Doh!

Time to catch up after a couple of weeks out of town (yes, that's no excuse) and one hellacious week back at work. And what has been happening on the cultural front? The Simpsons is making its way toward worldwide domination. When NPR does a story on how you have to queue for hours in Argentina to get a ticket to see the flick...well, this is an international phenomenon.

And my thoughts? The Simpsons is a very good movie. A great movie? Not exactly. But a couple week later I still smile at a joke or moment I remember from the film. They keep you laughing out loud from the first frame to the last. And laughing hard.

The plot, you ask? Homer screws up (environmental catastrophe), the Simpsons make haste to Alaska only to return and save Springfield. Of course, The Simpsons is not about the plot and all about the situations, relationships, and most importantly the wise and hilarious observations about the human and our current condition.

Does the move to big screen give the creative team license to take risks? Maybe a little. But there's nothing here that would risk the brand. A brief, inspired flash of nudity is about it. But the film is also much more than four episodes strung together or one episode stretched out to 90 minutes. It's a rich, full, cohesive experience that is, quite simply, a blast!