entering the porn industry.

Before she was a mainstream porn breakout, Linda Lovelace was just a girl. Hanging out with her friend Patsy, Linda is something of a prude who is pressured by Patsy into go-go dancing at a local roller skating rink. There she catches the eye of Chuck, who starts hanging out with her and actually works to impress her parents. Linda confesses to Chuck that she had a baby whom she was forced to give up for adoption by her mother and shortly thereafter, Linda and Chuck move in together. At Chuck’s house, she is exposed to porn movies and after she bails him out of jail six months later, Chuck reveals what his real business is (he is essentially a pimp for a topless bar’s women).

After Linda bombs an audition for Chuck’s backers, Chuck plays a home video of Linda giving him a blowjob and that captures the attention of producers Butchie and Gerry. Linda is pushed into doing a porn movie,

While Lovelace is a predictably dark plot progression of a character in an industry that is unforgiving and punishing to women. As After Porn Ends (reviewed here!) adequately documented, porn and erotica do not have a huge regard for women and Lovelace illustrates that women in the industry are often manipulated and pushed farther than they might want to go. As well, the aging porn star Dolly illustrates that the industry does not prepare women in the biz for other vocations, but the ones who are best prepared for life after porn are those who take on other vocations (Dolly is a make-up artist).

As these stories frequently go – in reality and in virtually every fiction about them - Lovelace starts as the story of a person with a singular talent filling a niche in the industry and quickly turns into a story of abuse, drugs and personal horror. What separates Lovelace from many other films, like What’s Love Got To Do With It? is a lack of pretense, a focus on overcoming, and some pretty amazing performances.

The lack of pretense manifests itself instantly in the form of Chuck. Chuck is a dirtbag and the moment he first arrives on screen, the viewer knows he is bad news for Linda. We see his arc coming a mile away. Lovelace does not try to shield or confuse the viewer. Instead, Chuck is a dirtbag, but Linda is not an innocent. Linda is not at all thrilled by all of Chuck’s mannerisms, but she goes along with him and is beaten by him long before he pushes her into porn. Lovelace is smart enough to leave some ambiguity; do the producers send Chuck away the day Linda is going down on co-star Harry Reems because he will inhibit her performance or because she is more likely to be easily manipulated without him looking out for his “investment?”

The seduction and calamity of Lovelace happens at a roller coaster speed, which leaves a significant chunk of the film exploring how Linda deals with her celebrity and overcomes the negative influences of Chuck. While the movie never quite gets into “inspirational” territory, it smartly does not sink so low as to be unwatchable or continually oppressive. The focus on Linda overcoming Chuck and their shared poverty and problems keeps Lovelace watchable.

The acting in Lovelace is so good it is hard to believe this film is not breaking out in mainstream theaters. With a supporting cast that includes Chris Noth, Wes Bentley, Hank Azaria, Sharon Stone, and Robert Patrick, Lovelace is an incredible presentation of talent in every frame. Amanda Seyfried is perfectly cast as Linda Lovelace. If for no other reason than Seyfried is able to perfectly embody both innocent and sultry, she seems like the ideal choice for Linda Lovelace and she sells the life story of the actress as compelling and engaging.

It was Peter Sarsgaard who rocked Lovelace for me, though. Sarsgaard has none of the creepiness of his villain from Green Lantern (reviewed here!) in his portrayal of Chuck. As a result, he is able to play Chuck first with credible charisma and then as a manipulative bastard who rules all of Linda’s life. The key to such a role is in making the character seem like one the woman would initially be drawn to and he manages to do that. The layered performance of Peter Sarsgaard and the on-screen chemistry he shares with Seyfried make it seem like a no-brainer that a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination is in his future.

Despite its tone and subject matter, Lovelace is a very accessible film that becomes one of August’s few “must watch” movies!

For other works with Amanda Seyfried, please check out my reviews of:
The Big Wedding
Les Miserables
In Time
A Bag Of Hammers
Red Riding Hood
Letters To Juliet
Dear John
Veronica Mars - Season One
Mean Girls

6.5/10

For other film reviews, please check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

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Repetition Is The Hallmark Of Disappointment As The Simpsons Season 12 Reaches DVD.

The Good: Moments of humor, DVD bonus features, Not the most overplayed season...
The Bad: Very repetitive plots (done before)
The Basics: Funny, but more for those who have not seen years of The Simpsons to know how much is being repeated, The Simpsons Season 12 is a good DVD set.


Some works, as it turns out, hold up much, much better on their own than they do in context. That idea was truly hit home to me the other day when my partner and I sat down and watched The Simpsons Season 12. My partner was never a fan of The Simpsons. In fact, to my knowledge her only experience with The Simpsons - other than media hype - was seeing The Simpsons Movie (reviewed here!). This did not inspire her to watch anything else of The Simpsons, though she did seem to enjoy it and I occasionally hear her singing the "Spider-pig" song around the house.

I, on the other hand, was once an avid fan of The Simpsons. I watched it eagerly each week and every weeknight, my first wife and I ate dinner while watching three syndicated episodes. So, I know quite a bit about The Simpsons and when they lost me, they truly lost me (the ridiculous way they now play the "Treehouse Of Horrors" episodes after Halloween, even if Halloween lands on a Sunday was the last straw for me!). So, watching Season 12 of The Simpsons was actually strangely enjoyable for me and having had some distance from the show for a while, I found myself joining my partner in laughing more often than not. But when I stopped and thought about the season, the less happy I was with it. After all, this is one of the first seasons where the sense of repetition between what The Simpsons had done before and what it was doing within the season became problematic. In other words, those who have not seen as much of The Simpsons are ultimately apt to enjoy this DVD set more than those who start the series at the beginning.

In the twelfth season of The Simpsons, Springfield gets two area codes, which sparks off a sort of civil war in the town and a visit from The Who. Krusty The Clown discovers he has a daughter, Lisa becomes a more extreme environmental activist (based on a crush) and Homer becomes a blogger. As well, Homer borrows money from Mr. Burns and humiliates himself to pay him back, while the source of his stupidity is revealed to be a crayon lodged in his brain. This season also finds Marge supporting the arts by befriending a convict artist and her faith in the alleged arsonist is shaken when he refuses to conform.

