REEL CRITICS:Doh!nt miss a big-screen, cutting-edge satire on pop culture

With 400 episodes over 18 years, “The Simpsons” is the longest-running sitcom in American television history. The cartoon characters became unlikely cultural icons as their show won more than 20 Emmy Awards. But the real reason for the success of the franchise is the high-quality work of Matt Groening and his fellow screenwriters.

They do not disappoint us in their first big-screen adventure. The film opens with non-stop laughs that continue through dozens of rapid-fire scenes that skewer every aspect of pop culture.

Homer’s thoughtless actions create a major crisis with worldwide implications. Radical political action comes into play as President Schwarzenegger delegates responsibility for the crisis to his underlings.

In the resulting madness, global corporations, police tactics and church services are all targeted for ridicule. Tom Hanks gets a cameo role. Animals get strange. Bart skateboards naked on a dare. Marge questions her entire life with Homer as they escape to Alaska.

Everything is fair game for cutting-edge satire but always includes a soft edge of family values. “The Simpsons Movie” has many absurd moments. But it’s highly entertaining and amplifies everything that made the TV show a runaway hit.

In “Talk to Me,” irreverent ex-con Petey Greene (Don Cheadle) fast-talks his way into becoming an iconic radio DJ during the troubled 1960s in Washington, D.C.

This true-life story could easily have turned into an extended sitcom with attitude and flashy costumes, but it’s played for more than just laughs. It’s a look into a little piece of history not unlike today. And it’s about the connection forged between Greene and the station’s buttoned-down program director, Dewey Hughes (Chwetel Ejiofor).

At first glance, Petey is just a brash motor-mouth, but there’s a refreshing honesty about him that immediately connects with his listeners. He believed in “keeping it real” and Dewey told him he had a gift “for saying the things [Dewey] was afraid to say.” Dewey, working within the system, pushed for the things that Petey was afraid to do, but with mixed results.

The movie is full of rich dialogue and dramatic turns that are insightful and heartfelt, not the least of which is the performance by Taraji P. Henson as Petey’s foxy girlfriend Vernell.

Cheadle and Ejiofor both deserve Oscar nominations for this movie, their best work to date. Also noteworthy is the soundtrack, a juicy mix of funk and R&B; that will make you want to break out your polyester paisley and groove real smooth.