Review: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Just in time for the holidays comes the latest animated movie featuring the furriest pop sensations of the last 50 years, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. Based on characters created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958, the singing group consists of three chipmunk brothers: Alvin, the lead of the group and the head troublemaker; Simon, the bespectacled nerdy intellectual; and Theodore, the chubby and gullible brother. The group is managed by Dave Seville, who also acts as a father figure to the young chipmunks.
In Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, an unfortunate accident leaves Dave(Jason Lee) laid up in Paris, so Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) are left in the care of Dave Seville's twenty-something gamer nephew Toby (Zachary Levi).
The boys take a break from music superstardom to attend high school, and are called upon to put their talents to use by representing their school in a battle of the bands. The $25,000 prize will save the school's music program. However, the dastardly Ian Hawke (David Cross) returns to exact revenge on the Chipmunks, through the introduction of three new singing chipmunks known as The Chipettes -– Brittany (Christina Applegate), Eleanor (Amy Poehler) and Jeanette (Anna Faris). Romantic sparks ignite as the Chipmunks and Chipettes square off.
The CGI effects of the actual animated characters are top-notch, but in several scenes it is too obvious that the human actors are playing to the air. As I mentioned last week in my review of Avatar, there is a tendency for films based on CGI and other special effects to suffer in the narrative. Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 does just that -- more effort was put into the CGI characters of the Chipmunks and the Chipettes, with no solid direction of the live actors' performances.
Jokes fall flat both figuratively and literally, relying more on pratfalls and farts than the talented cast available. Considering director Betty Thomas's experience as a member of the Second City comedy troupe, one would think she would provide better direction to the cast that mostly seem to have just dialed it in.
I have to wonder why Jason Lee even appeared in "the Squeakquel"at all, considering his success and several television and film projects in the works. Only veteran actress Wendie Malick, as the stern principal Dr. Rubin, delivered a performance that made it seem she actually wanted to be there. Even her character is trivialized when we discover she harbors a secret -- she is a Chipmunks groupie, tattoo and all. The most deplorable character and performance had to be from David Cross, with a final scene so pathetically sad he'd be hard-pressed to sink any lower in his career.
A running storyline in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is Theodore's fear of an eagle swooping down and taking him from his family. Several times during the film I wished for an eagle to swoop down and take me out of the theater. Any entertainment value is minimal, and comes from the modern song and dance numbers. My niece loved this movie, and so will most children for the furry singing animals. However, my recommendation to parents is don't subject yourself to being trapped in the theater, and let the kids watch it home as a DVD rental. Better yet, for a more entertaining animated talking-animal movie, buy Bolt on DVD for your family viewing library.