[6.7/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] I don’t know how to feel about the childhood self-image and mother-daughter relationship material here, so let’s start with the easy stuff.
The opening shtick at the water park is pretty abysmal. Homer is a jerk to the rest of his family and puts his kids at risk by taking them on a dangerous, derelict waterslide that eventually gets them sick (although thankfully not injured). Having recently watched Defunctland, I can appreciate the reference to Action Park, but there were no good jokes here (spare me Milhouse’s swim diaper interlude), and it featured my least favorite version of Homer.
Likewise, the B-story about Bart lifting weights with the bullies was dead on arrival. It seemed like complete filler. If you squint, you can see the faint outline of an idea about Bart trying to be a big kid only to find that he’s not ready for the reality of it. But all we get is a heap of tepid gags about kids getting “swole” and the bullies getting girlfriends. Feh.
With that underbrush cleared out, I’m far less sure how to rate the story of Marge calling Lisa “chunky”, thereby destabilizing her daughter’s sense of self-worth and causing a rift between them. For starters, the comment is especially jarring for longtime Simpsons fans, considering the show already did an episode where Lisa develops an eating disorder where Marge was desperate to get her daughter to eat something. But the show’s long had a “Each episode begins the Simpsons universe anew; continuity be damned” attitude, so I’m hesitant to slate the show too much for that.
It does, however, feel shockingly insensitive from Marge. But I’m also hesitant to slate the show too much for that because Homer, Patti, and Selma all acknowledge it as insensitive, and Marge’s arc is to learn how her words were hurtful. It feels out of character, but also real in its parental oblivious, so I’m conflicted.
That extends to my feelings on the entire storyline. It touches on something real, even a little uncomfortable, about growing up and family relationships, which harkens back to the earliest days of The Simpsons. It humanizes both Lisa in her insecurities and resentments, and Marge in her desire to repair her relationship with her daughter despite not understanding the hurt she caused. The ultimate message -- about how we’ve all internalized some unwittingly harmful words from the people who’ve raised us, and mutual understanding of our shared humanity and flaws is the only way to “shrink them”, even if we can’t make them go away -- is a good one. It’s clear that, despite an unfortunate title, “Lisa’s Belly” has its heart in the right place.
But it’s also painfully unfunny most of the time, and clumsy in its exploration of these issues. It’s nice to have Homer realizing how serious Lisa’s issues are, and even enlisting his hated sisters-in-law to help. But the “Age of Not Give a Crap” song is the pits and undermines a lot of the self-acceptance points it tries to make with how it treats Marge’s sisters. The magical hypnotherapist journey into Marge and Lisa’s subconsciousness feels like a cheat. And Marge and Lisa’s antagonism goes too far in places.
I just don’t know what to do with this one. The intentions are good, but I’d still hesitate to show this to anyone wrestling with the kind of problems Lisa and Marge are. The treatment of them isn’t as sensitive or raw as the material deserves, and the laughs aren’t good enough to take the sting out. I admire The Simpsons for trying to tell this sort of story, but I wish they’d told it better.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-10-25T17:36:18Z
[6.7/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] I don’t know how to feel about the childhood self-image and mother-daughter relationship material here, so let’s start with the easy stuff.
The opening shtick at the water park is pretty abysmal. Homer is a jerk to the rest of his family and puts his kids at risk by taking them on a dangerous, derelict waterslide that eventually gets them sick (although thankfully not injured). Having recently watched Defunctland, I can appreciate the reference to Action Park, but there were no good jokes here (spare me Milhouse’s swim diaper interlude), and it featured my least favorite version of Homer.
Likewise, the B-story about Bart lifting weights with the bullies was dead on arrival. It seemed like complete filler. If you squint, you can see the faint outline of an idea about Bart trying to be a big kid only to find that he’s not ready for the reality of it. But all we get is a heap of tepid gags about kids getting “swole” and the bullies getting girlfriends. Feh.
With that underbrush cleared out, I’m far less sure how to rate the story of Marge calling Lisa “chunky”, thereby destabilizing her daughter’s sense of self-worth and causing a rift between them. For starters, the comment is especially jarring for longtime Simpsons fans, considering the show already did an episode where Lisa develops an eating disorder where Marge was desperate to get her daughter to eat something. But the show’s long had a “Each episode begins the Simpsons universe anew; continuity be damned” attitude, so I’m hesitant to slate the show too much for that.
It does, however, feel shockingly insensitive from Marge. But I’m also hesitant to slate the show too much for that because Homer, Patti, and Selma all acknowledge it as insensitive, and Marge’s arc is to learn how her words were hurtful. It feels out of character, but also real in its parental oblivious, so I’m conflicted.
That extends to my feelings on the entire storyline. It touches on something real, even a little uncomfortable, about growing up and family relationships, which harkens back to the earliest days of The Simpsons. It humanizes both Lisa in her insecurities and resentments, and Marge in her desire to repair her relationship with her daughter despite not understanding the hurt she caused. The ultimate message -- about how we’ve all internalized some unwittingly harmful words from the people who’ve raised us, and mutual understanding of our shared humanity and flaws is the only way to “shrink them”, even if we can’t make them go away -- is a good one. It’s clear that, despite an unfortunate title, “Lisa’s Belly” has its heart in the right place.
But it’s also painfully unfunny most of the time, and clumsy in its exploration of these issues. It’s nice to have Homer realizing how serious Lisa’s issues are, and even enlisting his hated sisters-in-law to help. But the “Age of Not Give a Crap” song is the pits and undermines a lot of the self-acceptance points it tries to make with how it treats Marge’s sisters. The magical hypnotherapist journey into Marge and Lisa’s subconsciousness feels like a cheat. And Marge and Lisa’s antagonism goes too far in places.
I just don’t know what to do with this one. The intentions are good, but I’d still hesitate to show this to anyone wrestling with the kind of problems Lisa and Marge are. The treatment of them isn’t as sensitive or raw as the material deserves, and the laughs aren’t good enough to take the sting out. I admire The Simpsons for trying to tell this sort of story, but I wish they’d told it better.