"Let's see.Social Security Number. Naught-naught-naught, naught-naught, naught-naught-naught-two. Damn Roosevelt! Cause of Parents' Death. Got in my way." - Mr. Burns completing his patient information at the Mayo Clinic in "The Mansion Family"
The Simpsons: Simpsons Gone Wild DVD Review
By A.J. Carson
Is the bad behavior in Guys Gone Wild too tame for you? Is Cops: Bad Girls not adventurous enough to fill your need for thrills? America's favorite animated family can help with the release of The Simpsons Gone Wild, a collection of four episodes showcasing some of their worst behavior.
In "Homer's Night Out" (original air date 3/25/90), Bart uses his new spy camera to snap an incriminating photograph of Homer cavorting with an exotic dancer. After the photo is plastered all over town, an embarrassed Marge kicks Homer out of the house. She agrees to let Homer back only if he introduces Bart to the dancer in an effort to show that women are human beings and not sexual objects.
Fred Willard (Best in Show) guests in "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" (1/31/99) as a travel agent who inadvertently sells Homer and his pals counterfeit Super Bowl tickets. The irate gang decides to sneak into the game. In the process, they meet Troy Aikman, Rosie Grier, John Madden, Dan Marino, Pat Summerall, Rupert Murdoch, and Dolly Parton.
When guest star Britney Spears gives Mr. Burns a Springfield Pride Award for being the town's oldest resident, the crusty nuclear power plant owner decides to check himself into the Mayo Clinic for a full overhaul. The Simpsons become "The Mansion Family" (1/23/00) when they are chosen to housesit during Mr. Burns' absence. Homer becomes so accustomed to the life of privilege that he decides commandeer Burns' yacht so that he can throw "the wildest box social the high seas have ever seen." The party is a hit.until the yacht is raided by pirates.
Seeking to recapture his enthusiasm for bartending, grouchy barkeep Moe decides to head back to his alma mater for inspiration, leaving Homer to run his bar in "Homer the Moe" (11/18/01). Upon returning, Moe alienates his regulars by completely remaking the bar into a trendy, postmodern place. Homer opens his own bar in the family garage (recruiting guests R.E.M. to play a faux benefit concert) before Moe realizes the error of his ways.
The episodes included here are a mixed bag. "Homer's Night Out" is mostly interesting as an artifact of ancient Simpsons history. The episode dates back to the series' rough first season, before the look and tone of the show was fully developed. "Night"'s animation looks primitive and crude when compared to the later episodes. Even the characters' voices are not quite those we've come to know and love. "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" feels like nothing more than the post-Super Bowl stunt that it is. Admittedly, it does have some funny moments, but it lacks overall cohesion. "Homer the Moe" is entertaining but barely fits the "gone wild" formula. The best episode is "The Mansion Family," a hysterical, surreal gem.
Earlier Simpsons compilations focused on Christmas and Halloween episodes. Since the first full-length episode of The Simpsons was a Christmas special and the annual "Treehouse of Terror" Halloween editions are fan favorites, these episodes seem like a natural choice for stand alone, single disc collections. The Simpsons Gone Wild, however, lacks the focus of the holiday shows compilations. Its theme is too vague, and even though mediocre Simpsons episodes are funnier than even the best episodes of most sitcoms, the episodes included here are far from must-have.
Most fans will probably want to wait to get these episodes when they are included in full season sets. This release is best left to consumers who only want a taste of The Simpsons (no matter how uneven a taste it may be), and to impatient diehards. After all, with the protracted release schedule of season sets (owing to the creative team of The Simpsons lavishing so much attention on each season's extra features), several of the seasons represented here might not hit store shelves until somewhere around 2025.
The four episodes are included on a single disc. The disc is housed in a Simpsons-yellow keepcase featuring a tableau of characters surrounding a bra-and-lampshade-wearing Homer dancing on a table. Homer also appears on the face of the disc.
The menus are extremely simple. The main menu lists the episode titles next to a static picture of Bart snapping a photo of his bare bottom. Viewers can play all episodes, or choose an individual one. Scene selection menus allow viewers to choose between each of the episodes' six chapters.
