Homer dooms us all

That James L. Brooks sure knows what he's doing.

There's no real spoilers you didn't get from the preview, so read on.

The Simpsons movie wasn't just funny. It has all the elements of a great family film with a moving story about trust and selflessness and courage and what it means to be a husband and father. But also, funny.

The theater was packed. Even after a bulb blew in the projector and we all waited half an hour for the film to start (there was booing but thankfully no violence). The guys beside me spent the entire wait time discussing whether or not they were going to wait, even up to the minute the movie came on.

I was alone so I didn't want to give up my seat to go pee, so the 85 minute length of the film was just right for my tiny bladder. Also I don't drink things at the movies for that very reason.

The Grove has a theater with a balcony and leather seats. I did not know this. They were very comfortable.

Anyway, about the movie: it had all the same basic elements of a Simpsons episode (the inciting incident that then becomes irrelevant once it's achieved its purpose, Maggie doing something kind of scary, Homer choking Bart) but structured like a film. It had action, adventure and a bit about Alaska. I only wish I could have seen more of Springfield under siege. The movie was short enough, they could have spared some more time for people who aren't related to Homer.

Still, there's something to be said for quick, clean and simple. And funny.

There are a few things they couldn't have done on television: some surprising and extremely comical nudity right at the beginning, one "goddamn" and a joke about Carl that the censors probably wouldn't have approved.

I didn't roll on the floor laughing at any point, but I did plenty of laughing out loud at Homer's big screen absurdity.

It was definitely higher quality than the last comedy I saw, Playmates in 3D. That was a really bad soft core porn I caught with friends at the New Beverly last night. I mean seriously, just because you're a porn movie does not mean you have to be poorly edited.

Anyway, Simpsons good. But you probably already knew that.