I have to confess that I find the first 5 episodes of Season 4 a bit too unfocused, or should I say a bit too focused on some supporting characters that are best taken in small doses (Krusty the Clown being #1 on that list). "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie" brings the focus back on the Simpsons family, where it belongs. The story is very simple: Bart's continuous pranks and failures at school push his parents to the limit, and Homer decides to punish him by not allowing him to watch the newly released in the theaters Itchy & Scratchy Movie. The title of this episode is somewhat misleading: the I&SM is more of a plot device rather than the centerpiece, although there is a great parody of the classic "Steamboat Willie" cartoon and other funny & violent Itchy & Scratchy moments sprinkled throughout. The flash-forward finish is unusual and intriguing, because it seems to present not a possible but a definite future for Homer and Bart. *** out of 4.
9 Reviews
Another Great Episode!
g-bodyl3 January 2015
This is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the Simpsons and once again, we have gotten ourselves another fine episode. I liked the simplicity of the plot and I also loved the jokes of the film. My favorite joke is still relevant today and that is the cost of going to the movie theater and buying all of our snacks for a million bucks. I also liked the historical jokes, especially the one involving "Steamboat Willie."
In this episode, "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie," as usual, Bart is up to no good as he pulls prank after prank. During a parent-teacher conference, Marge is notified of Bart's poor behavior. As punishment, Bart is banned from seeing the new movie based on his favorite cartoon despite everyone in Springfield seeing it numerous times.
Overall, this is an excellent episode that has such a simple story and moral themes. Remember if you don't watch the violent Itchy and Scratchy, you will most likely become a Supreme Court justice. A very solid, funny episode. I rate this episode 9/10.
In this episode, "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie," as usual, Bart is up to no good as he pulls prank after prank. During a parent-teacher conference, Marge is notified of Bart's poor behavior. As punishment, Bart is banned from seeing the new movie based on his favorite cartoon despite everyone in Springfield seeing it numerous times.
Overall, this is an excellent episode that has such a simple story and moral themes. Remember if you don't watch the violent Itchy and Scratchy, you will most likely become a Supreme Court justice. A very solid, funny episode. I rate this episode 9/10.
Suckers
snoozejonc10 August 2022
Miss Krabapple advises Marge and Homer to punish part for bad behaviour.
This is a solid episode with plenty of funny moments.
The best bits for me are during the school parents evening and the contrasting experiences with Krabapple and Miss Hoover.
Homer's parenting skills power a lot of the story and humour from then on and there are some good moments. I love the final glimpse in to the future at the end.
For me it's a 7.5/10 but I round upwards.
This is a solid episode with plenty of funny moments.
The best bits for me are during the school parents evening and the contrasting experiences with Krabapple and Miss Hoover.
Homer's parenting skills power a lot of the story and humour from then on and there are some good moments. I love the final glimpse in to the future at the end.
For me it's a 7.5/10 but I round upwards.
Major Flaw
Foxbarking23 May 2023
I love this episode, but it contains one major flaw that actually destroys the entire premise.
Bart, a 10 year old boy, is put in charge of watching his infant sister Maggie when his mother Marge is out of the house. Bart neglects his duty and Maggie steals a car and crashes it. Bart is then punished by Homer with never allowing him to watch the Itchie and Scratchie movie.
This is nonsensical. Marge was out of the house. Homer was in the house. Homer was an adult and therefore responsible for Maggie. However, due to his laziness, he put his ten year old son in charge of an infant.
In reality, Homer was the on at fault. In fact, he should have faced criminal charges for his neglect. But all of the blame was put on Bart, which was total nonsense.
They should have picked a different offense for Bart to be punished for because this wasn't his fault. It was Homer's.
Bart, a 10 year old boy, is put in charge of watching his infant sister Maggie when his mother Marge is out of the house. Bart neglects his duty and Maggie steals a car and crashes it. Bart is then punished by Homer with never allowing him to watch the Itchie and Scratchie movie.
This is nonsensical. Marge was out of the house. Homer was in the house. Homer was an adult and therefore responsible for Maggie. However, due to his laziness, he put his ten year old son in charge of an infant.
In reality, Homer was the on at fault. In fact, he should have faced criminal charges for his neglect. But all of the blame was put on Bart, which was total nonsense.
They should have picked a different offense for Bart to be punished for because this wasn't his fault. It was Homer's.
Itchy & Scratchy & Homer
safenoe10 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
It's hard to believe I saw this episode 30 years ago, yes 30 years ago. But this episode, along with many from the first 10 seasons, are ones I can watch over and over again, for I think the first 10 seasons is really the golden era of The Simpsons.
Here Itchy & Scratchy becomes a movie (and in fact 15 years later The Simpsons became a movie so kind of prescient I guess) and Homer takes his parental responsibilities seriously for once by standing firmly by his ban on Bart seeing the movie. In those days the movies were in the cinema, so not bootlegging on social media.
Definitely an episode worth watching.
Here Itchy & Scratchy becomes a movie (and in fact 15 years later The Simpsons became a movie so kind of prescient I guess) and Homer takes his parental responsibilities seriously for once by standing firmly by his ban on Bart seeing the movie. In those days the movies were in the cinema, so not bootlegging on social media.
Definitely an episode worth watching.
Just Not That Funny
Hitchcoc25 April 2022
I did like the banner at the conferences: "Come and share the blame." Bart, of course, is totally out of control and the teachers are right. He has no discipline in his life. Homer is a thoughtless marshmallow. It was interesting to see the evolution of "Itchy and Scratchy."
Homer was unfair here to Bart.
opalpika132827 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The thing with this episode was Bart was being bad so many times, but when he failed to watch Maggie, Homer bans him from ever seeing The Itchy and Scratchy Movie. Why would they let a young kid like Bart babysit anyways? Well in "My Sister, My Sitter", they had Lisa do just that as well. This episode also shown how much the family has favoritism for Lisa, with her being good and Bart being bad. Many episodes like "Barthood" shown this as well, but it was more well done on "Barthood" than it was here. Homer was stupid to sneak dinner up to Bart from breaking his grandfather's teeth, but even not letting Bart have dinner was harsh. Homer definitely made sure Bart couldn't see the movie after what happened with Maggie (again, who lets a young kid babysit?), but what if he ended up stealing it if it came on video if he was denied to buy it? (Note: he did attempt to steal the videogame Bonestorm on "Marge Be Not Proud", and that probably would make things even worse, but I think Homer would've been blamed more if this happened here) It was bad seeing Bart depressed over not seeing a movie he was looking forward to. I don't think Homer should've lifted the ban 40 years later, it should have been lifted after Marge and Lisa begged Homer to let him see it. So yeah, it wasn't a very good episode. This episode and "Boys of Bummer" are some of the worst Simpsons episodes in my opinion.
*sigh*
3HK28 December 2021
I honestly feel as though if people are going to be condemning the Regular Show episode The Best Burger in the World, they should be condemning this episode of The Simpsons as well. This episode had, essentially and fundamentally, the same issues that episode of Regular Show did, and unsurprisingly I honestly REALLY hate Homer for what he does here. I personally also don't really think the ending of this episode is much a redemption for the punishment, who honestly would care about watching something from 40 years in the past for the first time (that was extremely popular at the time)?
The bit I don't get is that what's the point of making someone miss out on such a wonderful experience? That I'll never get... and it is definitely something I would absolutely never wish on my worst enemy.
The bit I don't get is that what's the point of making someone miss out on such a wonderful experience? That I'll never get... and it is definitely something I would absolutely never wish on my worst enemy.
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