The Simpsons (TV Series) Bart the Daredevil (1990) User Reviews

Classic Simpsons!

[g-bodyl · 9/10 · 11 March 2014]

The eighth episode in the second Simpsons episode is a good one and it's why the Simpsons is an American classic. It has good themes in family values, but at the same time it's very funny. It's a very memorable episode and the ending is the best. I never laughed so hard in this series as I did in the last three minutes.

In this episode, "Bart the Daredevil," Bart is inspired by Lance Murdock, an Evel Knievel-like character. Going against the wishes of his family, Bart decides to show off his skills by planning on skateboarding across the Springfield Gorge.

Overall, a very funny episode. It does have a few lessons on family but it also has means to inspire. Don't do anything reckless, but always try something new. This episode has plenty of jokes and a big ending. I rate this episode 9/10.

The climax to this episode is probably the funniest Simpsons moment up to this point in the show's run as well as being the genesis of The Simpsons as a legacy

[SLionsCricketreviews · 8/10 · 26 January 2018]

"Bart the Daredevil" is close to, if not the best episode of The Simpsons up to this point in the show's run and it is largely influenced on the back of the show's iconic finale in which Bart whose attempt to jump Springfield Gorge are thwarted by his father. It's undoubtedly one of the show's most iconic moments as well as one of the earliest moments of The Simpsons where the humour is entirely effortless, omnipresent and confident of itself.

Even taking the episode's finale out of context, this is definitely among the finer outings so far in the series. Bart episodes have so far been the highlight of the show for my money at least and this ranks at least as good, if not better, than "Bart Gets an F" as his best episode. Where that episode focused on the heart of Bart, his determinations and struggles and his tendency towards failure, this episode explores his more adventurous, mischievous and rambunctious nature whereby he is inspired to become a daredevil after watching a performance by Lance Murdock.

Even the way the episode is structured works very nicely. As with a lot of episodes of The Simpsons, the main storyline doesn't really kick in until the halfway mark but there's plenty of funny moments and nice touches that build towards that moment whether it be the opening where Bart and his friends as well as Homer and his friends (at Moe's) are watching a wrestling match which Lisa deems is obviously rigged OR Homer and his family attending Lisa's recital for music band which almost coincides with a monster truck rally showing that Homer and Bart want to go to. The world of The Simpsons is really starting to come into its own and the animation and the surprising crispness of it already go a long way in making the world feel believable.

Then there's the finale which deserves another mention. It's absolutely hilarious how much of an unending setpiece that scene is and the animation which has already come a long way since the beginning of the first season really sells the humour, particularly in the moment where Homer begins to slide down Springfield Gorge on Bart's skateboard while trying to emotionally reconcile with his son. It's an absolutely hilarious, show-defining moment that's a definite classic in the series and it just happens to be a near perfect payoff to an episode in which Bart struggles to find a rationality to daredevil tricks.

"Bart the Daredevil" is a classic episode, if mostly for the iconic ending which showed just how confident The Simpsons could be in its full stride. It's another fine Bart episode and this is arguably where The Simpsons really begins to come into its own.

You think you've got guts....

[snoozejonc · 9/10 · 25 June 2022]

Bart gets inspired by a stunt motorcyclist.

This is a strong episode with an great arc for Bart and Homer, plus some memorable gags.

I love the general theme that parodies some of the more lowbrow entertainment like wrestling, destruction derbies, and daredevil stunts. It works well as a contrast to Lisa's pursuit in classical music that nobody seems enthusiastic about.

Bart gets dragged in to the world of stunt riding in a humorous way and it builds to a great climax that has great father-son character moments. The last few scenes include a hilarious sight-gag and a great hospital-bed line.

For me it's an 8.5/10 but I round upwards.

An iconic episode, and quite rightly

[studioAT · 10/10 · 14 March 2020]

This is such an iconic episode, with the moment where Homer, not Bart, ends up going across the gorge popping up on various clip episodes in later years.

It's a really good episode, there's not much more to say.

Bart Leaps Over Springfield Gorge......Not Quite...

[PK-Jay-2000 · 10/10 · 8 February 2022]

Another classic episode. There are laughs from beginning to end in this gem.

Homer talking Bart out of jumping over Springfield Gorge is excellent.... ....but what happens after is worth the price of admission. The scene where a paramedics are on scene had me laughing until it hurt.

Recommended.

