Spythegreat

( From the Barnameji Project )

My Dinner With Skinner is a 2025 American surrealist satirical drama film written and directed by Tyrone Deise. Released on 20 September 2025, the film offers a reimagined portrayal of Superintendent Gary Chalmers and Principal Seymour Skinner from the long-running animated series The Simpsons. Rather than a comedic vignette, the story is presented as a psychological chamber drama with surrealist inflections and extensive use of Baroque opera, particularly works by Nicola Porpora composed for the famed castrato Farinelli.

The film stars Terrence Ferguson as Superintendent Chalmers and Reegan Bourgeois as Principal Seymour Skinner. It features operatic countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, who performs Porpora’s “Alto Giove” during both the opening and closing sequences. Stylized portrayals of Farinelli (Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi) and Nicola Porpora appear in visual interludes that accompany the musical framing, giving the film a mythic and theatrical atmosphere.

The production received critical attention for its unusual blend of suburban deadpan comedy, interior monologue, and Baroque artistic influences.

Plot

Opening

The film stars Terrence Ferguson as Superintendent Chalmers and Reegan Bourgeois as Principal Seymour Skinner. It features operatic countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, who performs Porpora’s “Alto Giove” during both the opening and closing sequences. Stylized portrayals of Farinelli (Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi) and Nicola Porpora appear in visual interludes that accompany the musical framing, giving the film a mythic and theatrical atmosphere.

The production received critical attention for its unusual blend of suburban deadpan comedy, interior monologue, and Baroque artistic influences.

Plot

Opening

The film begins with Superintendent Chalmers driving through Springfield while reflecting on the gradual decline of his personal and professional life. A widower, he expresses frustration with his workload, loneliness, and the bureaucratic inertia that defines his job as superintendent. His monologue unfolds over Philippe Jaroussky’s performance of Porpora’s “Alto Giove”, creating a stark contrast between the majestic Baroque composition and the monotony of Chalmers’s routine.

Arrival at Skinner’s Home

Chalmers arrives at the home of Principal Seymour Skinner for a lunch engagement he views as obligatory. Skinner greets him with exaggerated hospitality and presents a surprisingly elaborate meal of pork roast and potatoes au gratin. Chalmers immediately suspects that the polished exterior conceals impending disaster, which proves increasingly accurate as the lunch progresses.

Skinner’s Anecdotes

To occupy the time, Chalmers encourages Skinner to discuss recent events at the school. Skinner responds by launching into a lengthy sequence of improbable stories:

A President’s Day pageant derailed by a fire drill and inappropriate candy hearts.

A school bus accident caused by Otto the Bus Driver, who lacked a license; Skinner temporarily drove the bus himself.

A hall monitor initiative that collapsed when the appointee stole every teachers-edition textbook.

Skinner being trapped under newspapers for a week and presumed dead, resulting in Bart Simpson’s wrongful arrest.

His career as a member of the barbershop quartet The B Sharps, including their Grammy Award and subsequent decline.

A chaotic incident in which Bart’s dog and Groundskeeper Willie became stuck in the school’s ventilation system.

A prolonged chase across Springfield after Bart faked a dentist appointment.

His service on a jury involving Freddy Quimby, and his past involvement with the secret society known as the Stonecutters.

These stories, delivered with unwavering earnestness, reinforce Chalmers’ belief that Skinner’s life is defined by miscalculation, fragile pride, and catastrophes barely avoided.

Chalmers’ Romantic Reflections

Interspersed throughout Skinner’s monologues are Chalmers’ reflections on his own romantic past. He recalls his complicated relationship with Edna Krabappel and his tender but failed attempt to propose to Patty Bouvier. He also reveals his unexpected affection for Agnes Skinner, Seymour’s imposing mother, describing a moment in which her rain-soaked dress reflected light “like a rainbow,” stirring emotions he believed dormant.

Skinner, surprisingly, gives his blessing to the relationship, stating that Agnes is “her own woman.”

The “Steamed Hams” Sequence

The climax of the film is a dramatic reinterpretation of the iconic “Steamed Hams” exchange. When smoke begins to fill the kitchen, Skinner insists it is “steam from the steamed clams,” then abruptly rebrands the meal as “steamed hams,” attributing the terminology to “upstate New York.” As flames become visible under the kitchen door, he claims the glow is the Aurora Borealis, “localized entirely within [his] kitchen.”

This sequence is filmed with heightened operatic stylization, including symbolic cutaways featuring visual representations of Farinelli and Porpora, implying a near-mythic theatricality to Skinner’s improvisations.

Ending

Chalmers leaves the burning house and drives home at dusk, exhausted but contemplative. Jaroussky’s performance of “Alto Giove” returns in the closing sequence, providing a cyclical musical frame. The film ends with Chalmers preparing to recount the day to his daughter, concluding the narrative with a tone of weary resignation.

Cast

Terrence Ferguson as Superintendent Gary Chalmers

Reegan Bourgeois as Principal Seymour Skinner

Philippe Jaroussky – performer of Nicola Porpora’s “Alto Giove” (opening and ending)

Carlo Broschi (Farinelli) – portrayed symbolically in operatic dream imagery

Nicola Porpora – portrayed in stylized composer-vision sequences

Music

The film’s soundtrack exclusively uses compositions by Nicola Porpora, the influential Italian Baroque composer and vocal teacher. Porpora’s works, many of which were written for the celebrated castrato Farinelli, serve as the emotional and thematic foundation of the film.

Musical Selections

“Alto Giove” – sung by Philippe Jaroussky

Opening sequence – underscoring Chalmers’ monologue

Ending sequence – underscoring the concluding montage

Its inclusion evokes the operatic emotionalism associated with Porpora’s training of Farinelli.

Musical Symbolism

The film includes stylized depictions of Farinelli and Porpora as symbolic figures rather than narrative characters. Their presence reinforces the thematic contrast between Baroque emotional excess and the suppressed frustrations of suburban life.

Production

Director Tyrone Deise stated that the choice to structure the film around Baroque opera stemmed from an interest in juxtaposing the dramatic emotional landscapes of Farinelli-era compositions with the mundane reality of Springfield. Deise described the soundtrack as “a lens that enlarges the ordinary until it becomes mythic.”