As well, Bart and Milhouse take over the comic book store, the Simpson family splits when they begin playing doubles on their own tennis court, and the boys in town form a boy band that is a product of the U.S. military. Sideshow Bob makes his annual appearance with a plan to use Bart to kill Krusty and Lisa discovers a geek pheromone that agitates bullies. There is a "Pulp Fiction" style episode revolving around Lisa, Bart and Homer wherein their day is strangely reassembled with Lisa's grammar robot self destructing, Bart discovering mob fireworks in Springfield cave and Homer getting his thumb chopped off while Marge makes him a sandwich. Ned Flanders tries to make a Christian theme park and Homer becomes a day care worker.

In its twelfth season, The Simpsons is largely episodic (episodes wrap up at the end and there are few elements that carry on to future episodes) with little serialization. As a result, the episodes do not build upon one another and the characters do not grow or change. This season is just about the various half-hour adventures of the Simpsons family and there is no real sense of consequence to them. As well, by this point in the series, the show is almost entirely devoid of social commentary. In fact, it is only in "Simpsons Safari" that the show makes any real sociological commentary and that is about Africa (though the idea of the U.S. propping up dictators in Africa through corporate sponsorship makes it somewhat about the United States).

By and large the humor in this twelfth season of The Simpsons is largely situational. The show is not so much funny because of quick reversals, but rather comments made when characters find themselves in weird situations. And to be fair to this set, some of the series's most memorable lines are in this boxed set. Or at least one. In "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes," Homer's fake news actually yields a real story which sinister forces need covered up. So, Homer is kidnapped and taken to a mysterious island. While he escapes, the villains send a bubble after him, which he pops which results in the hilarious delivery of the lines "Why did you think a balloon would stop them?" "Shut up! That's why!" and it is one of the funniest jokes the show ever does (I've taken to quoting it whenever I am backed into a corner in an argument and it works amazingly well!).

But by this time, the series is already suffering from a sense of repetition for fans who have seen the earlier seasons. The annual "Treehouse Of Horrors" event is a lackluster collection of stories including a terribly un-funny witch story and one with a dead Homer trying to do a good deed. The series seems to mix elements that have worked before and here they are often tiresome, like the way "Worst Episode Ever" puts Bart and Milhouse in Comic Book Guy's store and the adventure goes much the way prior business ventures between the two of them did (like when Bart, Milhouse and Martin bought a comic book together or Bart and Milhouse owned a condemned factory together). The "Simpsons Tall Tales" episode that closes off the season is particularly uninspired as it is essentially the "Treehouse Of Horrors" concept applied to folk tales.

Still, there is enough to recommend this boxed set and it comes down to the characters and the DVD bonus features. In this season of The Simpsons, the primary characters are:

Homer Simpson - The family patriarch, this season he witlessly fights against new area codes and lamely gives parental advice to Krusty. He humiliates himself for money, grifts with Bart and his father, and becomes quite intelligent when a crayon is removed from his brain. He also becomes a chiropractor, tennis player, baby-proofer, and day care worker. He helps Ned build Praiseland and he goes on a hunger strike when the Springfield Isotopes are going to be moved to Albuquerque,

Marge - In addition to accompanying Homer on ridiculous trips and adventures (to Africa, most prominently), she acts as Homer's moral core when he humiliates himself for money. As well, she guides Bart and Lisa and stretches out on her own to support an artist who is a convicted arsonist,

Bart - In addition to thwarting Sideshow Bob again, he accidentally thwarts the mob when he ends up in their cave full of illegal fireworks. He leads a revolt in school when the kids are snowed in with Skinner on Christmas and he bonds with Homer over grifting. He and Milhouse take over the comic book store when Comic Book Guy has a heart attack and he fronts a boy band for the military to help boost recruiting numbers,

Lisa - After surviving loggers and a crush on an environmentalist (who doesn't eat anything that casts a shadow!), she builds a grammar robot and fights with Homer over his creating news for his blog. She becomes closer with Homer when he has the crayon removed from his brain and becomes competitive when playing tennis on the home court. She also studies nerds this season and makes a scientific breakthrough that threatens the scientific community,

and Maggie - a supporting character this season, she guides Homer when Homer becomes a babyproofer. She is also subject to him when he opens his day-care center.

"New Kids On The Blecch" is actually enduringly funny when the Navy gets Bart, Milhouse, Ralph and Nelson into a boy band, as it successfully lampoons both the military and boy bands. Unfortunately, this season also relies a lot on guest stars for celebrity appearances to wow the audience. For example, "'N Synch" appears on "New Kids On The Blecch" and the Williams sister appear on "Tennis The Menace." Carmen Electra pops in as well, as do The Who and Joshua Jackson.

What knocks the twelfth season of The Simpsons up into "recommend" territory is the plethora of DVD bonus features. This season's twenty-one episodes each feature commentary tracks by the creative staff and those continue a tradition of being fun, funny and informative, so when the primary programming wears thin, they provide solid entertainment. As well, there are featurettes and original ads on the DVDs which look at the celebrity voices and evolution of the series.

And The Simpsons Season 12 is good, but it is not the great show or the must-have DVD set the program once was. Still, it is enough and those who enjoy comedy will find a lot to like here.

For other animated comedies, please visit my reviews of:
Aqua Teen Hunger Force - Volume 1
Invader Zim
Family Guy - Volume 9

5.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Simpsons Are Brought Up In Season 11 By The DVD Bonus Features.

The Good: Moments of humor, Some wonderful guest stars, Great DVD bonus features.
The Bad: Some weaker episodes, Not as sharp or satirical as it once was.
The Basics: Funny, but nowhere near as good as it once was, The Simpsons - Season 11 is made better by great DVD bonus features!


It’s a tough racket to keep your show fresh after ten years on the air. Given that The Simpsons did not have to worry about aging actors, egos of performers or many other conditions associated with a television shows that continue on for years and make celebrities of those involved, it seemed like the series would have to only worry about its writing. In the eleventh season of the show, that seems largely true. As “Saddlesore Galactica” notes when Homer gets a horse (again), The Simpsons has already done so many plots and character arcs. This season, the series is showing its cracks in some serious ways.

