Dove Review

This movie is likely to make everybody laugh at some point, and likely to offend some people as well. Therein lies the problem as far as this being family-friendly. The irreverent humor runs throughout the film. The movie is not short on laughs. It opens with a scene in outer space, and we soon learn it is from a film which the Simpsons are watching. The movie they are viewing is based on a TV show. At the conclusion, Homer says, “Who would be stupid enough to pay to watch a movie based on a TV show when you can see the show on TV for free!” The audience I saw the picture with laughed at themselves since “The Simpsons Movie” is, of course, based on a TV show. Without giving too much of the comedy away, there is also a scene in which a Fox network advertisement appears at the bottom of the screen, and then the words, “Yes, we are advertising in movies now!” The audience roared with laughter.

I am not an expert on the TV show, since I don’t watch it, but it’s been around long enough for me to know that Homer is somewhat of a boorish buffoon, and he is at his best in this movie. The problem is that the film has strong language, and seems to both make fun of Christianity and nearly embrace it at the same time. Homer and his family are late for church in the beginning and he walks in talking about “Jebus” instead of “Jesus,” and how that the people in the church are moronic hypocrites. An elderly man in the service has a religious experience and gives a prophetic warning. He also rolls around a bit on the floor. Yet later on the warning he gives begins to come to pass. The next door neighbor, a Christian man who prays over his food at a restaurant, befriends Bart and becomes a second father to him while Homer is making a mess of things in the family’s life. So the film is a bit schizophrenic in its portrayal of religion. There were moments that made me cringe, and moments when I thought, “Wow! Is that a positive portrayal of Christianity?” However, due to the language and nudity, and a scene which briefly shows children under eighteen smoking, we cannot award our Dove Seal to this film.

Dove Rating Details

0

Faith

None

0

Integrity

A boy beats up bullies; explosions; a girl hits a boy; some scuffles; a team of dogs attack a character after he constantly uses a whip on them; arrows are shot at a family; the use of guns; much of this done in the popular cartoon mode.

2

Sex

Kissing; a few innuendos.

4

Language

GD-1; G/OMG-8; H-6; A-2; Cr*p-2

2

Violence

A boy beats up bullies; explosions; a girl hits a boy; some scuffles; a team of dogs attack a character after he constantly uses a whip on them; arrows are shot at a family; the use of guns; much of this done in the popular cartoon mode.

3

Drugs

Smoking by underage kids; bar scene; a sign says "Binge Responsibly."

3

Nudity

Bart is seen naked including male genitalia; a man's butt crack is seen; two characters strip down to underwear and lingerie.

2

Other

Two male cops kiss; a boy sees Bart naked and says, "I like men now"; a man is praying over a meal with his family and sees Bart naked and in his shock thanks the Lord for "the pen*s"; a man is talking about polluted water and says he "hates the color black" in front of an African-American but then apologizes; Homer flips off a lot of people at one time in a scene; a well-endowed woman points out a direction for someone with her breasts; an angry crowd yells "Kill! Kill!"