by Missy Thompson
STAFF WRITER
Director Tim Hill should have left Alvin, Simon and Theodore alone. They were fine as cute chipmunks on the 1980s animated television series or even as puppets with their creator Ross Bagdasarian Sr. But now parents will have to endure an animated-meets-live-action rodent comedy that might promote kids sucking in helium to make their voices sound like a chipmunk.
The best part about "Alvin and the Chipmunks" is that it isn't as bad as it could have been. It isn't a great movie by any means, but the chipmunks are highly entertaining. The acting, on the other hand, is atrocious. Jason Lee, who plays Dave Seville, is upstaged in every scene by the chipmunks. Even stand-up comedian David Cross isn't remotely as good as the CGI Alvin, Simon and Theodore.
"Alvin and the Chipmunks" tries too hard to be cool, when it may have more success being cute. I watched the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" TV show as a child and absolutely loved the little guys because they were adorable. One of my family's Christmas traditions is watching the best of "The Ed Sullivan Show" Christmas specials, which include Bagdasarian as Dave Seville and the Chipmunks singing "The Chipmunk Song" during a sketch.
The song is the basic premise behind the movie, and used as a way to get people thinking it's a Christmas movie, which it really isn't. The good aspect of "Alvin and the Chipmunks" is it will keep children entertained for an hour and a half. The other songs the chipmunks sing are upbeat and fun, but that can't hold a film together.
In "Alvin and the Chipmunks," Alvin (voiced by Dustin Long) is the mischievous leader of the group with Simon (voiced by Matthew Gray Gubler) as the smart one and Theodore (voiced by Jesse McCartney) as the lovable, yet chubby chipmunk. They live together in a tree in the forest gathering acorns and nuts for winter when their tree is chopped down and sent to the Jett Records building as their Christmas tree. Dave Seville is a struggling musician and advertiser who happens to be at Jett Records when the three chipmunks jump into a muffin basket Dave carries out the door.
Back at Dave's home, the chipmunks wreak havoc, but eventually make peace with Dave through their singing. Despite their messiness and the fact that they are rodents, Dave believes he may have struck gold. He writes "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" and pitches it to Ian (Cross), an executive with Jett Records. Although nervous at first, Alvin and the Chipmunks realize their star singing potential.
After "The Christmas Song" becomes a success, the chipmunks record "Witch Doctor" and remake a variety of other popular songs. But the stardom is getting to their heads with Ian wanting to make as much money off of them as possible. Dave hopes to reach them before their success carries them away.
Although "Alvin and the Chipmunks" has all the makings of a good film -- fun critters, good music, well-known actors -- it isn't great. Fortunately, it isn't bad either. Children of this generation will fall in love with Alvin, Simon and Theodore, while adults will reminisce about their memories of watching them on television.
The terrible acting cannot be overlooked. Lee seems as if he is stuck between Earl from "My Name is Earl" and Underdog from "Underdog." I usually enjoy watching him in films, but every time he came on screen in this one, I groaned. If you can ignore Lee, you might actually like "Alvin and the Chipmunks."
missy@tooeletranscript.com
Grade: C
Rated: PG
Time: 95 minutes
Now playing