Friday December 14, 2007

Category: Animation , Comedy , Family , Fantasy , Genre , Movies , Musical , Reviews

Alvin and the Chipmunks

C

Audience:	Kindergarten - 3rd Grade
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG for some mild rude humor.
Profanity:	Some mild language
Nudity/Sex:	None
Alcohol/Drugs:	Champagne, wine coolers, coffee jitters
Violence/Scariness:	Comic peril and violence
Diversity Issues:	None
Movid Release Date:	December 14, 2007

Novelty songwriter Ross Bagdasarian noticed that speeding up the audio recordings creatd a high-pitched sound in 1958, and used that technique in his song "The Witch Doctor." It was a hit. And so, he created the singing chipmunks, Simon, Theodore, and AAAAAlvin. Their record-breaking Christmas song sold four and a half million records in seven weeks -- a record not broken until the Beatles -- and won two Grammy awards. The high pitch of the voices was the novelty, but what made the record a hit was the relationship between Bagdasarian, who chose the stage name Dave Seville after the Spanish town he had been stationed in during the second World War, and the chipmunks, scholarly Simon, cheery Theodore, and especially mischievous Alvin. It became a franchise, with more records, an animated television series, product endorsements, and "appearances" with real-life rock stars. What was left? A feature-length movie, inspired by the origin story. But any charm in the original idea has been diluted and all that remains is packaging. It is 9/10 product placement, 1/10 filler.

Dave (Jason Lee, looking embarrassed to be in this film) is an unsuccessful song-writer whose depressing new song is turned down by his college friend Ian (David Cross, who has some gusto), now an executive at a recording company so cushy his office has an omelet bar. Ian tells him he needs something new. The chipmunks, inadvertently captured when their tree is cut down for an office Christmas decoration, go home with Dave and happily settle into his kitchen ("This must be where he stores his food for the winter!") The little rascals make a mess and cause him to lose his job by drawing on his presentation, but they harmonize like a barbershop quartet (minus one) on helium, and the next thing you know, Dave has found that new thing and "Uncle Ian" is selling the Chipmunks six different ways from Sunday.

It becomes a little difficult to distinguish exploitive "Uncle Ian" from Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and the other folks trying very hard to keep this fragile idea alive and making money. The big difference is that Uncle Ian wears out the Chipmunks and this movie wears out its welcome. What is the point of hiring voice talent like Justin Long (of the Mac commercials and Live Free or Die Hard) to play Alvin if you're just going to speed up his voice so it is indistinguishable? Kids will find the potty humor hilarious but will they think it is funny to hear the Chipmunks sing 70's songs like "Funkytown" or current hits by Daniel Powter and the Pussycat Dolls? Or a P. Diddy reference? Or that the Chipmunks get coffee jitters after mocha lattes from Uncle Ian? Parents might appreciate the "Rabid Transit" sign on the Chipmunks' trailer, but be less happy about the booty-shaking back-up singers or the Lindsay Lohan joke. At the screening I attended, the most enthusiastic reaction from the audience came from two brief cameos by SpongeBob SquarePants. By the time it limps toward some platitudes about the importance of family, even the pixels seem to have lost interest. Families will be better off skipping this one entirely in favor of a CD of the Chipmunks singing their Christmas song and some reruns of Spongebob.

Parents should know that this film has some crude humor and potty jokes. It includes some schoolyard language ("move your butt," "sucks") and suggestive song lyrics. Characters drink champagne and get some caffeine jitters from mocha drinks. The themes of the movie include separation from parents and parent figures and there is a song (intended to be comic) about the "abyss of death."

Families who see this film should talk about what made the chipmunks feel more connected to Dave than to "Uncle Ian." How can rules show kids they are loved?

Families who enjoy this film will also enjoy cartoons about the chipmunk trio like The Chipmunk Adventure and The Chipmunks Go To The Movies and their greatest hits. Bagdasarian appeared as the piano player in the Hitchcock classic Rear Window. The real story of Bagdasarian and the chipmunks is a lot of fun.

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Filed Under: alvin and the chipmunks, dave seville, jason lee, ross bagdasarian

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