Review of Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) by Chads. — 16 Dec 2007
"Alvin and the Chipmunks" is a movie for children saddled with a plotline that will not pique their imagination. They'll be bored stiff. Adults will recognize the framework of the musical biopic; the rise to fame, followed by the realization that fame isn't all it's cracked up to be(Theodore's gluttony is a metaphor for drug use), but a small child won't.
And that's a problem. "Alvin and the Chipmunks" is "A Star is Born" with vermin. Kids want magic. Adults want Judy Garland. Neither party will be satisfied by this charmless piece of noxious filmmaking.
"The Chipmunk Song" does not translate to a contemporary audience. It belongs in a time capsule. The film's only satisfying moment is when we see David Seville(Jason Lee...slumming...for his kids) writing the famous children's song at his piano.
If you're of a certain age, when Alvin sings, "me, I want a hula-hoop", your heart will yearn to be a child again. But then they ruin the song's innocence with a unctous remake that's predictably awful, replete with that bane of screenwriting, the montage, which encapsulates their meteoric rise to the top.
"Alvin and the Chipmunks" is the anti-thesis of what Pixar stands for; the late Jim Henson, too.
This review of Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) was written by Chads. on 16 Dec 2007.
Alvin and the Chipmunks has generally received mixed reviews.
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