Film | Rise and fall of a comic genius

Rise and fall of a comic genius

"As The Simpsons prepare to hit the big screen, TV critic and former fan Ian Jones explains why he fell out of love with Homer and co"

"Once, it was the greatest show on TV. Every episode was brimming with imagination, excitement and some of the sharpest one-liners to come out of America for decades. But above all it was smart: The Simpsons knew how to parry crudity with intelligence blow for blow. Bart's big-haired nemesis Sideshow Bob stepping on a rake nine times would be followed up with a surreal two-minute performance of HMS Pinafore. Homer lobbing a lookalike of himself over a waterfall would be followed by a reference to Walt Whitman's collection of poems, Leaves and Grass."

I hope The Simpsons was "smart" enough to know Whitman's sampler was called Leaves OF Grass