7-30-07, 11:10 am

The Simpsons Movie Directed by David Silverman

To paraphrase the indefatigable Homer as he shouts at the audience of The Simpsons Movie, 'you're all fools if you've paid to watch what you can get for nothing on TV.'

Then, what would be expect from the guy who'd buy a pig in a poke and declare that he'd actually let the cat out of the bag? In short, fall for a scam and then claim to have known all about it all along.

That said, The Simpsons Movie isn't a counterfeit designed to con you of your hard-earned cash. It 's what it says on the tin, a feature film version of Matt Groening's much loved TV series.

It's brilliant, a barrel of belly laughs and designed to appeal to audience of all ages, not least those avaricious fans who have maintained it as the top US satire for 17 years.

Of course, it's not the same as it was. After 400 episodes, the production values are more professional. Still, without excessive CGI, its dysfunctional working class folk continue to transcend the generations.

Its secret is simple - witty scripts, inventive sight gags and the inclusion of many radical references to politics.

I know it remains the most shared experience in my household with my five-year-old grandson rushing up the stairs at 6 o'clock to shout: 'It's the Simpsons, grandad!'

He loves skateboarding Bart's escapades. But what he will think of him skating in the nude and revealing his penis? Well, he won't go on a moral majority rage.

His mother loved the independent spirit of saxophone-playing Lisa. Now inspired by the 'The Irritating Truth,' she's off on an environmental quest and falls in love with an Irish lad who, she insists, 'is not Bono.'

As for the long suffering Marge, she has to respond to a realisation that Homer has finally committed a cardinal sin, having initiated a love affair with a pig whose silo they decide to dump in the local lake.

It results in Springfield becoming a toxic dump and the only person to see the way out of the predicament is dummy-sucking Maggie.

However, it's Homer as the self-absorbed, doughnut-eating beer swiller who epitomises both the problem and the solution.

Having fouled up with his porker, he's forced to take responsibility for the toxic effects.

This is the family that Bush Snr declared anti-American. He much preferred The Waltons. But, naturally, his stupid son's handlers considered the Simpsons as vote winners.

Not that Dubya's featured in the film. The makers prefer to satirise Schwarzenegger as the dumbo president in the White House being manipulated by a creep as crooked as Cheney.

Offered the choice of options, he says. 'I vos elected to lead not read.'

Film buffs will recognise allusions to Dr Strangelove. Others will reference Bush's responses to September 11.

They are up to no good. But, as usual, it's the blundering Homer who initiates the disaster, because his insatiable desires create the problem that requires Springfield to be isolated under a huge glass dome.

It's impossible to escape until the Simpsons get on the case, with the disgraced Homer riding to the rescue aboard a Harley Davidson.

Most of the characters appear to get a mention, from barman Mo, Comic Book Guy, Rev Lovejoy, and Krusty the Clown to the born-again nice-guy Ned Flanders and the insufferable Tom Hanks.

Evil Mr Burns only appears marginally and still manages to deliver the film's most apposite irony as he watches the powers of the state attacking them all. 'So! For once, the rich white man is in control.'

Yes, they are bombing their own citizens like they do abroad. Anything to keep the populace unaware of the control being exercised by the military-industrial complex, including using nuclear bombs.

And all this courtesy of Rupert Murdoch. Who says that the US doesn't do irony? So long as the profits are rolling in, they will cash in. That's the crunch contradiction of capitalist culture.

From Morning Star