The Simpsons Movie (2007) - LightShed 7

I am not the biggest fan of the TV show, but for some reason I was really waiting for The Simpsons Movie and was expecting a lot from it; unfortunately, the movie does not deliver as many laughs as I had expected.  You will get quite a few laughs, for sure, but you should probably lower your expectations.

In The Simpsons Movie, Homer does something really stupid (surprise!) which causes the city to be trapped into this huge glass dome; after that, all sorts of madness and mayhem ensue. 

The citizens of Springfield find out it is all Homer's fault and seek revenge, while America's favorite family try to keep it together.

I was glad to see the bits of gay content in the movie, only one of which (the first one) was kinda bad.  Right in the beginning of the movie, people are in church and all of a sudden Flanders (the evangelical Republican 'do-gooder') stands up saying he has something to announce -- Homer immediately crosses his fingers and starts wishing "gay, gay gay"; that was pretty funny, and could be seen as offensive (more likely) or not.  Homer doesn't like Flanders and wishing Flanders would say he is gay would work as a punishment for Flanders, and that wouldn't be nice, to be gay is not a punishment.  If you read this blog with some frequency, you will know that, usually, I think it is good when an idiot does something negative for the gays; I usually think that people will be repulsed by an idiot's homophobia; but the same reasoning cannot be applied here: Homer is an adored idiot; he is not just a common idiot; so, I don't think audiences would feel repulsed by his bit of homophobia.  On the other hand, Flanders is an evangelical who has marched in the "Walk for the Cure to Homosexuality" and Homer could be wishing he was gay just so that Flanders would come to accept himself as a gay man and stop hating himself and the gays (I know, this interpretation is a stretch...but whatever).

Also on the kinda bad side, Homer almost kisses a (male) pig.  But in the end, I think those two little ambivalent scenes weren't that bad; additionally, we have a few other scenes which were more clearly neutral (or even positive).

Another scene with gay content involves Bart's shocking frontal nudity.  This is actually a weird scene -- I don't really understand why it is there (maybe it is meant to show Bart is growing up; I don't know...).  What happens is, Homer dares Bart to skate to a burger shop naked, and he, of course, accepts the challenge. 

On his naked way to the burger joint he passes in front of Ralph Wiggum, who, after seeing Bart naked says something like: "I like boys now".  So, maybe there's some information on this mysterious character.  Boys can like boys too.

Then, on another scene, Marge is trying to flee from the police, and, as she is walking into this motel room to hide, two male cops get near her -- at that point she is thinking the cops are going to arrest her or something, but they start making out and bulge into one of the motel's room -- making out.  Hot. Nice. Marge walks safely into her hideout.

I kept waiting for Smithers to make out with his gross boss Mr. Burns, but (actually, thankfully), that never happens.

There were a lot of kids in my theater and I think it's nice for them to get used to the idea that men can like men.  The movie opened yesterday and you should see it.

Comments

[Queer Beacon]

Like I said, I am not biggest fan, but I actually think the show has been remarkably able to maintain most of its fun ;-)

[Hartford]

Am I the only one that thinks The Simpsons lost it years ago. It was funny when it was fairly counter culture - poking fun at American, Fox, etc. At some point it became co-opted and unfunny.

[Queer Beacon]

Great point, Marc!

[Marc]

The film delivered a satisfactory number of laughs for me. I went in expecting a really good version of the TV show, and that's what I got.

I thought Homer wishing Ned was gay was a commentary on the hypocrisy of certain American evangelical leaders like Ted Haggard and his ilk.

[Queer Beacon]

I tend to do that, over-analyze... ;-)

[Andrew]

I was at a regular movie theater in Livermore, CA. Good to learn that at least in Vancouver the gay "ick factor" is far less pronounced.

Re: Bart's frontal nudity: I think you might be over-analyzing. I thought they were just making a joke, not a statement. They go to great lengths to use all these ridiculous obstructions to cover up Bart's penis while he's riding the skateboard, and then comically turn that expectation on its head by hiding the rest of his body and showing his penis for a few seconds.

[Queer Beacon]

Hey Andrew, that is sad to hear. In my theater, the crowd laughed, not hard, but they laughed. I saw the movie in a big straight-crowd cineplex here in Vancouver...

[Andrew]

There was a huge collective "ewwww grossss" in my theater when the cops kissed. Depressing.