A Star Is Born Again

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"A Star Is Born Again"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 14
Episode 13
Directed by Michael Marcantel
Written by Brian Kelley
Production codeEABF08
Original air dateMarch 2, 2003 (2003-03-02)
Guest appearances
James L. Brooks as himself
Helen Fielding as herself
Marisa Tomei as Sara Sloane
Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel
Episode features
Couch gag The Simpsons are marionettes, who fail to reach the couch when they get caught up in each other’s strings. The camera pans up to reveal Matt Groening as the puppet master, who throws down his marionettes in frustration.
Commentary Al Jean
Brian Kelley
Ian Maxtone-Graham
Matt Selman
Dan Castellaneta
Michael Marcantel
Mike B. Anderson
David Silverman
Episode chronology
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The Simpsons season 14
List of episodes

"A Star Is Born Again" is the thirteenth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 2, 2003. The episode was written by Brian Kelley and directed by Michael Marcantel.

Contents

In this episode, Ned Flanders begins dating a movie star who is in town to film a movie. Marisa Tomei guest starred as Sara Sloane. Writer Helen Fielding and Simpsons executive producer James L. Brooks appeared as themselves. The episode received positive reviews.

The episode owes much of its plot to Notting Hill (1999). While that film is about an actress finding happiness with the owner of an independent bookstore, the episode features Hollywood movie star Sara Sloane (Marisa Tomei) falling for Ned Flanders after visiting the Leftorium. The episode title doubles as a reference to the film A Star Is Born and being born again, meaning a person who has converted to Christianity, particularly in American evangelism.

This is the only Simpsons episode in which the same person has been accredited with two different names, where James L. Brooks is credited as the Executive Producer and Executive Creative Consultant, and again as Jim Brooks as a Special Guest Voice.

Plot

During the annual Jellyfish Festival, which welcomes back the Stinging Red Jellyfish to the shores of Springfield, Ned Flanders becomes depressed because he is alone. The other adults have partners with whom to spend a romantic evening at the Jellyfish Cotillion, and this is Ned's first festival without his wife Maude.

Ned returns to the Leftorium to work on his taxes and take his mind off things. A woman comes in, looking for a pair of left-handed eyelash curlers. After chatting with Ned she asks him out on a date. After she leaves, Ned notices a movie poster with her face on it; she is Sara Sloane, a movie star.

Sara and Ned hit it off, with Sara loving Ned's simple, quaint lifestyle and honesty. They go on several dates, though they encounter some problems, especially from tabloid reporters following them. Also, Sara is much less inhibited than Ned, causing some tension.

When her movie wraps, Sara asks Ned to return to Hollywood with her. Ned has a horrible dream about the bad things of Hollywood in a sequence that includes a cameo by series producer James L. Brooks, and also the "Hollywood" sign reading "Hollyweird", and refuses. Sara therefore tries staying in Springfield, to be with Ned. She slowly starts settling in with the locals, joining Marge's book club hosted by author Helen Fielding and going shopping with Ned.

At a concert, to which Sara wears a low-cut dress, Sara tells Ned she wants to have sex with him. Ned eventually relents, but insists on marriage if they are to continue a sexual relationship. Sara is unwilling to get married, and they break up and she returns to Hollywood. She gets a quickie marriage and divorce to Bob Balaban. Ned finds that he is now more attractive to women because of his famous relationship.

Production

Marisa Tomei guest starred as Sara Sloane. [1] Writer Helen Fielding appeared as herself. Fielding was the partner of Simpsons writer and producer Kevin Curran at the time the episode aired. [2]

Cultural references

Reception

Viewing figures

The episode was watched by 14.56 million viewers, which was the 22nd most-watched show that week. [3]

Critical response

Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide liked the contrast between Flanders and Sara and thought the plot "feels less contrived". [4]

On Four Finger Discount, Guy Davis and Brendan Dando were "surprised by the sexy in this episode" and highlighted the performance by Marisa Tomei. [5]

In a 2008 article, Entertainment Weekly named Marisa Tomei's role as Sara Sloane as one of the sixteen best guest appearances on The Simpsons. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Springfield of Dreams: 16 Great 'Simpsons' Guest Voices". Entertainment Weekly . May 11, 2008. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  2. ↑ Roshanian, Arya (October 25, 2016). "Kevin Curran, Emmy Winner and Longtime 'Simpsons' Writer, Dies at 59". Variety . Archived from the original on March 13, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  3. ↑ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 24-March 2)". Los Angeles Times . March 5, 2003. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  4. ↑ Jacobson, Colin (December 16, 2011). "The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season [Blu-Ray] (2002)". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  5. ↑ Davis, Guy; Dando, Brendan (November 12, 2021). "A Star Is Born Again (S14E13)". Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast) (Podcast). Event occurs at 2:10. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
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