[The long of it]
Kids, you don't want to hear this, but it's true: Your parents love you. Your parents want to be involved in your lives. Your parents wouldn't trade you for anything in the world. But, every now and then, they just want to *get as far away from you as they possibly can.* No offense, of course.
The Simpson family finds itself in the same position in "Catch 'Em If You Can." Bart and Lisa are particularly quarrelsome, starting from the moment when Bart launches a water balloon at his sister. The struggle for sibling supremacy continues in the house when Lisa taunts Bart, saying, "At least I was planned!" Ouch. Then Marge cuts in, saying, "None of you were planned!" Double ouch!
Marge and Homer are feeling a little too much family togetherness, as well. The kids don't appreciate Marge's efforts to create some quality time, and when the Simpsons finally do sit down to a rental of "Love Story," Bart and Lisa find creative ways to break the romantic mood. As the date for a bleak family reunion in Dayton looms, Homer and Marge excuse their children, leaving them in Grampa's care. Then, impulsively, they decide to excuse themselves, grabbing a flight to Miami Beach instead. As anyone who watches television might have guessed, the kids quickly learn (via a well-timed news clip) they've essentially been ditched.
You might not have guessed what happens next, however. The kids, with Grampa in tow, begin chasing their parents around the nation in a cat- and-mouse game. The parents' resolve to have some alone time never fades, though. In Atlantic City, Marge fumes, "Bart flunked show-and- tell, but he's on our ass like Sherlock Holmes."
Head writer Ian Maxtone-Graham -- yes, *that* Ian-Maxtone Graham -- constructs a nice buildup in this story, starting plausibly (kids fighting while their parents go on a getaway). Then, the story gradually becomes unusual but still believable with respect to the "Simpsons" universe as Bart and Lisa successfully track down their parents. It all ends in a screwball finish that would be weird if the writers had jumped right to it but, because of the slow progression, seems like an almost logical finale.
"Catch 'Em" has other charms, as well. I liked the little digs at airline security procedures. At Springfield's "air marshal-free" airport, a gate agent lets Homer and Marge make a last-minute flight change even though the couple runs every play in the suspicious passenger playbook. "What the heck," he says, "I'm getting laid off tomorrow."
This show continues the trend towards interesting animation tricks. The obvious highlight is the third-act homage to the opening credits of "Catch Me if You Can." As quiet jazz music plays, the family is drawn in that stylized, no-edge-line mode the movie uses. Less flashy, but also impressive, is the slow-motion shot of Bart's water balloon striking Lisa, and the Miami Beach backgrounds.
"Catch 'Em if You Can," like it's inspiration movie, isn't that deep but it's great fun to watch. Maybe there's just something screwy with the way I'm wired, but I always liked the scenes where the Simpson family bickered with one another. All families seem to fall into this love-hate dynamic sooner or later; the Simpsons are special in that they usually manage to make it seem so funny.
[The short of it]
Maybe it's just me, but I always liked scenes where the Simpson family bickered with one another, so this story was tailor-made for me. The ongoing Bart-Lisa conflict was good, and I liked Homer and Marge's resolve to fight for some alone time. Ian-Maxtone Graham builds the story nicely from a plausible beginning to its zany finish. The animation continues to impress, especially the third act's cross- country chase montage. All families seem to fall into this love-hate dynamic sooner or later; the Simpsons are special in that they make it seem funny. (A)
[DYNs]
... Tyrone is apparently a relative on Homer's side of the family? ... Ned's credit card is good for *thirty years*? (But then, if Flanders doesn't have trustworthy credit, who does?) ... the location of Homer's left hand in the airplane toilet? (How much work was it getting that past the censors?)
[References]
"Catch Me if You Can" (movie) - title a spoof - animation during the family's cross-country hide-and-seek done in the style of the movie's opening credits - opening credit music from the movie used, too
AAA (motor club) - ranks hotels one a one- to four- (or five-)diamond scale
Blockbuster Video (video rental chain) - the family rents a movie from Lackluster Video
"Hercules" (movie and mythical character) - Lackluster Video has "Jerkcules" available for rental
"Aesop's Fables" (collected stories) - before the tornado report, Kent mentions "the little tortoise that couldn't," which probably spoofs the tale of the tortoise and the hare
"Winnie the Pooh" (children's story) - Abe runs over an Eeyore-type costumed character
Walt Disney World (theme park) - located in Orlando, where Abe probably "picked up" Eeyore
"Miami Vice" (TV series) - music and shots of Miami Beach when Abe goes on the prowl similar to this show's opening credits
"The Wizard of Oz" (movie) - Abe can curl up his feet like the recently-deceased Wicked Witch of the East
"Do the Conga" (song) [title inexact] - Homer makes up lyrics for this Miami Sound Machine hit
Visa (credit-card issuer) - Flanders has an account with the Viza company
Trump Taj Mahal (hotel-casino) - joined on the Boardwalk by the Trump Brothel
[Previous Episode References]
