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Same Old Alvin
Movie Reviewer, a storyteller, Parent of School Age Children
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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DEC
19
2007
I'm not sure why, but we expect everything to get better with age, like cheese and wine, but chipmunks don't age at all, and just stay the same precocious youngsters. Dave doesn't seem to change much either, still having the same temper, yet soft heart. The annoying part was the canned jokes you would find on old cartoons are still here in the film, alive and well. I absolutely couldn't believe it when Dave was looking for the chipmunks before he befriended them, and they were hiding under bowls in his kitchen, moving the bowls when he wasn't looking. How old is that bit? At least as old as the chipmunks who were originated as a music act in 1958.
Further, Jason Lee almost seemed to be embarrassed to be working in Alvin and the Chipmunks. When he was onscreen as Dave, cavorting with the chipmunks, he didn't seem to be enjoying himself at all. It couldn't have been the music, as that was actually a little fun, as the 'munks have now been brought into the new millennium, singing songs like Bad Day as well as some original hip hop numbers. The acting was a little better when he was sharing camera time with real people, so maybe working with cartoon figures just isn't his thing. Perhaps he should leave that feature out of his resume.
The acting that seemed to be right on target was that of David Cross as Ian, the smarmy record producer. He seemed to be right on target whether he was working with the chipmunks or live people. He was downright despicable, plying the 'munks with fun toys, then using them for every penny they were worth. Interestingly enough, this was when Lee was the most believable, when he was fighting for "the kids," and trying to show Ian that they shouldn't be used and abused like that.
Not that Alvin and the Chipmunks wasn't a fun little film, as it was for the most part, it just could have been much more creative, and they could have found an actor that actually didn't mind working with a green screen to create scenes with cartoons. I should add here that the youngsters in the audience seemed to disagree with my assessment. My daughter, along with the other kids in the movie laughed loudly throughout, and there were even several clapping at the end.
Take your kids, but remember it's the same show you watched as a kid, and while you have grown, Alvin and the Chipmunks haven't.
Last edited on Dec 21, 2007
Alvin and the Chipmunks is recommended by LauraBelle
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