However, it is at this point that the writers of The Simpsons began to innovate (or their approximation of it): they introduced a few new elements that became serialized. While the Simpson family remained stable, in this season, other supporting characters were given serialized arcs that for the first time introduced consequences for some actions into the series. Before Season 11, The Simpsons was so episodic that there were no true consequences to actions and as a result, not only did characters not grow or develop, they did not even change. In fact, the most any characters did that recurred later on was that Apu got married. In this season, that action has a consequence and in the future, other elements of episodes from this season have consequences as well. Change is in the air on The Simpsons!

The thing is, just as so much of The Simpsons was previously plagued by problems of characters not growing or developing, the eleventh season finds the principle characters with the same problems. Still, as the season progresses - and the series progresses from here - the change in the characters surrounding the Simpson family compels them to deal with their peers differently and in that way, the eleventh season becomes something of a “necessary evil” season for the show. This is the season where changes are made so in subsequent seasons, the Simpsons have more to do. Unfortunately, for fans of the core characters, there is less for them this season and the peripheral characters take center stage in many of the episodes.

In the eleventh season DVD set - shaped like Krusty The Clown - there are all twenty-two episodes from season eleven. In this season, episodes involve Homer meeting Mel Gibson and attempting to change Gibson’s latest film from a wholesome family film into a stupid action-adventure. Bart is put on antidepressants, Homer becomes a food critic, and Moe is given plastic surgery and becomes a famous soap opera star. The Simpsons take care of Mr. Burns’ mansion and Homer and Bart take his yacht out onto international waters where they encounter pirates. The Simpsons head out to a farm to avoid a duel between Homer and a Texan. And in a terrible turn for Marge, Homer’s new biker friends abduct her and he must once-again prove his love for her.

But the most significant actions in this season happen outside the Simpson family. In Season 11, Ned Flanders’s wife, Maude, dies an untimely death when Homer ducks at the wrong time. As well, Manjula is given massive amounts of fertility drugs and she gives birth to eight babies. The Octuplets return in every subsequent season and Maude’s death remains an important development for Ned, which actually gives him more scenarios to deal with. Unfortunately, some other character changes - like Barney going sober - which happen in this season, are undone in later seasons to service jokes.

This season has far less impressive humor than in some of the earlier seasons. For example, episodes tend to recycle a lot more repetition than in many of the other seasons. As a result, fans of the series are less likely to find this season enduringly entertaining and want to own it on DVD. Episodes like “Bart To The Future,” where Bart sees a vision of the future where Lisa is President and he is a deadbeat, is in many ways just a recasting of an earlier episode where Lisa’s future is told by a carnival soothsayer. Obviously, the animation of future characters like Lisa in the future, is the same, but the fact that the characterizations are nearly identical and the story has a similar resolution.

As well, because so many of the stories have a fairly recycled quality to them, the character elements are more problematic for die-hard fans than for those who only watch this DVD set. So, Marge nearly being replaced in the penultimate episode by another woman, is nowhere near as new or funny as it might appear from the idea. The season is capped off by one of the funnier finales which is a parody of “Behind The Music.” The Simpsons “Behind The Laughter” is a retrospective which makes a fictional biography of the series, as if the show had been a reality show and the series was developing in very different ways.

But for those who are fans of The Simpsons, what one truly might need to know is about the primary characters and what they actually do this season. In the eleventh season, this is who The Simpons are and what they are up to:

Homer Simpson - In this season, he meets Mel Gibson (and becomes an executive producer on Gibson’s remake of “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington”), becomes a food critic, challenges everyone he can to a duel, and joins a motorcycle gang. He takes Mr. Burns’ yacht, learns the ugly truth about jockeys when he gets his own horse, flees the agents of PBS when he refuses to make good on a $10,000 pledge he makes to them,

Bart - Becomes a jockey for Homer’s new horse and lives in the mall with Millhouse for a week. He sees a future where he is a failed recording artist glomming onto Lisa’s success and he becomes a faith healer. He is also put on antidepressants, which make him believe in a conspiracy involving spying by Major League Baseball,

Lisa - The oldest daughter of Homer and Marge, she is the brains of the family. In this season, she fights the school when it becomes a test marketplace for a new toy (Funzo) and she does most of Homer’s work when he becomes a food critic. She also takes over for Marge when Marge is injured and she whines to President Clinton when her team loses in a school concert competition. She also learns to tap dance and with Bart tries to make a photograph that will be featured on the cover of the new telephone book,

Maggie - is avoided for a story in favor of Moe, Apu and/or Barney, who each get a show instead of her,

And Marge Simpson - Homer’s wife, she is a housewife who gets injured and is replaced by a psychopath who wants her family. She is abducted by a motorcycle gang, which she begins cooking for.

As well, seasons of The Simpsons by this point are famed for their guest stars. In this season, guest voices include those of Mel Gibson, Mark McGuire, Lucy Lawless, Garry Marshall, Butch Patrick, John Goodman and Parker Posey. The guest stars are fun and it does add something to the show to have people like Mel Gibson presenting fictional animated versions of themselves.

On DVD, The Simpsons Season 11 is knocked up into slightly above average territory by the DVD bonus features. All twenty-two episodes have commentary tracks and they are insightful, funny and informative (not just plot rehashes). There are deleted scenes and features on the development of the season and they are fun. This is enough for the fans who would otherwise watch these episodes repeatedly in syndication to buy this set.

In this way, The Simpsons Season 11 not only pulls itself up into territory where it is worth recommending, but it becomes something solidly better-than-average.

For other seasons of The Simpsons, please check out my reviews of:
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10

7/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Life Continues In Springfield And The DVD Collection Continues With The Simpsons - Season 10!

The Good: Funny, Great DVD extras, Some interesting guest stars
The Bad: Repetitive, Does not hold up as well over multiple viewings
The Basics: As The Simpsons descends from edgy into the conventional, The Simpsons - The Complete Tenth Season arrives with good DVD extras and a light recommendation.


