ClubHooligan.com - Burning it up at both ends

Web posted January 10, 2008

'Chipmunks,' surprisingly, isn't terrible

Chester Duke Carson

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Hip-hopped up: Simon (voiced by Matthew Gray Gubler), Alvin (Justin Long) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) share the screen with actor Jason Lee in 'Alvin and the Chipmunks.'

Somewhere, in the unwritten handbook of Hollywood dos and don'ts, it says an actor should never co-star with kids or animals.

Technically, then, Jason Lee is not violating any rules by playing Dave Seville in the big-screen adaptation of "Alvin and the Chipmunks." Too bad nobody told Lee he was in the clear, because he apparently was dreading the backlash from his peers so much that he pretended to have a sore throat for the entire shoot. Either that or the filming of "Alvin" just happened to take place at a time in Lee's life when he was feeling a little down.

Lee's performance is certainly convincing; I am convinced he would rather voice four more "Underdog" films than do another frame with three digital chipmunks.

Perhaps that is why director Tim Hill opted to open "Alvin" with our three young chipmunks (Alvin, Simon and Theodore) putting food aside for winter storage while singing Daniel Powter's "Bad Day." A message to Lee? Suck it up, pal, and earn your paycheck? Or perhaps I'm over-reacting.

The truth is I like Lee, but that does not mean he gets a pass for mailing "Alvin" in.

MOVIE REVIEW 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'

Rating: ★★

Starring: Jason Lee, David Cross and Cameron Richardson.

Director: Tim Hill.

Parent's guide: PG.

Running time: 1 hour, 32 mins.

Amazingly, despite Lee's lack of effort, "Alvin" is a mostly enjoyable movie. The chipmunks have been hip-hopped up a bit, probably to appeal to today's youngsters. "Witch Doctor," for example, has been "updated" to the point where it is so ridiculous and hyper that it seems just about right for today's pop scene. And while it might spit in the face of nostalgia to see the chipmunks wearing hoods and performing *NSYNC-like choreography, at least Hill and company left the chipmunks' "Christmas Song" alone. It's a tolerable mix of old and new.

David Cross, who plays a greedy music executive, also does his best to keep "Alvin" from collapsing around the Jason Lee abyss. Unlike Lee, Cross seems like he is actually enjoying himself. And even if he isn't, you know what he's doing? Acting! He is just about the only human doing so, however, because Cameron Richardson (Lee's love interest) is either in cahoots with Lee to ruin the film's cheery mood or she caught Lee's mono on the first day of filming. The pair's chemistry is only slightly more believable than the fact that K-Fed is the most responsible parent in his kids' lives.

Luckily, "Alvin and the Chipmunks" is not meant to be about the humans. It's about three singing chipmunks that are sweet to their cores and impossible not to like. Other than their clothing, they are just as you remember them: Alvin's saucy, Simon's intellectual and Theodore is lovably chubby. And actually, the movie's best little nugget of humor doesn't involve Alvin. Rather, let's just say your kids will love it when Simon covers for Theodore by putting a "raisin" in his mouth.

The film drags for a while in the middle when the trio of writers (Jon Vitti, Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi) obviously had to figure out how to advance the plot significantly and settled on a montage. Wherever Matt Stevens and Trey Parker are, they're snickering. Still, the plot is laid out in such a fashion that a montage fits - it's just a bit long.

The kids will love it, and you will be able to tolerate it excepting the moments when Lee is on screen without the digital rodents. He is somehow even worse during those scenes when he is left to his own devices. So, unless your name is Jason Lee, you can feel OK about the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" movie experience.