Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)
Directed by Tim Hill
Written by Jon Vitti, Will McRobb, Chris Vicardi
Starring Jason Lee, David Cross, Cameron Richardson, Justin Long
Release Date December 14th, 2007
Published December 14th, 2007
There are times when the disdain Hollywood has for the common man cannot be denied. In the case of the new CGI-live action collision Alvin and the Chipmunks the obvious disdain rages from star David Cross' condescending performance to the music that the makers of Alvin and the Chipmunks assumes Americans would absolutely love, quality be damned.
On the outskirts of Los Angeles three Chipmunks are filling their tree for the winter when suddenly the tree is coming down. Thrown on to the back of a truck, the Chipmunks now former home is on it's way to the lobby of a record company as a Christmas decoration. Scanning their new digs, Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) find their isn't much of a food supply.
Jumping out of the tree their timing could not be more fortuitous. Leaving the record company, with a giant basket of muffins is Dave Seville (Jason Lee). Dave has just failed his latest attempt to sell one of his rather depressing tunes. His former friend Ian (David Cross), now a big time record producer, has just told him to give up his dreams because neither Britney, Christina or Justin will ever sing one of his songs.
Unknown to Dave, the Chipmunks have stowed away in his stolen muffin basket and are coming home with some big surprises. Not only can they talk, these chipmunks can sing and dance too. Soon Dave is writing them a hit Christmas song and they are so impressing Ian that they have a record deal and a hit record in less than a week.
From there the film becomes a parody on the rigors of the music industry and a typical kids movie about the creation of an unlikely family. Neither of these two competing plots is very interesting. Directed by Tim Hill, the auteur behind the Garfield sequel A Tale of Two Kitties, Alvin and the Chipmunks rolls off of the kids movie assembly line with all of the typical family movie parts in place.
Bathroom humor, family values and a whole lot of slapstick make for just another upbeat and forgettable piece of kids movie flotsam.
Where Alvin and the Chipmunks is slightly more insulting than the average kids movie is in the films attempts at music industry satire. In these scenes Alvin and the Chipmunks fly up the charts with hip hop infused takes on the 50's and 60's novelty records that propelled them into our pop culture more than 40 years ago.
The Chipmunks Christmas song and Witch Doctor are innocuous enough and such a part of the Chipmunks pop culture cache that their inclusion and update are passable. It's later when the chipmunks begin singing awful hip hop originals that things become insulting. As the chipmunks, Dave and David Cross' slimy record producer Ian each readily admint, these songs suck. Yet each is portrayed in the film as flying up the charts, selling millions of copies and selling sold out tours.
I've never been one to credit our culture for having taste but these songs are so execrable that even a less than discerning public would easily reject them. Nevertheless, the film persists that even though the chipmunks themselves dislike the music the sheep like masses eat it up without question.
The most curious and often insulting thing in Alvin and the Chipmunks is the performance of comedian David Cross. One of the funniest stand up comics working today, Cross is bizarre and even grotesque in his role as a slimy record producer working the chipmunks to exhaustion. His performance begins as a satire of douchebag faux cool. However, as he transforms into the film's lead bad guy the performance becomes more one note and insulting.
Is my taking offense at this little kids movie misplaced? Maybe, but that is my true feeling. If the movie has no respect for its audience, why should I have respect for the movie. Is Alvin and the Chipmunks otherwise inoffensive? Yes, and it's even technically impressive in the way it integrates the CGI Chipmunks with the real world. That doesn't change the fact that the film is disrespectful to it's audience.