As shameful as it may be for a fan of The Simpsons, I still have not yet seen the feature film. Summer was busy and I just haven't gotten to it yet. Strangely, I have managed to pick up The Simpsons - The Complete Tenth Season on DVD and get through that. I suppose it's easier to have it delivered and watch it on my time as opposed to going through the hassle of going to the theaters. That said, I suppose it's equally shameful of a fan of The Simpsons to so weakly recommend the boxed set of DVD episodes, yet that is where I find myself yet again with this series.

The Simpsons - The Complete Tenth Season is available in two packages: the traditional spine slipcase package and a more fun plastic case featuring the head of Bart Simpson (this is the final head of a main character to be produced; this package variation began with The Simpsons - The Complete Sixth Season, reviewed here!). For those unfamiliar with the packaging, it's like a plastic easter basket or a decent halloween mask in consistency. The tenth season found the show packing twenty-three episodes which relied - certainly in their initial promotion - heavily on the guest starring roles of voice over performers. The show repeated a number of plots and character ideas and also becomes more self-referential than ever.

As well, this season continues the plot-driven humor of the episodic series. This means that for the most part the series does not reference past episodes and the characters do not so much grow and change as they fall into situations. In the tenth season of The Simpsons, the show finds itself tackling situations like Lisa troubled by a more mature classmate, Homer becoming idolizing Thomas Edison, Bart shooting a bird, Lisa becoming obsessed with a video game and playing hooky, Homer becoming an organ donor to grandpa, and the kids of Springfield being given a curfew. As well, Homer and friends go to the Super Bowl, Apu dominates Valentine's Day, Marge develops road rage, and Mr. Burns captures the Loch Ness monster. As well, the boxed set contains the requisite "Treehouse of Horrors" (IX - with "Hell Toupee," "The Terror Of Tiny Toon," and "Starship Poopers") and a similarly structured "Simpsons Bible Stories" episode. The success of the latter sets up similar storytelling endeavors for future seasons.

But as much as what the Simpson family is up to, this boxed set reflects the show's priority of who the Simpsons have their adventures with. In short, by this boxed set, the priority is weakly on the storytelling and almost as much as on attracting decent guest stars for the episodes. In this set, the celebrities include: Lisa Kudrow, Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford - in one of the show's few live-action bits - Jerry Springer, Ed McMahon, Robert Englund, Alec Baldwin, Kim Bassinger, Ron Howard, George Carlin, Martin Mull, Mark Hamill, John Madden and a few NFL stars, Ed Begley Jr., Isabella Rossellini, Michael McKean, Stephen Hawkins, and George Takei. As well, the series attracted musical guests Dolly Parton (who manages not to sing), Hank Williams Jr., Elton John, Cyndi Lauper, and the Moody Blues. Sadly, this season also marks the final appearance of Phil Hartman as he was killed well prior to his final episode airing. For a season that has only twenty-three episodes, that sixteen of them trade on their significant guest stars seems cheap.

But the real reason to watch The Simpsons is for the personalities of the principle characters. They may not grow like the best characters on television, but they do have something that most do not; endurance based on their memorability. Even in the tenth season, the characters are funny and their traits often inform and guide their foibles and adventures. Here is what the tenth season finds the principle characters doing:

Bart Simpson - Still trapped in the fourth grade, Bart bides his time killing a bird to impress Nelson (and then raising the chicks of the deceased mother), fights the town's curfew by exposing secrets about adults in Springfield, and costs Springfield the olympics which leads him to volunteer at the Springfield Retirement Castle where he tries to spice up life for the senior citizens,

Lisa - Finds herself competing with a new student who is popular and more mature than most, learns to cheat after playing a video game and neglecting her studies, becomes ill when Homer is forced to take in a cellular phone tower in the middle of her room, and she is inducted into Mensa after observing how poorly run Springfield is,

Marge - Installs a new doorbell and finds an old egg coloring kit with Lisa, taps into the calls of most of Springfield using her baby monitor, gives up on Bart when he kills a bird and develops road rage when she begins driving an SUV,

Maggie - Shows up as a supporting character only in this season, mostly just popping up to resolve one episode,

and Homer - Homer's big act each season seems to be what jobs he ends up in. This season, he becomes a grease collector, an inventor, shopper for celebrities who are hiding out near Springfield, a hippie, a bodyguard for the mayor, a celebrity based who shares the same name as a television character, a truck driver, an outsider artist and a model for erotic photos. As well, he raises a lobster, becomes an organ donor, goes to the Super Bowl and ends up married to a floozy in Las Vegas.

This season continues the domination of Homer in the a-plots. While the series arguably began as Bart's story, it is now clearly Homer's, with Homer having the a-plot presence in ten of the twenty-three episodes and a strong b-plot presence in an additional five. This compares with Bart only getting three a-plots, Lisa pulling in four a-plots, and while Marge takes the center stage for only one episode, she gets at least four b-plots to dominate. The show also uses more ensemble pieces where no single character so much moves the episode and at least four episodes would fall into that category. So while it is more Homer's show, it attempts to balance the series out with more use of guest characters and the celebrity of guest celebrities.

The Simpsons began as a satirical and off-center animated comedy and by this point, the show is remarkably conventional. What was once edgy is now common and the show seems to stick to the safest forms of humor. Indeed, the most righteous poke it gives is in the Super Bowl episode, "Sunday Cruddy Sunday" when it lightly mocks Rupert Murdock. The show references pop culture within the episodes far less than it initially did and the result is a set of episodes that has a remarkably familiar and settled feeling to it. The tenth season hardly has the fodder to upset sitting presidents.

The hallmark of The Simpsons on DVD is definitely the bonus features. The producers of The Simpsons seem to understand that it's on somewhere in the world every moment of every day. Thus, it's pretty easy to find on television and getting people to buy the boxed set DVDs is a challenge. They overcome that challenge with some truly impressive DVD bonus features. This season, all twenty-three episodes have commentary, there are a good number of deleted scenes (both primary ones and as easter eggs) and most have commentary as well. It makes one wonder why the DVDs do not simply integrate the scenes where they belonged and give the DVD buying public a real "director's" cut that could not be seen elsewhere, but I suppose that's asking too much. The commentaries are funny and often insightful and the deleted scenes are fun as well.

