The Simpsons Movie (2007)

If the first 20 minutes of this movie had been made into an episode of the show, it would've been the funniest episode they ever did. Sly jabs at the hand that feeds the creators, as well as plenty of exceptional Simpsons tomfoolery takes place. The laughs here simply never stop. Unfortunately it slips from absolutely brilliant to pretty-damn-great for the next hour and 10 minutes as the location changes, and the film settles into its plot. Much of this is still quite amusing (with more than a few deep belly-laughs to be had), but the onslaught of the earlier portions of the film make the latter 2/3rds feel like a slight step back. It's all still very smart writing, though. The sometimes-vicious and often issue-driven humor of the show is readily apparent through the whole film, so even when things slow down it's still great fun to watch. Really, this is more an homage to what Simpsons used to be than what it currently is. The subversive spark that brought the series into so many homes in the first place is back, if only on the big screen.

9 out of 10.