Just trying to get a nut to move your butt
Alvin, Simon and Theodore had a simple life in the forest. They gathered nuts and stored them in a tree for the winter. Then one day, these unsuspecting chipmunks get the shock of their life. Their tree is removed and placed in the lobby of Jett Records. Upon realizing and trying to figure out a way to adjust to their new home, they soon find a basket of muffins is their sweet chance for escape. Climbing in the basket and enjoying the ride, they don’t know that the man carrying the basket is failed songwriter David Seville, who has just gotten rejected by famous recorder producer Ian Hawke. Frustrated with life, frustrated with failing, Dave nearly gives up on his musical dream, until his musical dream finds its way out of the muffin basket in Dave’s trash can. Shocked to find talking chipmunks, but very amused that they sing, he brings them a new home, a new family and a new career for himself. But is this the acorn they’ve been looking for or is their second tree about to fall thanks to Ian? You’ll just have to find out.
What really makes this film work is that the chipmunks themselves drive the film. They carry it, make it work, bring the storyline to a greater level than it truly is and, most importantly, make the kids very happy. They’re cute and adorable and just very heart-warming CGI critters. Tim Hill and his crew knew what they wanted to do with Simon, Theodore and ALVIN!!! (sorry, had too) They brought them to life, made them the driving force in the film and didn’t let anything else get in the way. They did a great job with Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.’s characters. It is not like a certain filmmaker, who I won’t mention, who took a great set of characters from a cartoon and destroyed them on screen (I will give you a hint, his name rhymes with hay). Tim Hill seemed to respect what these characters were truly about and what made them special. That is why this film works so well. It is not because of Jason Lee or the driving storyline, the success of this film should solely be credited to Tim Hill and crew bringing those furry cuties to life.
Now, with that said, the downside to the movie is that the storyline is predicable. I guess that works if you are trying to please children, but for every child there are almost always (qualifier) two parents who have to sit down and watch the movie too. In comparison to A Christmas Story for holiday favorites, it comes in a close number 10. I could see this movie being played during the holiday season, but it would certainly need some rests (in months) between viewing. That’s the only real knock on the film that I could see, the replay value of it.
As for actors, Jason Lee did a spectacular job as the co-star Dave Seville. For an actor who has a hit television series (that’s not syndicated — congrats) and a load of movie credits in his pocket, it was strange to see him so secondary in a film. With that said, he certainly doesn’t seem like the egotistical type now that he has done this film. I give him some kudos for playing such a good role in a co-star mold. I have to give David Cross kudos as well, he’s just creepy-jerky as the villain. Excellent job creepy guy.
With all of this said, Alvin & the Chipmunks is a great family film. My kids just loved it and they will probably be watching it more than once in the coming week (not that I don’t appreciate the characters, but oh-my-God). That is really the audience though, the kids and Tim Hill and crew knew that. It is a good movie to own and something they will remember in their childhoods.
I still want my Blu-ray-hoop (I got nothing)
Kidding aside, normally I hesitate the Blu-ray format when it comes to a focused CGI character. High-definition mostly has its good points, but once in a while you see a not so great side of it when the quality outshines the film itself. I’ve seen a few movies that demonstrate why high-definition is going to rock the production world. With that said, the critters looked gorgeous on Blu-ray! I’m not sure how the regular DVD turned out, but I am positive that it couldn’t look as sweet as this. The chipmunks really shine on Blu-ray, they look cuter and when they give their pouty faces, your heart will warm up a bit. With that said, very nice audio and video.
As for the special features, here’s what you get on this Blu-ray:
– Chip-Chip-Hooray! Chipmunk History Featurette
– Hitting the Harmony Chipmunk Music Featurette
Not much here in terms of girth, but certainly some okay to good quality. I think the history is interesting, especially if you are new to the boys and don’t know their stories. The music featurette is pretty good too, but I wish there had been just a bit more to it. Maybe next time, I know there is probably a sequel in the works.
Singing almost in harmony
Alvin & the Chipmunks is not going to win any Academy Awards anytime soon. If there was an Academy Award for kids loving a film, it would have swept the oscars this year. Excellent family film, perfect for the holiday season, it’s great on Blu-ray and sports some decent features. What more do you want? It’s a good reason to huddle together and sing a bit, if need be.
