Every generation has its defining cultural contribution. Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Elvis...
Baby boomers hog most of the cachet -- just try and pick up a copy of Newsweek this year without being assaulted by someone's aggresively idealized nostalgia for, I don't know, Hot Tuna or some such group.
My cultural education took hold in the 80s. Michael Jackson and Madonna ascended the pop mountain, accompanied by Bruce Springsteen and Prince. But Sprinsteen's 80s superstardom had its roots in the more timeless music he created in the 70s. Prince, always a prickly fellow, has receded and reappeared, though never with the same clout he weilded in 1985. Madonna showed some sticking power and provided the template for the protean pop starlet squandered by the likes of Britney Spears. Michael Jackson is, well, icky.
But when I think of the biggest ongoing international cultural phenomena I've been able to witness from inception, there is simply no contest. They are the five, yellow prototypes for the American family in the modern TV era.
After 20 years, 400 episodes and countless d'ohs, The Simpsons Movie opens in theaters today. And though I'm sure I'll see it, I can't pretend the TV show hasn't lost a good deal if not all of its originality, satiric bite and -- sadly -- humor. Over the last three seasons, I can't remember more than a laugh or two per episode and none sticks out like any from the first six seasons.
But don't label me as one of the legions of former fans who have adopted the pose of the show's infamous Comic Book Guy, haughtily dismissing each new installment as the "Worst. Episode. Ever.'' I never expected the show to cruise at its unprecedented altitude of hilarity until End Times. When a crack team of rotating writers have lampooned just about every aspect of society and human interaction for 20 years, the cutting edge can travel around in a full circle, leaving them stuck on an island left to cannibalize themselves.
Too many recent episodes (and by that, I mean almost 10 years of episodes) have recycled bits and even whole storylines from previous, superior scripts. There are only so many times Homer can screw up his marriage or that Lisa feels isolated by her morality and smarts before the emotional core that used to drive the show degenerates into schmaltz and novelty. These days, the heartfelt family dynamic that Executive Producer James L. Brooks instilled in the show's infancy often feels shoehorned into episodes cluttered with random, silly shenanigans. It's as though "The Simpsons'' feels obligated to remain true to its roots even while trying and failing to compete with the far more transgressive and cutting humor of "Simpsons'' acolyte "The Family Guy'' or "South Park.''
So I'm hopeful the new movie --four years in development -- might find some new spark inside this sturdy engine. The reviews seem promising, and I've promissed Arielle I'd wait to see it with her. Although I'm tempted by the urge to weasel out of that commitment so I can sooner see if the defining cultural influence of my life can once again drip rays of slobbering joy like a giant glazed donut at the center of the earth's orbit.
After all, as Homer once said: "Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals ... except the weasel.''
Full Disclosure: I've made no such promise to Arielle, and we are very likely to go see the movie this weekend anyway. I just wanted an excuse to use that weasel quote.
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