The Simpsons: Any Given Sundance
Finally – a Simpsons appearance by Jim Jarmusch! It only took 19 seasons…
Photo courtesy of Fox
May 6th, 2008 - The Simpsons are going to Sundance! But first, they have to go tailgating. As far as opening sequences go, this was a very funny bit – Homer once again is holding his miniature banners, Ralph is eating his own hand, Marge and Maggie are line-washing foam fingers, Homer nearly smothers Moleman, and Sideshow Mel and Carl get into a smack-down over their favorite Springfield Universities. (Why does Mel care so much, I thought he was a Cornell alumnus?) Either way, this is just a ploy to get Lisa into her filmmaking, and it works.
It turns out that Principal Skinner has long dreamed of getting into the movie industry, and he decides to use Lisa as his way in. Though it is a wonder that “The Principal Who Sold a Screenplay” was never optioned. The Universal Studios joke was funny, but the timing was a bit suspect given the new Simpsons Ride that just opened. Skinner convinces Lisa to turn her camera on her family, as that is where the most drama is. Homer’s riff on Shia LaBeouf was random, but delivered well.
The show was meant to take off when the family arrives in Sundance, but the immediate appearance by Jim Jarmusch feels forced and out of place. Do most people know who this guy is? Are big fans of his that excited about his appearance as a cartoon on The Simpsons? Homer acknowledges the randomness of this guest star by asking him who he is, but either way, this indie director is given an awful lot of screen time. Meanwhile, John C. Reilly, a very funny actor, is only given a few seconds to make us laugh. This was definitely a poor choice, and it hurts the episode.
Lisa’s movie is not particularly entertaining, and it once again makes her look like a jerk for the way she looks down at her family. Her screening did lead to some great lines, however – the reaction of one man screaming “Death to Maggie!” had me laughing out loud, as did Comic Book Guy’s recommendation that nerds “landspeeder, not bantha” to their local theatres to see this movie. Nelson’s movie was funnier, though it did evoke memories of Barney’s movie “Pukahontas” in Springfield’s Film Festival, 1995.
Overall, this episode had some solid laughs and a great first act, but the Sundance stuff felt like it could have been stronger. The Chalmskinn Productions animation was great, as were all of the scenes with Skinner and Chalmers. In the end, Lisa is forgiven, Homer can still someday be famous for catching Santa Claus, and Marge insists that there will never be another Simpsons Movie. But we’ll see about that.
Alan’s Score: 6.8 out of 10
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