Hybrid live-action + computer animated flicks have a quite spotty box office record. Tim Hill, the director of 2006's "Garfield: Tale of Two Kitties", knows this very well. That movie tanked domestically, just like the first "Garfield" did. The main culprit, of course, isn't the realistic looking blending of computer created characters in a live action world. It's downfall was a tepid, one-dimensional storyline pandering to only the pre-K audience.
Hopefully, Hill has learned his lesson going forth from "Alvin and the Chipmunks". What we have here is definitely no savior of the retro-saturated market of anthropomorphized rodentia movies ("Ratatouille" takes the gold for the most creative, fresh and cute rodent flick), but it's better than much of its competition.
The trio of symphonic singing chipmunks, having been displaced from their natural home in a tree in a far-away forest, find themselves in the big city, having been transported in their downed tree to the lobby of a megalomaniacal music company. Seems their home is now a fresh Christmas tree. Knowing their new digs aren't friendly to little forest creatures a fraction the size of the next largest life form, they find refuge in the muffin basket of one Dave Seville, having been rebuked by his friend-turned-multimillionaire music exec, Ian. The pairing of these octave-gifted munks with this lonely, bumbling musician provides the backbone of the movie's plot.
It's a relief to have been able to laugh along with the rest of the patronage, comprised mostly of pre-teens to freshly post-teens. Granted, I wasn't rolling in the aisles with them, a sign that I must be more critical (and yes, older) than they are. The innocent, brain-resting humor was impeded by a couple factors. Exactly how many potty & poop jokes do we need in a movie these days? By all accounts, we've been shown enough potty pranks to last us well beyond the current Writers Strike (and maybe until the 3d animation folks give the render farms a rest).
The cast of actors seems a bit wooden, too. True, it's hard to be especially convincing when they are putting on a show in front of a bunch of void space, but I couldn't help but wonder during the first 10 minutes if a giant pin-up of Jason Lee would have been more dimensional than Jason Lee himself. Due credit goes to him though, for putting in a decent performance this side of Jon (Vacant) Arbuckle. David Cross stole the show, though, for his delightfully weaselly turn as the music exec seeing too many $'s in the Chipmunks.
Overall, I'm surprised by how pleased I was when the end credits rolled. If Hollywood has taught me anything with this genre of movies, it's best to go in with very low expectations and be surprised by the lack of suckage put before me.
"Alvin and the Chipmunks" gets 6 of 10 stars.
Hopefully, Hill has learned his lesson going forth from "Alvin and the Chipmunks". What we have here is definitely no savior of the retro-saturated market of anthropomorphized rodentia movies ("Ratatouille" takes the gold for the most creative, fresh and cute rodent flick), but it's better than much of its competition.
The trio of symphonic singing chipmunks, having been displaced from their natural home in a tree in a far-away forest, find themselves in the big city, having been transported in their downed tree to the lobby of a megalomaniacal music company. Seems their home is now a fresh Christmas tree. Knowing their new digs aren't friendly to little forest creatures a fraction the size of the next largest life form, they find refuge in the muffin basket of one Dave Seville, having been rebuked by his friend-turned-multimillionaire music exec, Ian. The pairing of these octave-gifted munks with this lonely, bumbling musician provides the backbone of the movie's plot.
It's a relief to have been able to laugh along with the rest of the patronage, comprised mostly of pre-teens to freshly post-teens. Granted, I wasn't rolling in the aisles with them, a sign that I must be more critical (and yes, older) than they are. The innocent, brain-resting humor was impeded by a couple factors. Exactly how many potty & poop jokes do we need in a movie these days? By all accounts, we've been shown enough potty pranks to last us well beyond the current Writers Strike (and maybe until the 3d animation folks give the render farms a rest).
The cast of actors seems a bit wooden, too. True, it's hard to be especially convincing when they are putting on a show in front of a bunch of void space, but I couldn't help but wonder during the first 10 minutes if a giant pin-up of Jason Lee would have been more dimensional than Jason Lee himself. Due credit goes to him though, for putting in a decent performance this side of Jon (Vacant) Arbuckle. David Cross stole the show, though, for his delightfully weaselly turn as the music exec seeing too many $'s in the Chipmunks.
Overall, I'm surprised by how pleased I was when the end credits rolled. If Hollywood has taught me anything with this genre of movies, it's best to go in with very low expectations and be surprised by the lack of suckage put before me.
"Alvin and the Chipmunks" gets 6 of 10 stars.