Alvin and the Chipmunks Review

I always loved Alvin and the Chipmunks and even had multiple records of them growing up... yes I said Records :)  Yet I forgot about the movie until it was on HBO!  After watching Alvin and the Chipmunk the movie, I can say it was cute and I like how they modernized it.  I'm not sure how much it fits with the original chipmunks stories, but it still works for me!

Dave is a music writer who isn't really selling any music.  He's been trying hard but getting rejected by his "friend" Ian.  Alvin, Simon and Theodore are three chipmunks who live in the forest, until their tree gets chopped down and they end up living in a building.  It just so happens to be the same building where Ian works.  When Dave goes to Ian's office trying to sell music, these three chipmunks hop a ride home with him and sneak into his house.  When Dave first finds them digging through his kitchen, he's far from excited to see them.  However once he throws them out, he hears they can sing!  Dave let's them back in on the condition that they sing songs he writes for them.  

The movie covers themes like family, having a childhood, and over-working.  Dave is "raising" these three chipmunks but refuses to say they are his family.  He's taking care of them like he would his kids by giving them responsible meals and making them get to sleep at a decent hour.  However, Ian tries to tempt them with unlimited toys and fun.  Even though the chipmunks are animals, they are still kids, and Dave sees that.  Jason Lee is great at the part of Dave as he tries to figure out exactly what to do with these chipmunks.  What's worse is they cause a lot of trouble which makes it even harder for him to deal with them.  David Cross is the perfect pick for Ian, the controlling guy who is in it strictly for the money!  

Alvin, Simon and Theodore are animated, much like in the Garfield Movie.  For the most part, they looked like animations, but really good ones!  You could tell they weren't real, but most of the time they looked like they were really standing there and not just drawn in.  They were cute versions of the old Alvin and the Chipmunks and I'm sure kids will really like them!  I laughed when they sang modern songs and laughed even more when they wanted to watch Spongebob everyday.  They did a great job of bringing this up to date.  

This movie is rated PG and really isn't aimed at very young kids.  However I really didn't see a single thing wrong with it for little kids.  Real young kids will probably just laugh at the antics of the chipmunks and not even pay attention to the rest.  Overall I think it's a cute and silly family movie that gives some good lessons about family and being a kid!  Enjoy!