 Al Jean described the film 's message as being " a man should listen to his wife " . In addition , the film parodies two major contemporary issues , religion and environmentalism . The theme of environmentalism is present throughout the film : in Homer 's polluting of Lake Springfield , Green Day 's cameo , Lisa 's activism and her romance with Colin . The villainous Russ Cargill is head of the Environmental Protection Agency . Reviewer Ed Gonzalez argued the plot was a satire of the government 's reaction to the effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans . Ian Nathan of Empire magazine criticized this focus , believing it gave the film an " overt political agenda [ which ] border [ s ] on polemic " . James D. Bloom of Muhlenberg College commented on the " explicitness " of the film 's " intellectual agenda " , on this issue , shown particularly through Lisa . He wrote that the film 's first post @-@ opening credits scene , which sees Green Day fail in an attempt to engage their audience on the issue of the environment , " sets in motion a plot expressly built around cultural agenda @-@ setting " and " reflection on timely ' issues ' . " 
