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The Simpsons
S2.E18
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IMDbPro

Brush with Greatness

  • Episode aired Apr 11, 1991
  • TV-14TV-14
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
3.3K
YOUR RATING
Julie Kavner in The Simpsons (1989)
AnimationComedy
After rekindling her artistic talents, Marge is commissioned to paint a portrait of Mr. Burns; Homer vows to lose weight after getting trapped in a water slide.After rekindling her artistic talents, Marge is commissioned to paint a portrait of Mr. Burns; Homer vows to lose weight after getting trapped in a water slide.After rekindling her artistic talents, Marge is commissioned to paint a portrait of Mr. Burns; Homer vows to lose weight after getting trapped in a water slide.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
3.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • David Silverman(supervising director)
    • Jim Reardon
  • Writers
    • Matt Groening
    • James L. Brooks
    • Sam Simon
  • Stars
    • Dan Castellaneta(voice)
    • Julie Kavner(voice)
    • Nancy Cartwright(voice)
  • Directors
    • David Silverman(supervising director)
    • Jim Reardon
  • Writers
    • Matt Groening
    • James L. Brooks
    • Sam Simon
  • Stars
    • Dan Castellaneta(voice)
    • Julie Kavner(voice)
    • Nancy Cartwright(voice)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 8User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    The Simpsons (1989)
    Dan Castellaneta in The Simpsons (1989)
    Julie Kavner in The Simpsons (1989)
    The Simpsons (1989)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dan Castellaneta
    Dan Castellaneta
    • Homer Simpson
    • (voice)
    • …
    Julie Kavner
    Julie Kavner
    • Marge Simpson
    • (voice)
    Nancy Cartwright
    Nancy Cartwright
    • Bart Simpson
    • (voice)
    Yeardley Smith
    Yeardley Smith
    • Lisa Simpson
    • (voice)
    • …
    Harry Shearer
    Harry Shearer
    • Krusty Show Announcer
    • (voice)
    • …
    Hank Azaria
    Hank Azaria
    • Technician #1
    • (voice)
    • …
    Maggie Roswell
    Maggie Roswell
    • Newsreader
    • (voice)
    • …
    Jon Lovitz
    Jon Lovitz
    • Professor Lombardo
    • (voice)
    • …
    Ringo Starr
    Ringo Starr
    • Ringo Starr
    • (voice)
    • Directors
      • David Silverman(supervising director)
      • Jim Reardon
    • Writers
      • Matt Groening
      • James L. Brooks
      • Sam Simon
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Ringo Starr was the first of The Beatles to appear in the series. George Harrison would appear in Homer's Barbershop Quartet (1993) and Paul McCartney would appear in Lisa the Vegetarian (1995).
    • Goofs
      Marge sent Ringo Starr the painting of him long before she started living with Homer. If this is the case, how did Ringo know where to send his reply?
    • Quotes

      Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson: Will you take us to Mount Splashmore?

      Homer Simpson: No.

      Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson: Will you take us to Mount Splashmore?

      Homer Simpson: No.

      Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson: Will you take us to Mount Splashmore?

      Homer Simpson: No!

      [series of dissolves, showing this continuing, ad infinitum, until Homer and Marge are in bed]

      Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson: Will you take us to Mount Splashmore?

      Homer Simpson: NO! NO! NO!

      Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson: Will you take us-?

      Homer Simpson: IF I TAKE YOU, WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP AND QUIT BUGGING ME?

      Bart Simpson: Yeah!

      Lisa Simpson: Of course!

      Bart Simpson: Well?

      Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson: Will you take us to Mount Splashmore?

      Homer Simpson: Yes!

      Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson: Thanks, Dad!

    • Connections
      Featured in Springfield's Most Wanted (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      It Don't Come Easy
      (uncredited)

      Written by Ringo Starr and George Harrison

      Performed by Ringo Starr

    User reviews8

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Very good funny episode, right around the time the glory days of the Simpsons started really kickin in
    Seasons 2 - 8 were when The Simpsons were on their long role. After the sorta crudely sketched, not quite set up and established first season and before their permanent nose dive around Season 9 and the awful "Principal and the pauper", the show had 7 fabulous years.

    "Brush with Greatness", where do I start with why it was great? The great and funny parts that made me laugh were:

    The Krusty the klown show advertising Mount Splashmore and the song with Krusty singing in a yelling voice, "I wanna go to Mount Splashmore, take me take me take me now!, Now! Now! Now! Now! Now!, Mt Splashmore take me there right now".

    Bart and Lisa asking Homer repeatedly "can we go to Mt Splashmore?can we go to Mt Splashmore? can we go to Mt Splashmore?" with Homer saying "no" after each time asked with the tone of his "nos" getting angrier each time until he's yelling "NO!!!", "NOOO!!!", "NOO!!!", NOOOO!!!!".

    Homer looking fatter than usually and him not quite fitting in the car while still having the seat pushed all the way back scrunching Lisa.

    Homer getting stuck in the waterslide pipe, along with people booing and Kent Brockman's news report on it.

    Fat Homer watching the commercial for the "goodmorning burger" topped with a fried egg, rich creamery butter, and Lisa then expressing her concern for him and him responding "oh Lisa, thats a load of rich, creamery butter".

    Homer ordering the "subliminally slim" cassette tape, them being out, and the people at the company, one guy saying "eh, just sendem a vocabulary builder", then saying to the vocab tape and box its in hes about to send to Homer "here ya go fatso".

    Every time Homer talks after getting the vocabulary builder tape, one example is "my triumpherate of twinkies overwhelms my resolve".

    The Sinclare character of the painting art teacher and critic that Marge sees when she starts painting a lot. Sinclare is played by Jon Lovitz (who also played the theater director in "a streetcare named Marge". I liked how Sinclare is wowed by everything saying "marvelous!" or "splendid!" to Marge's paintings, and even to a janitor scrubbing the floor. He praises everyone and everything, but then as soon as Marge even starts to thank Sinclare for his helping her, he suddenly angrily says "please Marge, I don't TAKE PRAISE VERY WELL!!!!" Hilarious!!

    The entire section of Mr. Burns at the Simpson house with Marge painting him. Those scenes had some very funny lines and very funny jokes. I won't reveal any more. There ARE a good number of other funny things in this episode that I have still not written in my review here. I have written enough of them and feel it would be a mistake to name them all here, in case someone reading this hasn't seen the episode or hasn't seen it in a long time.
    helpful•4
    2
    • richspenc
    • Jun 9, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 11, 1991 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • FOX
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • USA
    • Production companies
      • Gracie Films
      • 20th Century Fox Television
      • 20th Century Fox Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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