Issue date: 8/2/07 Section: NEWS

Media Credit: Justin Tennison Tony Nguyen, an employee at 7-11, runs a cash register Tuesday afternoon at the convenience store that was temporarily transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart, located at Northwest Highway and Hillcrest Road in Dallas. [Click to enlarge]

After nearly two decades of small-screen laughs, David Silverman's Simpsons have made the inevitable jump to the big screen. For those willing to shell out the "d'oh," "The Simpsons Movie," proudly released in 2-D, offers 87 minutes of light-hearted humor and biting satire.
The opening joke is on the audience with a scene from an "Itchy and Scratchy" movie that causes Homer (Dan Castellaneta) to shout, "I can't believe we're paying for something we can see on TV for free! If you ask me, everyone in this theater is a big sucker!"
The plot, which required the talents of 11 screenwriters, focuses on the environmental problems stemming from the pollution of Springfield's lake.
Lisa's (Yeardley Smith) lecture at city hall, titled "An Irritating Truth," results in a decision to clean up the toxic problem. However, in a desperate move, Homer dumps a silo full of droppings from his new pet pig in the newly-cleaned lake.
When the Environmental Protection Agency takes extreme measures, placing a giant impenetrable dome over the city, Homer and his family are forced to run.
Though one might expect the plots and jokes to have run dry by now, with more than 400 episodes already written, the writing team for the film managed to keep things current and hilarious including jokes about Al Gore, Bono of U2, Green Day, Arnold Schwarzenegger, George W. Bush and Tom Hanks, who sportingly played himself.
They also managed to write in quick references to "Titanic" and "Harry Potter," a scene reminiscent of classic Disney films, a nude sequence of Bart (Nancy Cartwright) that could never air on basic TV and a rendition of "Spider-Pig" sung by Homer.
What separates the film from the basic episode, however, is its heart. Lisa finds a new love interest in an Irish environmentalist, Bart questions whether he might prefer Ned Flanders (Cartwright) over his own father and the relationship between Homer and Marge (Julie Kavner) is pushed to its limits as Homer is forced to realize that he must change his selfish ways to keep his family together.
While the film was apparently chock full of inside jokes slipped in to entertain the series' most loyal fan base, luckily for myself and thousands of other movie-goers, the writers were kind enough to include laughs for even the most novice of viewers.
Overall, the film is a funny romp custom built for a late-night viewing experience after a long week of school and work. Also, don't rush off as soon as the film ends; stick around during the credits and get a hint about the future plans for "The Simpsons."

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