An Iconic Episode

[TheIrishJackomon · 10/10 · 13 December 2021]

What is to say that hasn't being said about this episode, it has Truckasaurus and the iconic scene with Homer jumping over the gorge. This is an episode I have seen at least once during my childhood, but I will say something about Truckasaurus, I never realized it was from this episode until I watched it, before then I only knew it from Simpsons Hit & Run. Love how it begins with Bart & Homer watching the same wrestling match with their friends at the same time. It is a pretty fun Bart episode, and a good look into his relationship with his father. Like the previous episode, this is another episode I would show a someone who hasn't watched an episode of The Simpsons. The Truckasaurus & Gorge scenes aren't the only good ones, as the music recital has some funny moments during it too.

Lessons to Be Learned

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 10 April 2022]

Bart gets wanderlust when he attends a monster truck rally and sees a daredevil. He decides this is the life for him and he begins doing outrageous things on his skateboard. Of course, this took place during the heyday of Evel Knievel. He decides to jump a gorge where he has little chance of making it. But Home steps in and things take a different twist.

My first Simpson Episode i saw. Homer is the funniest man on the planet.

[Li_85 · 10/10 · 13 June 2006]

The Simpsons is one of the Best Programmes on Television. This is the first episode i ever watched. After watching just this one episode, i had to see more. I don't usually enjoy watching cartoons, but Simpsons is full of mature jokes. Homer Simpson is the funniest Person on Television. I have seen almost every Simpson episode, and this one is among the classics. Originally, Bart was the main character in the series. Since it was a Big Hit and Homer grew hugely popular. Homer and Bart provide the best Episodes with plenty of laughs. Episodes based on Lisa Simpson are quite boring. The funniest scene in this episode is the ending, where Homer falls of Springfield Gorge twice.

A real turning point - Simpsons more than a cartoon

[safenoe · 10/10 · 3 September 2016]

When I was a regular viewer of The Simpsons from its debut episode, for some unknown reason I missed Bart the Daredevil when it first screened. However my brother, who wasn't a big Simpsons fan, watched it and he loved it and raved on about it big time. And for good reason. This episode demonstrated that The Simpsons was more than The Flintstones (with due respect to Fred and Wilma of course). This was a show with real heart and The Simpsons was on a roll until about season 12, where unfortunately it tapered off into the occasional good episode if you know what I mean.

Bart the Daredevil showed how Homer really cared for Bart, and was even willing to do the most daring skating stunt of all time in the canyon.

Hilarious finish!

[gridoon2024 · 7/10 · 1 December 2016]

For the most part, this seems to be a typical "unruly Bart" episode, and it is also a little disjointed. But any flaw is forgotten when you get to the last 3 minutes. It seems to be building to a heartwarming reconciliation / moral-lesson-learned type of ending, and then BAM (literally). The gags that follow are rather atypical of the Simpsons (they would be more in place in a Wile E. Coyote / Road Runner cartoon), but they made laugh to tears. Then I realized that it's not just the gags that are brilliant, it's the entire pseudo-emotional setup. It's not for nothing that Matt Groening lists this as his favorite "Simpsons" sequence of all time. *** out of 4.

A classic Simpson moment

[Rectangular_businessman · 10/10 · 20 April 2024]

Surprised this episode is rated so relatively low, since the final scene could be easily considered as one of the most iconic moments of the whole series, being constantly referenced in later seasons.

What's even more baffling is that much worse, forgettable episodes (Such as the vastly overrated, gimmicky episode "Barthood", which was nowhere as memorable as this one) are rated higher here on the Internet Movie Database.

I guess some viewers are just too biased towards the early seasons of The Simpsons, dismissing these episodes over the "weird" animation (Which honestly looks much better than the eyesore modern look of the show, with an awful color palette)

"Bart the Daredevil" was the episode that put The Simpsons on the map, elevating its status as one of the biggest pop-culture icons of the nineties. And deservedly so, for this was both fun and heartwarming.

The modern "jerk" Homer would have never tried to jump Springfield Gorge to teach Bart a lesson about unnecessarily risking his life; he probably would have done that on purpose for some stupid or selfish reason.

Such kind of characterization was totally lost as the series progressed. The wackier the series became, the more it lost its original essence as a sincere depiction of a middle class American family, becoming a gratuitous parade of guest celebrities, trendy topics, and shallow culture references.

A shame really.

Ending makes the whole episode.

[Lukkeren · 7/10 · 23 August 2021]

If it was not for the ending, i would probably have ranked this episode 5/10. But that ending alone deserves two extra stars. I haven't laughed so much and intensely in a loooong time! Probably one of the most hilarious things i have seen in film/television.

6/10

[Analog_Devotee · 6/10 · 4 June 2021]

Not bad, not great. The ending is hilarious. But this one felt a little slow and meandering in spots. Maybe it's just me.