As well, there are commercials, a preview of the film, sketch galleries, a featurette on the animators, and some extensive language options on one episode. Is it enough to encourage a buyer to pick it up? Yes, barely. By this point, buying for a permanent collection is truly relegated to the true fans. The series has reached its plateau of greatness by this point and its humor is largely on the repetitive side. Those who love great commentary might do better to rent this boxed set and buy something more enduring for their permanent collections.

Ultimately, this is a good season of television, but it's not great and the DVD bonus features are fun and worth a spin, but they do not excite the viewer over multiple viewings either. Unless one is a die-hard fan and obsessive collector, I'd say stick to watching these episodes on television as reruns and if you want to listen to the commentaries and other bonus features, simply borrow it from your obsessive friend.

A better bet would be one of The Simpsons peak seasons on DVD, like season seven, reviewed here!

For other animated comedies, please visit my reviews of:
Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade Of Cartoon Comedy
Invader Zim
Family Guy Presents Partial Terms Of Endearment

5/10

For other television reviews, check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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First Look Forward, A Good Look Back: The Simpsons Season 9!

The Good: Some of the series's most memorable lines, Actual character development, DVD bonuses
The Bad: One or two truly lame episodes that even the commentary track cannot improve
The Basics: With hit-or-miss episodes, the bonus features again push this boxed set into the "above average" as The Simpsons enters a rocky period.


As fans of The Simpsons eagerly awaited the release of The Simpsons Movie (reviewed here!), they were teased with footage from it on the first disc of the latest (at the time) DVD set. That's right, The Simpsons - The Complete Ninth Season includes a preview of the movie along with postcards of The Simpsons. Yes, it's come to bribing us fans to get us to shell out for the boxed sets. The studio should have held off on the bribing; the rockiest seasons are still ahead. Presented on four DVDs with two different packaging options (the Lisa head-shaped box is cool), all 25 episodes from the 1997 - 1998 season are in this boxed set.

The ninth season of The Simpsons has some of the most memorable moments and lines of the series. Homer introducing Marge to his gun in "The Cartridge Family" - and Bart and Lisa racing vibrating beds in the seedy motel later in the episode - are instantly recalled by fans who have seen the episode even just once. The judgment against religion at the end of "Lisa The Skeptic" - religion must stay away from science at all times - is hilarious and memorable. And just walk up to any fan of The Simpsons and sing "Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na- Lea-der!- Leader!" to the theme of the 60's Batman series and they'll know exactly what you mean (it's from "The Joy of Sect").

But joining cults and menacing one's wife with handguns aside, there is much in the ninth season of The Simpsons that is rocky. Still desperate to find something to do with Marge, she becomes a real estate agent in "Realty Bites" and even the commentary track on this episode isn't interesting or funny. Instead, it relies on the b-plot, which involves Homer, Snake and Snake's car and contains only one decent line ("Screw the honor system!") and it's not enough. Similarly, the story of Lisa and her saxophone, Bart's football team, and the Christmas episode fare poorly upon rewatching and even the ones with deleted scenes.

That's not to say this season is bad, but it is a lot more hit or miss than many of the prior seasons. And unlike the earlier seasons, these episodes suffer more without being rewatched ten or more times. Instead, I was tired with "Miracle On Evergreen Terrace" by the second time I watched it and I only watched it on the DVD with the commentary track on. Recurring classics like "Treehouse of Horror" (this season's is #8), are falling flat as well.

But then, there's the pleasant surprise of the show making some actual changes. Apu gets married and that change sticks, in stark contrast to the Skinner story at the beginning of the season. This collection of DVDs also has more of a "Springfield" than The Simpsons feel to it. Apu gets an episode (Homer and Marge are peripheral to his story), Principal Skinner is focused on in "The Principal And The Pauper," and "The Last Temptation of Krust" is a Krusty the Clown episode (whereas most of the prior episodes where he was featured, it was a Bart - or Bart and Lisa - episode that used Krusty as an impetus for their actions).

As with the prior seasons, outside Apu's wedding, this season remains largely episodic - events do not compound on themselves, there are no consequences in subsequent episodes for actions in prior ones - and more about what happens to the characters than how they grow and change. Here is how "The Simpsons - The Complete Ninth Season" finds the primary characters:

Homer Simpson - In his continuing quest to avoid work at the nuclear power plant, he becomes a mountain climber, the sanitation commissioner of Springfield, a rat for the IRS, an internet consulting guru (who actually does nothing but attract the attention of Bill Gates), a carnie, and a football coach. He also joins the navy and commandeers a submarine. As well, he journeys to New York City to retrieve his car, becomes a gun owner, moves in to the nursing home with his father, buys a new car at a police auction, joins a cult and rekindles his love life with Marge through having sex in dangerous situations,

Marge Simpson - Becomes a realtor and has a roll in the hay (literally) with Homer. She leaves Homer when he gets his gun, pretends to be married to Apu to help him out, and deprograms the Movementarians,

Maggie Simpson - Completely wallpaper this season,

Principal Skinner - Is exposed as "nogoodnik" Armin Tanzarian and forced out of the elementary school when the real Seymour Skinner shows up. But, we'll never talk about that again,

Moe - Dates a woman - getting an episode that is solidly his - and needs more money, so he uses Homer to get insurance money from stealing his car with hilarious results,

Krusty The Clown - Faces that his humor is outdated and retires, only to begin a standup routine that is compromised when he finds something new to endorse,

Apu - Faces his arranged marriage when he is forced to. He also makes the Kwik-E-Mart into a freakshow when Jasper ends up frozen in his freezer,

Lisa Simpson - Emulates Homer and takes risks in order to see a museum exhibit she has been wanting to see. She gets a new saxophone, unearths the skeletal remains of an angel which prompts a strong debate over religion and science, helps save her classmates when Otto drives the bus off a bridge and into a river, and becomes convinced there is a Simpsons gene that will make her an idiot. She becomes a television anchor to give kids the news, until Bart intervenes,

and Bart Simpson - Steals Lisa's thunder on the kid's news by providing infotainment (the word originated on an earlier episode of The Simpsons and for all of you using the word wrong, it's pejorative!) that improves the ratings, but guts the content. He angers and encourages Homer, tries to resurrect Krusty's career once again, and takes advantage of Ralph Wiggum by stealing Chief Wiggum's master key to the city. He also fights for survival on the island he and the other kids find themselves on, plays football on a local team, and accidentally burns down the family's Christmas tree.

