THE SIMPSONS MOVIE
Featuring the voices of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright and Albert Brooks; Written by Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Joel Cohen, John Frink, Al Jean, Tim Long, Ian Maxtone-Graham, George Meyer …now take a breath… David Mirkin, Michael Price, Mike Reiss, Mike Scully, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder and John Vitti; Directed by David Silverman; 87 minutes; Rated PG-13 [for irreverent humor throughout]

After 18 seasons and 400 episodes, the biggest question regarding The Simpsons Movie is not, “How could they possibly screw this up?” but instead, “Why did it take so long?” While a movie eight years ago — with Springfield in the throes of Y2K hysteria, perhaps — would have been much better timing for the show and for the times, the moment that all “Simpsons” fans have been waiting for has finally come, and thankfully, they didn’t screw it up. And really, how could they?

With a script worked on by nearly every major series player in the last two decades, the movie version of the longest running sitcom ever (animated or otherwise) is a love letter to fans. While most love letters gush and sometimes get off track, this one, for the most part, stays on point. Not a minute passes without a solid laugh, and the writers take advantage of the PG-13 rating without getting vulgar like “Family Guy” (save for one precious visual gag). As keenly self-aware as a movie has ever been, it balances solidly an honest-to-goodness story (regarding Homer’s accidental sullying of Springfield with pollution) with great, refined characterizations by Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Julie Kavner (Marge), Nancy Cartwright (Bart) and a smart sampling of fan favorites, too.

From the start, though, when Ralph Wiggum stands nestled in the zero of the 20th Century Fox logo, singing Alfred Newman’s famous Fox fanfare as only Ralph Wiggum can, we somehow know that for the next hour-and-a-half, we will be comfortably numb with the kind of perpetual face-ache that comes from constantly smiling. It is a feeling less expensive and much safer than drugs, and if you can ignore the occasional fear that there might be something wrong with your liver for seeing so much (crisply animated) yellow in your field of vision, this trip to Springfield — wherever in the country it is — is well worth the time and effort. –Robert Newton