"The Simpsons" - C

What can I say ... I've been a Simpsons fan from the moment I witnessed a first-run episode in season one. The show has had more than its share of ups and downs, and it seems like every year I find myself saying that it should have ended three seasons ago. But hardly a day goes by where some Simpsons quote or other reference is not appropriate.

There is no denying the overall impact on humor writing, pop culture commentary and comedy composition than this program has developed. I believe the longevity of the show and strength of creative talent throughout the years have cemented this as one of TV's all-time most influential programs.

With my affinity for the television show clearly stated, let us now consider the feature-length movie.

Summary: Homer's stupidity has onces again threated the quality of life for his fellow Springfield residents. The Simpsons overcome some emotional and physical obstacles to save their family as well as the lives of everyone in their hometown. Throw in sarcastic and pop culture humor, and you've got yourself a movie.

Why you should see it: If you're a fan of the program, then hitting this one on the large screen is a no-brainer — you know you're gonna go see it. It has many goofy moments (including SpiderPig and Harry Plopper jokes) to offset the tear-jerking wannabe sensitive scenes.

The characters' acting and voice work is consistent with what you've grown accustomed to seeing. All of your favorites are here, and they look better than ever with an increased budget for better quality rendering of the animation.

If for nothing else, you don't want to be the only Simpsons fan in your neck of the woods to have missed this original production ... unless of course you have your eye on becoming a Supreme Court chief justice or something.

Why you should avoid it: While this is an entertaining movie, there is not much here that makes it a superstar standout endeavor for the franchise. It isn't packed with too much content that couldn't appear on TV, and there isn't a cavalcade of celebrity cameos that only works in a theater showing.

Some of the jokes are just flat; it seems as though the writers either kinda phoned it in or were forced to take things in a new direction. Either way, much of what happens comes off like it's really just a glorified TV episode.

And while the film is short — only about 1.5 hours — it will seem to take much longer because of the dragging nature of some of the family conflicts. You'll likely find some of this tedious because it is handled in a manner that differs from how they've gotten over similar issues in previous episodes.

The bottom line: I was expecting more from the Simpsons movie than what I got. We've been over some this same ground too many times to simply have it resolved in a less-humorous manner than what we've already witnessed. And perpetually tepid jokes occasionally offset with better ones will not make this one of the program's brightest moments.

Perhaps this is one of those unique circumstances where the overall strong support of the fans can actually hurt the film. People have their expectations — realistic or otherwise — for how their favorite cast of make-believe characters should entertain them, but they're likely going to come away feeling they witnessed lacking efforts.

Grade: "C" — for dutiful fans and those wishing to remain hip in their office conversations on current movies