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It must be an April Fool's joke. OK, it isn't but it
SHOULD be. "Alvin and The Chipmunks" originally made a splash
in the 60's with their inoffensive children's songs. They
entertained kids without nauseating parents which was quite
an accomplishment back then. Somehow, though, they've remained
popular past their expiration date. Now we have a feature
film with Jason Lee star of "My Name Is Earl" essaying the
role of David Seville and playing second banana…err nut…fourth
nut to three CGI generated chipmunks who sing in squeaky
high pitched voices. No wonder anti-depressants are popular.
I'd wager that they're used most commonly by parents who
have to sit through stuff like this. I hesitate to call
it garbage (I save that for pointless, mindless torture
porn designed to appeal to kids and adults that have played
one too many videogames). ***
David Seville (Lee) is a songwriter who's popularity
with Jett Records head Ian (David Cross) is falling faster
than housing prices. David needs a hit song yesterday. What
he finds are three adorably fat cheeked chipmunks who speak
English (and find their way into Jett Records when their
home is turned into a Christmas tree for the label) and
can warble cute ditties in high pitched voices. Alvin, Simon
and Theodore can raise all the havoc of three nine year
old boys and are about as clueless. They adopt David (he's
not so certain about the deal…wise man), sing his song and
make Jett Records a boatload of money. Ian tries to alienate
the trio from David to insure the cash keeps flowing even
as he cuts David out of the deal. ***
"Alvin and The Chipmunks" fails as entertainment because
it panders to its audience and completely overlooks the
parents that have to be dragged along to see a film (or
rent it on DVD) like this. Yes, it's a kid movie. That's
no excuse. As Pixar has demonstrated "kid movie" doesn't
have to be the next swear word in an adult's vocabulary.
The filmmakers underestimate the intelligence of their audience
while that's never been a way to loose a lot of money, it
is a way to guarantee that you make a less than entertaining
movie. ***
The only thing that truly works for the movie is the
casting. While both Lee (despite "Underdog") and David Cross
make seem like fish out of water here, there's an undercurrent
to the way they play their roles that threatens a volcanic
explosion of subversive comedy. That explosion never happens
which is a pity because "Alvin and The Chipmunks" could
have been both subversive entertainment AND outstanding
kid's movie all in one, neat package. ---
Image & Sound:
Colors pop (sadly the film doesn't) with nice, bright
vivid colors that catch your attention. Image sharpness
is quite good and audio comes alive during the performances
by the rodents. ---
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