As with prior seasons, "The Simpsons - The Complete Ninth Season" has some decent guest stars for voice-over work. U2, Janeane Garofalo, Steven Wright, and Jay Leno all appear as themselves. As well, Helen Hunt, Rod Steiger, and Steve Martin pop up with guest characters.

This season is strong on the satire, with episodes that make bold statements on the place of religion in society ("Lisa The Skeptic," "The Joy of Sect"), the military ("Simpson Tide") and the government ("The Trouble With Trillions," "Trash of the Titans"). This is one of the last seasons where The Simpsons was successfully saying something new. It ought to be enjoyed. With all of the bonus features, it's quite easy to do that.

For other ninth seasons of comedies, please visit my reviews of:
Cheers - Season 9
Frasier - The Complete Ninth Season
Friends - Season 9

8/10

For other television or movie reviews, be sure to check out my Movie Review Index Page for organized lists!

© 2013, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Easing Out Of Perfection: The Extraordinary Eighth Season Of The Simpsons On DVD

The Good: Mostly funny episodes that hold up over many viewings, Great DVD extras
The Bad: One real dud episode, a few weaker episodes that don't hold up
The Basics: Not as solid as the previous three seasons, the DVD extras save The Simpsons - The Complete Eighth Season from a much more drastic fall from grace.


I think what surprised me most when watching The Simpsons - The Complete Seventh Season (reviewed here!) and then going right into The Simpsons - The Complete Eighth Season was the contrast, how fast The Simpsons fell out of their notch as a perfect comedy. "The Complete Eighth Season" marks a segment of the series where the average fan of The Simpsons is not likely to have seen the episodes much more than five times (between first run and syndication) before picking up the DVD set. That ought to give it an inherent advantage as that giant strike against the first few seasons is not a factor here. Alas, it is not. This season has some of the weaker episodes of the series up until this point and following on the heels of such an amazing previous season, it's a shock when they are put side to side.

With twenty-five episodes on four discs, The Simpsons - The Complete Eighth Season is by no means a complete fall from grace. Memorable episodes in this season include "The Springfield Files" (a parody crossover with The X-Files), "You Only Move Twice" (where Homer goes to work for a mock-Bond Supervillain named Scorpio), "Brother From Another Series" (the annual Sideshow Bob episode, this time featuring his brother Cecil), and "Homer Vs. the Eighteenth Amendment" (wherein Homer becomes the Beer Baron). As well, this season has one of the best episodes of the series with "Homer's Enemy" (the Frank Grimes episode).

The problem is, this episode also has some genuine duds. "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase" is quite possibly one of the worst episodes of the series and a terrible attempt to satirize the phenomenon of the series. Marge's turn as the "listen lady" is an episode that seems like a desperate attempt to figure out what to do with Marge whenever I watch it and "My Sister, My Sitter" where Lisa becomes Bart's babysitter is lame for a show this far along in its development.

So, to address the bottomline for a moment right out, the episodes in this season vary dramatically even episode to episode and what throws this boxed set into the upper average range, is the bonus features. First, there is a unique illustrated commentary track on four episodes that is clever and funny (and insightful!). There are deleted scenes and additional deleted scenes accessible as easter eggs on six episodes and it's wonderful to see some of the cut footage from the better episodes. As well, there's a very cool special on the house that was built as a model of the Simpson's house in Vegas and that's cool to see (I had heard about it years ago, but seeing it on the bonus features is pretty wild). Were it not for these extensive bonus features, this would have been rated a bit lower.

That said, outside the bonus features, what does one get in this set? Like the prior seasons, this boxed set is comprised of 25 episodic episodes, so consequences of actions in one episode do not carry over into future episodes. The only substantial exception to that is in "A Millhouse Divided," wherein Millhouse's parents split up. They remain split up following this episode (with hilarious consequences).

As a result, these episodes are not so much about character growth and change as they are about the plots, what happens to the characters. This season is the most intensely focused on Homer Simpson, with eleven a-plots being devoted to him and three b-plots that are heavily focused on him. Surprisingly, Bart falls behind Lisa for the next most episodes with only three a-plots and three b-plots, while Lisa has four solid episodes where she is the focus and a strong supporting plot in one. Marge - after a bit of a drought - takes three episodes solidly as her own. As well, peripheral characters like Mr. Burns and Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel rise to such a position that there are episodes that are arguably theirs (one or two for Burns, one for the couple).

Most of the focus is still on the Simpson family and here is how the eighth season portrays them on DVD:

Homer Simpson - Has a busy time this season as he takes up such employment as: technician in Scorpio's nuclear power plant, a boxer, kidnaper (of Mr. Burns's illegitimate adult son), voice-over actor (for "The Itchy and Scratchy Show"), boozemaker, and the attempted model employee at the nuclear power plant. As well, he goes on a vision quest, annoys Flanders, discovers his homophobia, and finds that the Japanese have a soap product with a fish that resembles him. He also teams up with Mr. Burns on a staff retreat and makes a deal with Fat Tony to help Marge's new business,

Marge Simpson - Becomes a pretzel-maker and the church's "listen lady" (when Reverend Lovejoy stops caring about listening to his parishioners). She takes a break when stress encourages the family to get a nanny and she worries about Homer when he gets into a boxing match with Dreaderick Tatum,

Maggie Simpson - Completely wallpaper this season, save in resolving the gang warfare at the climax of "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson,"

Lisa Simpson - Discovers her allergies when the family moves, develops a crush on school bully Nelson Muntz and becomes Springfield's best babysitter. She helps Mr. Burns regain his empire when he loses everything and ultimately joins a military school to prove she is as good as the boys,

and Bart Simpson - Attends the same military school as punishment for his many misdeeds. As well, he gets a credit card and buys an impressive new dog, stumbles upon Skinner and Krabappel as they begin a relationship, fights Lisa when she takes responsibility for him and combats Sideshow Bob and his brother when they both come to Springfield. He also hangs out with the gay owner of an antique toy shop, hangs out with Homer as they search for extraterrestrials, supports Millhouse when his parents split up and goes to work at the local bordello as punishment for vandalizing it.

