HOMER becomes a monumental loser. Marge offers odd advice. Bart gets drunk. Lisa falls for a fellow nerd. And Maggie ... well, she's quiet, as usual. It's still "The Simpsons" the way you remember them, but they get a bigger sandbox.

Their long-running animated series finally gets the big screen treatment in "The Simpsons Movie," which means the beloved extra-dysfunctional family gets in bigger trouble and funnier hi-jinks that can't be contained in the weekly episodes. Like the successful crossovers of other irreverent TV cartoons like "Beavis and Butthead" and "South Park," the transition is smooth.

Unending idiocies
"The Simpsons Movie" will thrill devout or casual viewers as they'll be treated to more than the regular dose of Homer's unending idiocies, Lisa's world-saving crusades, Bart's misadventures, and so on. Even the furious Springfield residents going after them are now legion.

Pointed jabs
The film keeps the Matt Groening-created characters' traits intact, and utilizes the same voice talents (Dan Castellaneta, Yeardley Smith, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Hank Azaria, and Harry Shearer). The look, sound and storytelling structures are mostly unchanged; it actually feels like an expanded version of one of the better episodes.

But the laughs are more consistent and cleverly paced. And there are pointed jabs at pop culture, politics and religion.

It's still about the husband-wife, parent-child and brother-sister bonds and conflicts. It's not the first time that Homer neglects his children because he's a dimwit and too self-absorbed. Also, Marge's sobering words repeatedly inspire her hubby and the kids.

We've seen Lisa find kinship with like-minded eggheads before, and Bart has rebelled and experienced humiliation. But this time, all these occur in a larger setting.

Disaster
When Homer recklessly causes a major environmental disaster, Springfield is quarantined, causing his family's neighbors and friends to turn into a torch-carrying mob. The Simpsons do their best to escape, and their fragile relationships with each other are tested for the nth time.

Fans will appreciate the brief appearances of quirky characters from the series, as well as the opportunity to see them together in some of the big scenes.

Chaotic
The assortment of wild, boisterous denizens colors the Simpsons' world with absurd imagination. It just wouldn't be the same without these minor but crucial supporting players.

The quintessential chaotic family almost always have a hand in events that affect everyone in their small hub, and you can't help but get involved and anticipate the wacky repercussions. But over the years, despite their clashing personalities and dispositions, the members of the Simpsons clan have learned to appreciate their coexistence. "The Simpsons Movie" recaptures those valuable truths as well, in a very entertaining manner.