MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 1:31 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right
| Alvin and the Chipmunks Movie Stats & Links |
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| Starring: | Jason Lee, David Dross, Cameron Richardson |
| MPAA Rated: | PG |
| Released By: | 20th Century Fox |
| Kiddie Movie: | It’s really for them. |
| Date Movie: | Only if you’re bringing the kids. |
| Gratuitous Sex: | Nope, but some skimpy outfits on the back-up dancers. |
| Gratuitous Violence: | Cartoonish. |
| Action: | Not really. |
| Laughs: | Mostly for the kids. |
| Memorable Scene: | Nothing really. |
| Memorable Quote: | Nothing comes to mind. |
| Directed By: | Tim Hill |
| Produced By: | Ross Bagdasarian Jr., Janice Karman |
Maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s because I’m old, but you would think that with the advances in technology that our beloved Chipmunks, namely Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, would still have the chipmunk voice but you would be able to understand them a little better. Not so. And you would also think that they could write a story a little more creative than the Chipmunks being seduced by a dirty record company executive. Not so. Even so, I didn’t think “Alvin and the Chipmunks” was all that bad.
As I eluded, the story for “Alvin and the Chipmunks” is pretty simple. Alvin, Simon, and Theodore are living in the woods when their pine tree gets chopped down for an office Christmas tree, and the boys come along for the ride. Seeking a life of ease, the boys then stowaway with Dave (Jason Lee), a struggling songwriter who is friends with the evil record dude, Ian (David Cross). Sure, Dave quickly accepts the fact that he has talking Chipmunks, especially when he finds out they can sing, but they are rambunctious creatures, messing up Dave’s pad, but all seems well when the boys have Ian record “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t be Late), and Dave does his best to keep the boys grounded as they enter the rock star world.
But Ian sees an opportunity to exploit the Chipmunks for financial gain, he splits them up from Dave as sleazy record company people do, gives them a life of excess, and works them until they become tabloid fodder.
Can Dave save the heroes from a life of booze, drugs, and cheap women? Of course he can, this is a children’s movie, and he does so just in the nick of time.
And, oh yea, of course the movie has a love story built in for no real reason, namely Dave trying to woo his ex-girlfriend, Claire (Cameron Richardson).
For the kiddies they will probably really like “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” and most of the kids in the theater when I saw it seemed entertained, although they did start to become distracted during the romantic dinner scene. For the adults, it’s not horrible. Jason Lee does a nice job as Dave, keeping him friendly enough in a quirky sort of way, and David Cross is good as the sleazy record dude. The CGI of the Chipmunks themselves is done fairly well, giving each of the boys their own character, but I still can’t believe they are so hard to understand.
There’s nothing special about “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” but it seems okay in a kids kind of way, and of course what would a kid’s movie be without a fart joke. It’s 2 ½ stars out of 5 for “Alvin and the Chipmunks.”
That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!