Alvin And The Chipmunks – Richard’s Review

Alvin And The Chipmunk The Movie
Jason Lee, David Cross, Cameron Richardson
Alvin Chipmunk, Theodore Chipmunk, Simon Chipmunk
Directed by Tim Hill
Widescreen / Fullscren 2-sided DVD
Fox Home Entertainment 2008
92 minutes

Alvin and the Chipmunks have been around for some 50 years and still sound and act like it was yesterday. From a hit record to their own Saturday morning TV show to the big screen.

Are Alvin and his brothers good family movie stars? Yes, they are. This is an enjoyable DVD that gets a PG only because of a fart joke, a raisin / poop reference, and Dave (Jason Lee) getting hit with a jar full of Corn Pops.

Alvin’s tree gets chopped down and he and his brothers end up living with failed and very single songwriter Dave. Dave quickly discovers the chipmunks’ musical abilities, that raising chipmunks is pretty much like raising kids, and that singing chipmunks are as high maintenance as blondes whose voices are sweetened in the studio.

Of course, the first song they come up with is their classic Christmas (Don’t Be Late) hit. Their hip version of Witch Doctor is not bad.

This is an entertaining movie with some good physical comedy. Adults will find this is not the most original movie on the planet and the story not particularly well structured. For example, the chipmunks go to Dave’s agent (comic David Cross) and what seems to be the next day their song is playing in the grocery store and the opening secondary plot around Dave’s relationship with Claire gets in the way of the crux of the story. The ending is a bit abrupt.

This is a kid’s movie though so if you kick back and enjoy it is a lot of fun to watch.

There are some original gags here such as what happens when Alvin inhales helium from a balloon or when Alvin, Theodore, and Simon try to avoid the bodyguards at a concert.

There are good performances all around here although I was particularly partial to comedian David Cross as the agent.

Alvin and the Chipmunks DVD is a fun and enjoyable little family movie. Nothing great or anything, just fun to watch. I am betting it will become a kid’s favorite in some homes

The movie comes on a double-sided disc with widescreen and fullscreen version. Be careful as there are extra features on both sides.

Side A, fullscreen, includes Chip-Chip Hooray, a Chipmunk History, the title says it all, according to the son of Alvin’s creator. It’s interesting stuff. Side B, widescreen, includes a bit on recording the new version of Witch Doctor and other chipmunk tunes.

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