In all, there is a lot to find funny in this season and it is likely to be enjoyed by fans of The Simpsons as well as by those who are unfamiliar with the series (who ARE you people?!). Because of the episodic nature of the series, there's little danger anyone interested in the series would have a problem getting this season as a gift; they certainly would not be missing anything that would make it impossible to get right into it.

For other seasons of The Simpsons, please check out my reviews of:
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6

7.5/10

For other film and television reviews, please visit my Index Page on the subject for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Final Perfect Season (So Far) For The Simpsons - The Complete Season Seven!

The Good: Consistently funny episodes, Great bonus features on DVDs, Excellent satires/social commentaries
The Bad: The cracks are showing in the foundation with "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"
The Basics: With twenty-five great and classic episodes, this boxed set represents the last perfect season of The Simpsons and a great investment for any buyer.


The Simpsons has a powerful run as the longest running series in quite some time for a primetime television show. As is natural, the series has an ebb and flow and with hitting perfection in the fifth season and maintaining it in the sixth, it was something of a miracle that it managed to pull off a seventh flawless, consistently great season. This is not to say that The Simpsons does not have other seasons that wowed the audience or presented a show rich in satire that was truly great, but this is - to date - the last perfect season where the comedy was right on, episode to episode throughout the season.

Beginning where the prior season ended with the mystery of "Who Shot Mr. Burns? - Part Two," The Simpsons resolves the murder mystery and once again becomes an episodic series where the episodes do not usually impact one another and the characters do not so much grow as they experience new adventures. In this season, the foibles of the Simpson family include Bart trying out for the role of Fallout Boy in the new Radioactive Man movie, Lisa becoming a vegetarian, Homer becoming morbidly obese to get on disability, and Marge disappears largely to a supportive role, most notably being ashamed of Bart's shoplifting attempt around Christmastime. This season includes one of the last memorable "Treehouse of Horror" installments with the segment "Homer^3" (cubed), which used CGI to create three-dimensional Homer and Bart. As well, there is the annual assassination attempt by Sideshow Bob (this time he opts for blowing up Springfield to rid the world of television).

This is a solid and funny season with episodes ranging from the introspective and self-referential ("The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" is an odd retrospective episode and "Two Bad Neighbors" revisits the Bush-Simpson controversy by having former president Bush move in opposite the Simpsons) to the politically and socially satirical ("Much Apu About Nothing" tackles the anti-immigrant movement and "Lisa The Iconoclast" takes on historical revisionism). This season also has an abnormally high number of episodes that are obsessed with the place of celebrities and the entertainment industry, with seven episodes dealing with celebrities in the world of The Simpsons and/or consequences of celebrities living the way they do. Bart inadvertently shuts down Krustylu Studios when he fights for the rights of the original creator of "Itchy and Scratchy" ("The Day The Violence Died") and in "Bart The Fink," Krusty's tax evasion is exposed, ruining him. Regardless of this quirk, this is a truly great and enduring season that embodies the best of what a comedy series can be when it is episodic.

As with most of the prior seasons, Homer dominates the episodes, with seven a-plots being distinctly Homer's and three b-plots, with Bart a close second with seven a-plots and two supporting plots. Lisa is better represented with a strong a-plot in three episodes with a strong supporting role in an additional three. Marge has a strong supporting role in many of the episodes, but none of the episodes genuinely focus on her this season. Even Troy McClure and Selma and Grampa and Mr. Burns have episodes they dominate. Fans of Marge will find little to crow about, which is ironic considering the packaging for this DVD set is a Marge Simpson head!

Because of the episodic nature of the episodes, the series is not so much about character growth as it is about what happens to the various characters. Here is how the The Simpsons - The Complete Seventh Season" on DVD finds the primary characters:

Homer Simpson - Starting with Homer on the run under suspicion of shooting Mr. Burns, he soon looses the children due to the appearance of the house when social workers visit, loses Moe's when Moe makes the tavern into a family restaurant, and he gets giant to try to get on disability and work out of the home. Like other seasons, Homer finds new - though not lasting - employment at and outside the Nuclear Power Plant. This season, he takes over for Smithers, becomes a freak at Lollapalooza, and brings Lisa to work. He also discovers his mother is alive and a fugitive for her actions in the late 60s. As well, he finds himself learning an important lesson about the place of immigrants in the United States,

Marge Simpson - Works to rescue Homer from the police and get the children back when she takes a day off from her chores and they are taken away. As well, she becomes disappointed with Bart when he attempts shoplifting and becomes a socialite by joining the local country club,

Lisa Simpson - Tries out a new personality while on vacation, spends time with Homer at the nuclear plant, discovers town founder Jebediah Springfield was actually a pirate. She also resists becoming a Flanders and successfully gives up meat,

Grampa Simpson - Fights Mr. Burns for a lost treasure of Nazi artwork and deals with the trauma of his ex-wife's return,

and Bart Simpson - Goes on a road trip with his friends and a fake i.d., bankrupts the company that makes "Itchy and Scratchy" cartoons and Krusty the Klown, and gets caught shoplifting the newest video game. As well, he sells his soul and competes with Millhouse for the role of Fallout Boy in the Radioactive Man movie.

This set has some wonderful bonus features with commentary on all of the episodes as well as deleted scenes for 15 of the 25 episodes, some of which are hilarious! As well, there are two featurettes and the very cool packaging shaped like Marge Simpson (there's also the other packaging which fits the standard shape of the DVD collection).

As with the prior seasons, this season features various celebrity voices for some guest characters. This season, Glen Close, Henry Morgan, Lawrence Tierney, Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Christina Ricci and Kirk Douglas guest star. As well, musicians Cyprus Hill, Peter Frampton, The Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, and Paul McCarthy and celebrities Linda McCarthy and Mickey Rooney appear as themselves.

