Indy.com
Today:
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Posted: Dec 17, 2007 in Movies
Tags:
I would literally do anything for my grandchildren, Connor (age 9) and Calen (age 6). As proof thereof, I swallowed what is left of my pride after thirty years laboring as a criminal defense lawyer and took them to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks." You talk about taking one for the team! Let me just say that the experience was similar to throwing yourself on to a live grenade so that those around you could live!
When Alvin, Simon and Theodore first hit the music scene approximately fifty years ago, I found them incredibly annoying then. After all, how many times could you listen to a man scream in increasingly higher tones, "Alvin. Alvin. ALVIN!", without wanting to strangle that furry little creature with your own hands.
And now these three singing rodents have been resurrected from the dead so that an entirely new generation can have the pleasure of their company. Incredibly, I have to admit that the first third of the movie almost convinced this cynic that the boys had, like fine wine, matured with age.
Nonetheless, reality soon set in. Predictably, Alvin and company eventually collapse under their own weight, as light as it is. This is largely due to two factors, the first being that it is woefully overlong. The reaction of both kids bore this out, as I watched their expressions turn from laughter and glee to barely suppressed tedium verging on boredom.
Secondly, and more importantly, this movie robs itself of any genuine fun by concentrating on one of the most annoying characters ever to appear on film. I am speaking of David Cross, who plays a record promoter named Ian Hawk who kidnaps Alvin's gang for his own financial gain.
Thank God the movie eventually mercifully ended, as I was about to jam a sharp stick into my only good eye!
Then again, I noticed "Alvin" did over forty million dollars in domestic box office receipts over the past weekend. The only upside I can find is that maybe millions of parents will become so distracted from listening to squealing chipmunks sing "Christmas, Christmas time is Near" that their attention will be diverted from the even more cloying Republican Presidential Primary contests. Truthfully, that is about the only comfort I can imagine any parent gaining from this tepid cinematic experience.
Gee, Mr. Hammerle, tell us how you really feel!
I was unsure if even the most adorable, heart-melting pleas from my toddlers could induce me to the theater to see Alvin & the Chipmunks. Thanks for reaffirming my suspicions!
I have to admit I let my son sleep the Saturday morning before it came out so as not to have to take him to the 10 a.m. preview screening we had free passes to. I LOVE Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Christmas album has been my family's Christmas music of choice for probably 15 years, but I saw enough in the previews to know this was an abomination.
It did better than "Underdog," that's for sure. I guess Jason Lee has officially become the go-to guy for selling out Generation X's cartoon hagiography...
Guys! It's a kids show! My young kids loved it! The da*n song IS still playing in my ears, though!
Guys! It's a kids show! My young kids loved it! The da*n song IS still ...
To some of us, it's a little more than that. I think a lot of viewers of my generation (being completely unsure of your generational affiliation) have more of a connection to kids shows than those of previous generations. We've seen "The Flintstones" (among scores of others) completely ruined by demographic-worshipping studio executives who only want to cash in and care not one iota about the integrity of the product they're putting out (and that says a lot when you're talking about the artistic integrity of Alvin and the Chipmunks or Underdog, for crying out loud).
I for one wany my kids to have the best of what I experienced as a child, which is to say a quality experience, and I have my own admittedly selfish desire to revisit my childhood through a faithfully adapted, lovingly created live-action rendition of those cartoon characters I grew up with. If they want my dollar and my loyalty, they'll have to try a bit harder (which again, considering what they're working with just shouldn't be that hard).
I considered taking my son to see "Alvin," especially considering he wanted to see it. But I changed my mind when I noticed the animated movie "The Chipmunk Adventure" was on regular TV. I DVR'd it, he loved it, and I saved $20 and a small piece of my own childhood.
I got similarly irked at "Horton Hears a Who", and endured similar "it's just a kids movie" taunts. But I say we should hold children's entertainment to just as high a standard as adult-oriented programming. This is what we're showing our kids, for crying out loud, and if Whitney Houston believes they're our future, well, that's good enough for me. They deserve better, and I demand better for them! :)
I didn't particularly like the chipmunks on TV when I was a kid, so I don't have any warm-and-fuzzy chipmunk memories to protect by shielding the kiddos from the chipmunk movie. My daughter, admittedly a Jesse McCartney fan who likes the Theodore character, enjoyed the movie at the theater and spent her own money yesterday on the DVD. I watched most of it with her, and while it is indeed too long, it's not awful.
Don't underestimate the appeal of cute, little critters for an 11-year-old girl. While she's dismissive of Akon's "Mr. Lonely" with the chipmunk thing going, she is charmed by the movie's cute singing chipmunks in handmade hoodies. Go figure.