• Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop Rated MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
      What's on TV & StreamingTop Rated ShowsMost Popular ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
      What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb TVIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
      OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersGolden GlobesEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
      Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
      Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
    For Industry Professionals
      AllTitlesTV EpisodesCelebsCompaniesKeywords
    • Advanced Search
    Watchlist
    Sign In
    The Simpsons

    Mother Simpson

    • Episode aired Nov 19, 1995
    • TV-PGTV-PG
    • 30min
    IMDb RATING
    8.7/10
    2.4K
    YOUR RATING
    S7.E8
    • S7
    • E8
    All episodes
    All
    • Cast & crew
    • User reviews
    • Trivia
    • IMDbPro
    The Simpsons (1989)
    AnimationComedy

    After faking his own death, Homer is reunited with his mother, who harbors a deep secret.After faking his own death, Homer is reunited with his mother, who harbors a deep secret.After faking his own death, Homer is reunited with his mother, who harbors a deep secret.

    IMDb RATING
    8.7/10
    2.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • David Silverman
    • Writers
      • Matt Groening
      • James L. Brooks
      • Sam Simon
    • Stars
      • Dan Castellaneta(voice)
      • Julie Kavner(voice)
      • Nancy Cartwright(voice)
    Top credits
    • Director
      • David Silverman
    • Writers
      • Matt Groening
      • James L. Brooks
      • Sam Simon
    • Stars
      • Dan Castellaneta(voice)
      • Julie Kavner(voice)
      • Nancy Cartwright(voice)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 6User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos3

    The Simpsons (1989)
    The Simpsons (1989)
    Add image

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dan Castellaneta
    Dan Castellaneta
    • Homer Simpsonas Homer Simpson
    • (voice)
    • …
    Julie Kavner
    Julie Kavner
    • Marge Simpsonas Marge Simpson
    • (voice)
    • …
    Nancy Cartwright
    Nancy Cartwright
    • Bart Simpsonas Bart Simpson
    • (voice)
    Yeardley Smith
    Yeardley Smith
    • Lisa Simpsonas Lisa Simpson
    • (voice)
    Hank Azaria
    Hank Azaria
    • Carlas Carl
    • (voice)
    • …
    Harry Shearer
    Harry Shearer
    • Montgomery Burnsas Montgomery Burns
    • (voice)
    • …
    Glenn Close
    Glenn Close
    • Mona Simpsonas Mona Simpson
    • (voice)
    Harry Morgan
    Harry Morgan
    • Bill Gannonas Bill Gannon
    • (voice)
    Pamela Hayden
    Pamela Hayden
    • Protestoras Protestor
    • (voice)
    Maggie Roswell
    Maggie Roswell
    • Maude Flandersas Maude Flanders
    • (voice)
    • …
    • Director
      • David Silverman
    • Writers
      • Matt Groening
      • James L. Brooks
      • Sam Simon
    • All cast & crew
    See production, box office, & company info

    Storyline

    Edit
    To get out of cleaning a park as community service, Homer fakes his own death. When this results in the family's utilities being cut off, Marge puts pressure on him to reveal that he is alive. However, the spurious news of his "death" brings his long-lost mother - a hippie who is on the run from the law because of her activism against Mr. Burns - back to Springfield. —Anonymous
    reference to walt whitmanreference to ghoulsgermgermssaboteur34 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Genres
      • Animation
      • Comedy
    • Certificate
      • TV-PG
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Due to the emotional tone of the final scenes, the producers asked the network not to run commercials over the closing credits.
    • Goofs
      After 27 years on the lam, Mona Simpson would no longer have to evade law enforcement as the statute of limitations for her crimes would have passed long before.
    • Quotes

      [the FBI breaks in looking for Mother Simpson]

      Grampa: All right! I admit it! I'm the Lindbergh baby! Wah wah! Goo goo! I miss my fly-fly dada!

      Bill Gannon: Are you stalling for time, or are you just senile?

      Grampa: A little from column A, a little from column B.

    • Crazy credits
      During the closing credits, Homer is seen sitting on the car hood looking at the stars in the night sky.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Simpsons: The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular! (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      Waterloo
      (uncredited)

      Written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson

      Performed by ABBA

    User reviews6

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    An emotional look inside the mind of Homer Simpson
    The Simpsons have had its ups and downs in terms of great film making. Even with a lot of un-funny, boring and dull episodes given lately, some episodes like "Barthood" give us glimpses of the little bit of creative juice left in the tank and give us episodes that were both hilarious and heartfelt.

    Mother Simpson is not my favourite Simpsons episode, but has my favourite Simpsons scene. In an animated comedy, the acting, the score, the message and the feels that had to be crammed into a 1 minute scene and it works wonders, and that is why this episode is a gem.

    I never thought I had seen a perfect scene in The Simpsons, but I remembered the ending of this episode.

    The Mona character is one of the best and most interesting in the series as she isn't in many episodes. This episode is all about her, and her backstory and the explanation of why she left her son and husband at such a young age. Mona is an important character to every Simpson character in the family.

    Bart and Maggie never say and give any real reasons why it was important seeing her. But we can infer that Mona would put Bart in line while watching him grow up, same with Maggie, Homer and Marge would want their Mother and Mother-in-law to watch one of their babies grow up from the beginning.

    Marge lost her mother and says, when she sees her for the first time, "I can finally have a real talk…" showing that Marge needs someone to let out all of her contained feelings over the years and treat Mona like her very own mother.

    Lisa feels alone and "adopted" as her whole family isn't up to the... intellectual standard of herself. When she talks to her grandma, she says she feels at home with her presence knowing that she belongs somewhere.

    Homer, lost this woman when he was younger, and is bound to lose her again because she has to run from the police. Her mother left at a very young age, and as soon as he has her back, she leaves again, and seeing how many family members she has effected making for the saddest moment in The Simpsons.

    The setting of this scene where they are, in the desert, a wasteland, showing that they are alone, just to talk for the last time with no artificial noises.

    Cinematography ties in with this idea, his mother and him fill up the whole screen, showing their closeness and as soon as the window winds up and they drive away, you see the camera moving back further, showing that his mother is slipping away from his grasp. And in the last scene Homer is shown with himself and the stars, thinking about his biggest day in recent memory.

    The score is the definition of tear-jerky it is brilliant. That's all I can say.

    Everything that is spoken is perfect, Homer says "At least this time I'm awake to say goodbye." But the greatest part of it was after Mona uses Homer's world-famous line, to show that they are connected, not another word is spoken. No jokes are here to break the mood. Every time I watch this incredible final scene when Homer waves his mother goodbye, possibly for the last time, I always get teary. It is such a beautiful scene and important one. It gives the shown emotion of Homer that is dearly lacking in the rest of the episodes. It gives us more connection with Homer making him one of television's favourite animated father.

    OVERALL : A

    Watch more reviews like this at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfNozbWd9SJYYwLK2zYn_AA
    helpful•14
    1
    • boclani
    • Nov 23, 2016

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 19, 1995 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • Czech
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • USA
    • Production companies
      • Gracie Films
      • 20th Century Fox Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    Top New Shows of 2021 So Far
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:56
    Time Travel Movies You May Have Missed
    Get some picks

    Recently viewed

    You have no recently viewed pages
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • IMDb TV
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2021 by IMDb.com, Inc.