The "Homerpalooza" episode is a classic for fans of the mid-90s music scene and a wonderful commentary on that (the commentary track is insightful as well!). It's a nice (almost) end to a perfect season and it's one of the most easily identifiable perfect episodes of the entire series.

The Simpsons - The Complete Seventh Season on DVD is an essential boxed set for any fan of the series and a great place for anyone to pick up the best of what this show has to offer

For other seasons of The Simpsons, please check out my reviews of:
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6

10/10

For other television reviews, please check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Repeating Perfection On The Comedic Gem That Is The Simpsons

The Good: Cool packaging, Great, enduringly funny episodes, Exceptional animation, Good DVD bonuses
The Bad: Clip show is a little weaker than other episodes
The Basics: The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season offers the most consistently great season of the show to date with great DVD extras.


When The Simpsons hit its stride in the fifth season, it sure knew how to keep it going into the sixth season. Packed with consistently funny episodes, The Simpsons - The Complete Sixth Season on DVD illustrates the enduring greatness and popularity of this animated series. The sixth season is packaged in a Homer Simpson-shaped plastic head (think those giant thin plastic Easter eggs around Easter) and I suppose some people didn't like that, but I thought it was pretty cool. On-line there are ways to get an alternative box that matches the shape of the prior seasons. Regardless of any fake controversy among fans over packaging, the sixth season of The Simpsons remains an incredible value for fans of the animated series.

The sixth season of The Simpsons is the season that finds the Simpson family undergoing such adventures as Lisa meets her intellectual and creative match, Bart dates Reverend Lovejoy's troubled daughter, Homer is accused of sexual harassment of a babysitter, and Marge becomes a police officer. Secondary characters get their day when Mr. Burns builds a sunblocker, Santa's Little Helper becomes infatuated with a racing greyhound, and Sideshow Bob runs for mayor.

As with the previous seasons, The Simpsons remains heavily episodic, so much of the series is about individual gags and the plots do not have ramifications on other episodes. One notable exception is the season's weakest episode, "Another Clip Show," where the characters sit around reminiscing about lost loves using material from prior episodes. Even with the acknowledgment of the tongue-in-cheek nature of the episode, the clip show feels a little forced and not satirical enough.

That said, the sixth season of The Simpsons is solid and any defects in the one episode are reconciled by the quality of the bonus features. This boxed set features commentary - real good commentaries! - on all twenty-five episodes, deleted scenes, a "Springfield's Most Wanted" tv special that promoted the season, as well as commercials and a couple of good easter eggs. Like the fifth season, this remains a strong buy for fans of The Simpsons, who have presumably seen these episodes many times. Fortunately, because of the episodic nature of the show, this is also a fine point for any fan of The Simpsons to jump in, making it a great gift for people who are just getting into the show. Then again, it's likely to make such a person want more.

Thus, the show is not so much about the characters as what happens to them. Here is how the sixth season finds The Simpsons;

Homer Simpson - In his continual quest for life outside the nuclear power plant, he becomes (at various points in the season) a Krusty the Klown franchise, a movie festival judge, and just a more memorable worker at the plant (which triggers the shooting of Mr. Burns that ends the season). As a side, Homer takes an obsessive love of a sugar pile, continues a love of candy that gets him nailed with a sexual harassment allegation, rekindles his love with Marge using an elixir from his father, and his love of drinking gets him kicked out of Moe's. Homer joins a secret society (the Stonecutters), relates what happened when Maggie was born, borrows money from Patty and Selma, and clashes with the law when Marge becomes a cop,

Marge Simpson - Becomes a police officer and a teacher at Bart's school. As well, this season allows her to initiate a film festival (which allows for a crossover with The Critic - reviewed here!), reinvigorate her sex life with Homer, and reveals a deep-seated fear of flying in an airplane. She also initiates a conversation on love, which creates the clip show,

Maggie - Hangs around and listens to the story of her birth. Otherwise, this is a pretty low-Maggie season,

Lisa Simpson - Makes a power grab by visiting Bleeding Gums Murphy (from season 1), learning the future from a fortune teller at the Renaissance Faire, and becomes a hockey player who rivals Bart's skills at the sport. As well, she becomes popular when the family gets a pool, she takes on a new genius in her class and she and Bart work together to thwart Sideshow Bob and Mr. Burns when he steals the puppies Santa's Little Helper has,

and Bart Simpson - Opening the season with a broken leg from a pool accident, he soon finds himself locked in a battle of electoral politics against Sideshow Bob, dates Reverend Lovejoy's daughter, and finds himself bested by Lisa in ice hockey. As well, he discovers a comet, insults Australia so seriously that he must journey down under to apologize, takes up ballet, and pranks his teacher and Skinner in such a way that "The PTA Disbands." He also assists in getting the town's lemon tree back from neighboring Shelbyville.

This season is more balanced than some of the previous seasons, though Homer continues to dominate the stories with six a-plots and five b-plots, with Bart a close second with six a-plots and four b-plots. Lisa and Marge have a stronger presence front and center this season with each getting four episodes. The show also has more episodes that are whole family endeavors, like "Itchy and Scratchy Land" and "Who Shot Mr. Burns? - Part One." This year's "Treehouse of Horror V" involves the many deaths of Groundskeeper Willie.

This is a very fun season, but it also has some of the series' best satires, with the exploration of electoral fraud ("Sideshow Bob Roberts"), the problems with sexual harassment law and sensationalist journalism ("Homer: Bad Man"), and the nature of popular entertainment ("A Star Is Burns"). It's witty and intelligent the way The Simpsons makes its social commentaries and jabs at establishments that are taken as holy.

This boxed set also includes arguably the best episode of The Simpsons in "Two Dozen In One Greyhounds," wherein Santa's Little Helper gets randy, takes a mate and she has puppies. It is line for line one of the funniest half hours of television and the climactic song ("See My Vest," a parody of Disney's Beauty And The Beast's "Be My Guest") is riotously funny and a perfect rewriting of the pretentious Disney song.

It's hard to do better than this season and The Simpsons arguably does not. This is a must own for anyone who loves great comedy.

For other seasons of The Simpsons, please check out my reviews of:
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5

10/10

For other television reviews, please check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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