The 10 best movie references in the history of ‘The Simpsons’
The best parodies are the ones that come from nowhere other than a place of love, something The Simpsons turned into an art form when the animated juggernaut was comfortably nestled among the greatest shows on television.
It’s been a long time since Springfield’s first family has held such a lofty status, though, which means it’s probably not a coincidence that all of the show’s most memorable parodies came during those early years and long before The Simpsons devolved into a pale shadow of its former self.
One of the biggest problems with the series – which was alluded to by the creators – is that the writing staff has changed from an eclectic mix of minds who grew up on classic movies to a room full of folks who grew up watching The Simpsons, which led to the gradual decline in overall quality.
Still, a Simpsons parody is a badge of honour that countless films have worn, even if some were vastly superior to others. In the interest of fairness, the following ten is limited to one filmmaker apiece. Otherwise, it could reasonably – and entirely fairly – be nothing but ten Stanley Kubrick tributes.
The 10 best movie parodies in The Simpsons:
10. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992)
The Treehouse of Horror specials have given The Simpsons plenty of leeway to ape classic horror, but none of them were as consistently inspired as the fifth season’s loving ode to Francis Ford Coppola.
Casting Mr Burns as Dracula was an easy gag, but still a wonderfully effective one, with Homer’s ominous intonations of the reclusive figure’s remote castle being hidden away in Pennsylvania an obvious-yet-genius riff on the vampire’s signature Transylvanian lair.
Packed full of classic one-liners and delightful sight gags, the fact Treehouse of Horror has been running for decades without bettering its takedown of Coppola’s adaptation of a classic story speaks volumes to its longevity.
9. The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)
It would be rude for the series not to reference The Graduate when Dustin Hoffman was on guest star duties, but that doesn’t make the nod towards the Oscar-winning favourite any less gratuitous.
The gag could have been shoehorned in at any point, and using Mrs Krabappel as the Mrs Robinson surrogate isn’t going to win any points for ingenuity, but that doesn’t make ‘Lisa’s Substitute’ any less inspired for deploying it at the perfect moment.
Hoffman might have been credited under the pseudonym Sam Etic, but it would have been a wasted opportunity to hire him at the peak of The Simpsons‘ popularity if the showrunners weren’t going to make a reference to the most famous role of his career.
8. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
The unforgettable opening to Raiders of the Lost Ark has been parodied a thousand times over, but by transplanting the action to the titular family’s abode, The Simpsons did Steven Spielberg better than most.
The sign of a truly great comedic beat based on existing work is when it manages to exist on its own, regardless of how many viewers recognise the iconography. There aren’t many people who haven’t seen Indiana Jones’ first adventure, but Bart’s escape works just as well for those who haven’t.
In a self-contained scene that turns Homer into the rampaging boulder and the furious native tribesmen, Bart’s quest to obtain his old man’s change jar even did Indy better than Crystal Skull or Dial of Destiny.
7. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Milos Forman, 1975)
‘Stark Raving Dad’ is one of the most famous episodes of The Simpsons ever produced, for the sole reason it’s the one featuring Michael Jackson on guest star duties.
Even though it’s quite clearly the ‘King of Pop’ and nobody bought the nonexistent John Jay Smith as the voice of Leon Kompowsky for second, contractual reasons prevented Jackson or the creative team from acknowledging his involvement for years.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest might be an obvious touchstone given the subject matter of the episode, but nodding towards one of the greatest movies ever made in one of the greatest-ever episodes of The Simpsons is about as fitting as it gets.
6. An Officer and a Gentleman (Taylor Hackford, 1982)
Homer and Marge’s marriage has faced its fair share of ups and downs over the years, but what better way for The Simpsons to solidify their bond than with an ode to an Oscar-winning romantic drama?
Richard Gere and Debra Winger were no match for Springfield’s pre-eminent power couple, with Homer scooping Marge into his arms and sauntering through the power plant to the raucous cheers of his employees after expertly navigating yet another marital pitfall.
Has there ever been a more triumphant cry than, “Tell him I’m going to the back seat of my car with the woman I love, and I won’t be back for ten minutes” in Simpsons history? Maybe, but it didn’t come when parodying a movie.
5. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
It’s one of the most iconic films ever made with one of the most iconic endings in history, so it was inevitable that The Simpsons would get around to poking fun at Citizen Kane eventually.
Equally inevitable was Mr Burns replacing the title character, except this time he’s left lamenting Bobo, his beloved childhood bear. The opening of ‘Rosebud’ is almost shot-for-shot, albeit with a couple of signature sight gags thrown in.
It was Mr Burns at his most sympathetic, but The Simpsons still made a point of the ‘Nev-R-Break’ snowglobe failing to live up to its billing, never mind the ‘Free Kittens, Inquire Within’ sign taking pride of place on the electrified gates of his cavernous mansion.
4. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
Alfred Hitchcock has become a regular target of The Simpsons over the years, which is fair enough when he’s made so many classic movies featuring scenes, shots, and musical compositions that have stood the test of time.
Homer working in his garage may not have presented the obvious opportunity to pay tribute to Psycho, but those fertile imaginations in the writers’ room during the show’s ‘Golden Age’ tended not to miss a trick when the series was at its apex.
Another homage that went almost shot-for-shot, the most famous scene in Psycho even fed directly into the overarching message behind ‘Itchy & Scratchy & Marge’, with Maggie almost murdering her father, causing Marge to blame violent cartoons for Homer’s near-death experience.
3. Planet of the Apes (Franklin J Schaffner, 1968)
Less a parody of just Planet of the Apes but the entire world of musical theatre, firing shots at extravagant stage shows and sci-fi spectaculars peaked when The Simpsons unleashed ‘A Fish Called Selma’ on the world.
Troy McClure headlining Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off is complete and utter nonsense in microcosm, but it’s nothing but brilliance in execution. The lyrics, the panache, and the absurdity of it all are a thing of beauty, and it’s easily the finest musical parody the show has ever done.
It took on such a life of its own that fans have even demanded the fictional musical based on the movie based on a book become a real thing, and its lasting legacy has become so tied to Planet of the Apes that nobody even remembers the episode was about Selma finally finding love.
2. Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, 1964)
The Goldfinger parody may only factor into the episode for a short amount of time, but the entire Hank Scorpio adventure is held in such high esteem by Simpsons aficionados that the James Bond pastiche is widely celebrated as one of the all-time great episodes.
Recruited by the charismatic figurehead of the Globex Corporation, Homer becomes so enamoured with his idyllic new lifestyle and high-powered job that he doesn’t seem to notice the boss is actually a nefarious supervillain hellbent on world domination.
He even does Scorpio a solid by tackling ‘Mr Bont’ to the ground once he escapes from his laser-driven torture device, with the entirety of ‘You Only Move Twice’ peppered with countless jokes that are every bit as ludicrous in The Simpsons as they are in James Bond.
1. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
As mentioned previously, The Simpsons has never parodied a single filmmaker to the same extent as Stanley Kubrick, but that’s a different conversation for a different time.
Trying to settle on the best of the bunch is difficult when the show has spent more than 30 years recreating everything, including The Shining and Dr Strangelove, but Bart eagerly reaching for cupcakes on the shelf takes the biscuit for the way it subverts the controversy of A Clockwork Orange.
An exact recreation of a scene that would never make it past the people in charge of approving The Simpsons for air, the creative team simply sidesteps the salacious inspiration by mounting an exact replica of Kubrick’s cinematography and camerawork within the context of a hungry child reaching for some forbidden sweet treats.
