I couldn’t help but walk out of The Simpsons Movie thinking, “Damnit, I just paid seven dollars for this? Not to mention the overpriced medium beverage and pretzel bites (which, admittedly, were nice and fresh).” To say I was unhappy would be like saying Carter was a bad president, and I’m not in for that kind of understatement. I had planned to avoid it--convinced that it couldn’t be particularly good--but changed my mind after seeing the box office results over Friday and Saturday.

For years I’ve thought that the TV show had grown stale, that it really didn’t have anything new to tell us, and that the humor had grown predictable and bland. The movie pretty much embodies all of my complaints, puts them in a longer format, and throws them on a big screen. A decade ago, it might have been worth doing (and seeing). In 2007, though, it’s just a waste of time.

The voices, the animation, the situations are all unsurprising. Outside of a few naughty words and a peek at Bart’s penis, there isn’t a new thing on display. Even the audience that I saw it with seemed listless, laughing only occasionally and clearing out before the credits were done. With all the big dollars and the critical acclaim (an 89% Tomatometer rating should indicate something, shouldn’t it?) I truly thought that my expectations were out of line.

Words that have been used to describe the film: subversive, touching, clever, and spirited. Stephen Hunter of The Washington Post even described it as one of the best movies of the year. My view of The Simpsons Movie is a little different. Tired, overly familiar, and surprisingly (torturously) long at just 87 minutes. It’s hardly one of the best movies of the year—it’s, at best, passable summer entertainment. The best of The Simpsons came years ago and is easy to find on DVD. Those early years (once they got past the “really horrible” animation and voice acting phase and settled into the characters and conventions) were vital, funny, and groundbreaking. Fans are better served by visiting those years.

For animation, story, heart, and laughs, I would still recommend Ratatouille. For big, dumb summer fun (with a heavy emphasis on dumb), go see Transformers. For me, at this point, I’m just looking forward to Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and the girl’s upcoming favorite, The Bourne Supremacy.