By Cynthia Ayala
Through a series of misunderstandings, Alvin, Simon and Theodore come to believe that Dave is going to propose to his new girlfriend in Miami…and dump them. They have three days to get to him and stop the proposal, saving themselves not only from losing Dave but possibly from gaining a terrible stepbrother
—Google
Not bad, but not great either. I’m a person who loves the chipmunks. I think they are adorable and have a lot of heart and humor to them. This film was no exception to that but the story did feel forced, and most of that was tied to the character Miles, played by Josh Green.
It’s obvious that Josh Green wasn’t able to connect to the character. The angst the character feels and the his obvious punkish dislike of the chipmunks also felt forced. He wasn’t a likable character but the script explained away his attitude in a way that the audience was supposed to feel sympathy for this character. But the way he acted, it was a pitiful excuse that drew no sympathy. His performance was so painfully forced and his attitude was annoying, messing up what should have been a strong dynamic between Miles and the Chipmunks. It was just, it was tiresome to watch most of their dynamic because they had so little chemistry, unlike Dave and the Chipmunks. Jason Lee really is Dave, he continues to bring to life this film, but even his performance was a little stiff. Something about the script and the story felt forced, as if 20th Century Fox are saying “hey, you may not want to make this film, but you signed a contract, so, ha!” to everyone in the film.
The voice acting was great, but the “live” actors and story just came off forced. It had heart, no doubt about that, the story is about that, taking apart what makes a family, a real family, in order to construct the story at its core. That is what the story is about, about making ones’ own family out of love. That is what the story is about, and it is a good story, but the problem is certainly about how it was written and how it was acted out. Something about the performances was just a bit lackluster.
On the bright side, there was certainly a lot of comedy in the film and at least those were executed very well and the musical numbers really were the best parts of the film. The choreography was way to perfect, but they were entertaining and very fun to watch at the end of the day and did, at the very least, make this a family fun film. But all in all, some of the dynamics were a little painful to watch. (★★☆☆ | C)
—Film Credits—
Directed by Walt Becker
Written by Randi Mayem Singer & Adam Sztykiel
Based on
Alvin and the Chipmunks
by Ross Bagdasarian; The Chipettes
by Janice Karman
Starring: Jason Lee, Tony Hale,Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Josh Green, Justin Long,Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Kaley Cuoco, Anna Faris & Christina Applegate
Genre | Length | Rating: Adventure, Family | 1hr 32min | PG
Distributed by 20th Century Fox