10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Cute But Not as Good as The Original Cartoon
Date of Review: Apr 8, 2008
The Bottom Line: This one is one that you'll probably want to see.
I thought this movie was definitely cute, and I love watching the chipmunks, but this wasn't as great to me as the original cartoons. Let me tell you a little bit about the movie.
Plot
Dave Seville is trying to make it as a songwriter but is not having any luck. One day when coming back from trying to pitch some of his songs to an agency, three chipmunks whose tree has been cut down from a tree farm make their way into a basket. They are taken home (unknowingly by Dave) and start creating havoc in his house. After finding out how talented they are at singing, the four strike up a deal. The three chipmunks will sing Dave's song and therefore be able to stay with him. The youngsters quickly decide that they want more freedom than Dave is giving them however, and Dave will not budge. Will they learn that there are some things more important than the glamor of the music business?
What I Liked
I love that the three chipmunk characters are pretty much true to the original form. Alvin is pretty much the instigator, Simon is the smart one, and Theodore is the scaredy-cat. I think that they are cute, and I love their little chipmunk voices. Jason Lee does a pretty good job as Dave as well, although you might not think of him at first. I also enjoyed that this movie was family friendly, and that everyone is able to watch this film. All in all it was a pretty cute movie.
What I Didn't Like
To me, the story was a little boring and not as entertaining as the original cartoons. I guess the writers felt like they really had to introduce the story more, but I felt like their was too much introduction and not enough of a storyline. In the original cartoons, the chipmunks were always thinking up different ways of getting themselves in trouble. I missed that in this story.
Acting
I'm sure that this had to be a hard film to act in because the chipmunks weren't actually there. Therefore, I think Jason Lee does a fabulous job considering he never even saw a chipmunk! I also thought that the manager was really great. He was played by David Cross. He seemed pretty money hungry and just like the character should be. Justin Long voiced the character of Alvin, Matthew Gray Gubler voiced Simon, and Jesse McCartney voiced Theodore. They also did a superb job. I enjoy the character of the chipmunks.
Details
This movie came out in theaters in December of 2007 and has just recently been released on DVD. It's 92 minutes long which to me was a little long for this film because of the lack of a really interesting story. It's rated PG for some mild, rude humor but really isn't anything you need to worry about. This movie would totally be appropriate for any kids in the family.
Bottom Line
I really hope that they come out with another one of these, because I think that if they developed more of a different story they really could have something here. Nevertheless, this movie is good for introducing your kids to the chipmunks and just for having some fun. There are certainly some great lines in here, and it's great for the whole family. I would recommend it.
