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Watching a rerun of "Alvin and the Chipmunks" is a goofy, guilty pleasure, something that transports you back to the silliness of your childhood.
But paying good money for a new singing rodent movie -- well, that's another matter altogether.
The good news is that the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" movie is better than expected and even -- I hate to admit this -- charming.
- Starring: Jason Lee, David Cross.
- Rating: PG for some mild rude humor.
- Web site: 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'
This first big-studio live action/computer animation Alvin movie opens with the three familiar musical 'munks -- the mischievous Alvin, the brainy Simon and the sweet Theodore -- hanging out in a tree in a forest. Suddenly, their home crashes to the ground as a work crew chops it down.
Clinging to the branches, the chipmunks find themselves transplanted to a Christmas tree in the lobby of Jett Records, headed by the conniving Ian Hawk (David Cross of "Arrested Development"). Ian gets a visit from his former college roommate, Dave Seville (Jason Lee of "My Name Is Earl"), who wants to play Ian his new song.
Ian abruptly tells the innocent Dave that his music stinks and to find a new career.
On his way out, a dejected Dave swipes a basket of muffins from the Jett offices -- and the three hungry chipmunks hop onto the basket and move in with Dave.
The chipmunks wreak havoc on his bachelor pad, storing syrup-soaked toaster waffles under the rug, doing cannonballs into a bowl of cheese balls and committing other rodent pranks.
Dave kicks them out -- until he hears them sing and their squeaky singing motivates them to write "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late.)"
Hurry Christmas, hurry fast
Want a plane that loops the loop
Me, I want a hula hoop
Longtime Chipmunk fans will recognize this as the ditty that Ross Bagdasarian Sr., the late Chipmunks founder, penned almost 50 years ago. His son, Ross Bagdasarian Jr., was the producer of this movie, which morphed the chipmunks from 2-D cuddly cartoons to 3-D rock stars who sing more than just sweet Christmas tunes.
Purists might not like the fact that the modern-day chipmunks perform hip-hop numbers at sold-out concerts and are mobbed by fans and cameras, but it is a nice device for updating the chipmunk movie and parodying celebrity culture. Especially when the chipmunks leave Dave's humble abode and move in with Ian, who lures them with expensive toys but then exploits them by making them tour relentlessly and lip sync a performance.
As Ian, actor David Cross makes a good villain. He is a dork masquerading as a slick music exec.
Lee does a nice job of shedding his Earl redneck persona for the role of the sweetly hapless Dave. His "Alviiiiiin" cry is impressive, especially when you consider he often had to act opposite nothing.
The chipmunks were busy doing their antics in the computer lab, and the voices of Alvin, Simon and Theodore come to life courtesy of actors Justin Long ("Dodgeball"), Matthew Gray Gubler ("Criminal Minds") and Jesse McCartney.
The movie is directed by Tim Hill, who did "Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties," another story about a clueless guy and his mischievous animal(s). "Alvin and the Chipmunks" is a much funnier movie than Garfield.
This is not an inspired children's movie such as "Ratatouille" or "Beauty and the Beast," but Alvin is still frothy fun for both kids and childish adults.
The biggest disappointment is a few potty jokes, which are a totally unnecessary gimmick when you have the time-tested gag of singing chipmunks.