[4F24] Some of Homer's relatives seen here [4F20] Grampa plaintively asks, "Why can't I just die," as Tyrone does [2F08] Overbooking leads to first-class upgrade [1F13] Homer's space trip mentioned [7F20], [8F10] Bart's unplanned conception and birth [9F08] Lisa's unplanned birth [2F10] Marge doesn't explicitly mention it, but Maggie's a surprise package, as well
[FFF]
Lisa's book:
HOW TO
TALK TO
A DRUNK
FATHERMarge's tour guide:
DAYTON
TWO EXITS
OF FUN!Video store sign:
LACKLUSTER
VIDEO IF IT DOESN'T
STAR
SANDRA BULLOCK,
YOUR RENTAL
IS FREE!Some of the movies on the shelves:
PRESIDENT TV SHOW JERK-
BLACK THE CULES
GUY MOVIE"Adult" movies:
MERCHANT-IVORY UNFUNNY BERGMAN
WOODY ALLENTRUFFAUT HENRY JAGLOM SPIKE & ANG LEE
Airport sign:
SPRINGFIELD
INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT
NOW AIR MARSHALL-FREE!Gate signs:
FLIGHT 147 FLIGHT 182
NOME MIAMI
DAYTONMuffler billboard:
PARADISE MUFFLERS
SAY "ALOHA" TO VALUE!Miami Beach signs:
EARLY BIRD LARGE-PRINT BINGO SHOES RE-VELCROED
$2.99Hemorrhoid pillow:
E M
H O R D
IAttention, identity thieves:
+------------------------------+
|[Bank of Springfield logo] |
|------------------------------|
| N E D F L A N D E R S |
| 8525 4941 2525 4158 |
| |
|VALID GOOD [Viza]|
|FROM 1/1 THRU 12/31 [logo]|
+------------------------------+[Rod's card is identical, except for having his name]
Atlantic City sign:
WELCOME TO
ATLANTIC CITY WHERE NEW YORK
COMES TO SMOKEBrothel sign:
TRUMP
BROTHELNiagara airport sign:
NIAGARA FALLS AIRPORT
WELCOME TO NIAGARA FALLS
WEDDINGS, HONEYMOONS, SUICIDESAmusement park sign:
RICKETY BROTHERS
AMUSEMENT PARK
NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK[Oops!]
Traditionally, Lisa's room is the one next to Marge and Homer's.
[Personal Comments & Observations]
The two old guys on the beach listen to "The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy from Company B."
Sandra Bullock -- After her spunky star turn in "Speed," most critics had her pegged as the Next Big Thing. Well, she's had a steady career, but mainly by starring in a middling series of films, like "28 Days," and "Miss Congeniality," that made a quick trip to video.
The "adult" movie section at Lackluster features the works of several "serious" art-film directors. (In other words, the boring meaning of "adult.") As a mainstream type, I know most of these only by reputation. Francois Truffaut is part of the French "New Wave" school of filmmaking. Or so I hear, because every time a critic brings him up, he mentions Truffaut's connection to New Wave, whatever that is. Ingmar Bergman is practically synonymous with "art film," since he directed Swedish classics like "Through a Glass Darkly," and "The Seventh Seal." Woody Allen's work is often split into funny and serious (or unfunny) camps, with films such as "Interiors" falling into the latter group. Despite their being grouped together, Spike and Ang Lee are not related. Spike did "Clockers" and the provocative "Do the Right Thing," while Ang directed "The Ice Storm," and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." I don't know Merchant-Ivory's first name; the surname is associated with a lot of late Victorian period pieces.
Someone else will have to tell us who Henry Jaglom is, as I've never heard of him.
Princesses Grace and Di -- Marge mashed them together, so I'll follow suit. Both were young and glamorous, and popular during their reigns. Grace was Princess of Monaco, while Di of course was part of England's royal family. Ominously, both died in automobile accidents. Let's hope Marge doesn't share that fate.
As Lisa mentions, the study of Kabbalah has become a fad for trendy Hollywood Gentiles, with Madonna the chief proponent. But what is Kabbalah? Here's an answer from an old copy of the soc.culture.jewish FAQ that I have:
"It's important to differentiate between the popular notion of Kabbalah and the concept within traditional Judaism. In the popular culture, Kabbalah is perceived as a form of magic or the occult, studied for selfish personal gain. This misinformed idea resulted from those who adapted Jewish ideas out of the context of Jewish belief and practice, warping it away from its foundations to their own purposes. These include medieval Christian mystics, neo-pagan groups, and contemporary 'new age' movements.
Within Judaism, though, Kabbalah is the part of Torah that addresses the process of creation ('Ma'aseh B'raisheet') and the relationship that G-d maintains with creation ('Ma'aseh Merkavah'). As such it is the Torah's inner aspect. Some traditions say that some of the key texts go as far back as the Patriarch Abraham."
Care to guess which definition is more relevant for Madonna?
Shortly after the September 11 attacks, it was proposed that all flights would carry air marshals, undercover and secretly-armed agents who could stop terrorists from hijacking airliners. The proposal was quickly adapted, but as the post-attack hysteria died down, enthusiasm for the plan waned. Not only were there not enough qualified people, but there wasn't enough money available to train them and put them on flights. I think the plan now is to assign people from the marshal pool randomly to various flights. Terrorists will have to take their chances that the marshals skipped the plane they intend to hijack, I suppose. Incidentally, this isn't an airport-level decision, despite what the folks in Springfield seem to think.
In the commercials, when the room-service waiter uncovers Bart and Lisa, they have different dialogue, shouting, "Busted! We ate the food, your vacation's ruined, and Grampa's with a gay guy in Miami." Just as well that they changed it, as it would have been a goof otherwise: Abe didn't meet Raphael until after the kids left for Atlantic City, so they had no way of knowing the two hooked up.