Alvin and the Chipmunks
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: David Cross, Jason Lee, Justin LongBrand: Alvin
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-04-01
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Alvin and the Chipmunks
Movie Review: Waaay better than the trailer and poster would lead you to believe!
Summary: 5 Stars
Dave Seville is a struggling songwriter in need of some special inspiration. Just when he is at the end of his rope, his house is invaded by three stowaways from a muffin basket that are just what the witch doctor ordered! Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, the three chipmunk brothers who now live with Dave and perform his songs, are just kids out to have some fun, but they rapidly become the biggest new singing group in the country. It's all good until music mogul Ian Hawke woos the boys away from Dave and his unintentionally parental influence. Pushing them into the fast lane that is the rock star lifestyle, "Uncle Ian" exploits and overworks the Chipmunks while Dave worries and wonders on how to get them back.
When the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" movie poster started appearing in theaters featuring the three famous 'munks in hip hop threads and CGI quasi-realistic form, most longtime fans cringed. There was a lot of bias against this movie long before it ever came out, and I'd say most of this was the result of an unnecessarily misleading poster and trailer making us expect the boys to be unrecognizably urbanized, a new, realistic look and size that is nothing like the most recent and popular vision of the Chipmunks from the 1980's animated TV series and follow-up movies (1 bigscreen and at least 2 direct-to-video), the general distaste held by at least half of animation fans for live-action/CGI interpretations of their beloved characters, and a distaste from much of the public for family films in general. I'd say the reason the film rates so many stars on Amazon.com is because reviewers here actually saw the film before dissing it. Sure, you'll still have some nay-sayers, folks who can't get past the none-too original family-film plot points like the exploitative record producer and the guy learning to be a parental figure, but if you focus on everything else you will find this to be an excellent film that is great fun and just better and better with repeat viewings!
So, what's so great about this movie? Well, to first address the realistic look/size of the Chipmunks in this film and the less passive Dave than the '80's/'90's version: Jason Lee, cleverly cast as David Seville, is more reminiscent of the original Dave based on Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. (Chipmunks creator and original voice of Dave and the boys) than his '80's counterpart. Let's not forget that the Chipmunks originated in 1958, not in the '80's when their now popular redesigns came about as a result of Bagdasarian, Jr. and wife Janice Karman bringing them back. Keeping that in mind, the Chipmunks were music stars before they were ever animated, and on their early album covers they appeared looking very much like real chipmunks. So, the film versions of both Dave and the Chipmunks themselves are quite appropriate for a first live-action movie. It was probably a wise choice to go to the source material for inspiration rather than trying to adapt the '80's show to live-action (though we'd still hope to see some influence from the '80's in any likely sequels, such as the Chipmunks attending school and encountering the Chipettes). Also a very happy thing about the film is that the characters are not as "street" as they appear in the promotional material. In fact, their personalities and voices (despite being voiced by big celebs for some reason) are spot on, just as we've always known them. Yes, the movie is pretty predictable. Dave meets the Chipmunks and together they form a band and a family, with a record producer thrown in as a villain to make it a real feature film. David Cross is hilarious as usual as the slimy record producer, by the way. But it's all about the very fun ride and seeing the Chipmunk origin story told in a grand, modern, live-action scale. There are some nice moments to make it a Christmas fave, the performances are fine (remember that these live-action actors had to play against thin air), the CGI is great, and there's a lot of terrific humor in it too. The driving force though, naturally, is the wonderful Chipmunk music, which sounds better than ever! Flawlessly updated, the songs keep the mood lively and fun throughout the film. In the opening scene, the mood is set beautifully by the Chipmunks doing their own amazing version of "Bad Day", and we are also treated to a dazzling bit of Chipmunk "Funky Town", not to mention updated versions of beloved classics "The Chipmunk Song" (Christmas Don't Be Late) and "Witch Doctor"! And there are many other fantastic tunes too! Even after you've watched the film repeatedly, you'll find yourself running the DVD over and over again just for the musical numbers!
The DVD itself is rather weak in the extras department. It's a double-sided disc (widescreen on one side, fullscreen on the other, the widescreen looking great), and there is one very nice bonus featurette on each side. Side A has a great featurette about the history of the Chipmunks up to today, and side B has a nice behind the scenes look at creating music for the Chipmunks. Unfortunately, the only other extras are previews for other stuff (there's a scene from Horton Hears a Who and a promo for the Alvin and the Chipmunks soundtrack among them). I can't come down too hard on them for so few extras though, because the featurettes, especially the retrospective, are very nice and I love the film. Still, one expects the theatrical trailer nowadays and a commentary is always great. Or maybe a classic cartoon could have been included (as was included with Underdog's live-action movie DVD). However, I did get this movie in a promotional gift set with little plush toys of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, so that was really cool. Anyway, I highly recommend this film for fans of the Chipmunks who don't mind that it goes back to its roots, especially if you just love their freaky sound. I also recommend the following live-action cartoons: Josie and the Pussycats (with the heavenly Rachael Leigh Cook), Garfield and Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties (which are flawed in the way some of the characters are portrayed, but Garfield and Odie are well done and they're cute movies), Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2 (ya love these movies or ya hate 'em, but ya gotta have a sense of humor), the Flintstones and Flintstones Viva Rock Vegas (Viva Rock Vegas is far superior, as they screwed up some of the casting in the original), Popeye (outstanding, underrated film!), Annie (fantastic musical), Dick Tracy (a work of art!), Underdog (nothing too special here, but if you like Jason Lee and live-action cartoons...), Inspector Gadget and Inspector Gadget 2 (I preferred the sequel), George of the Jungle and George of the Jungle 2 (never saw part 2), Dudley Do-Right (don't remember this one well enough to comment), the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films (classics!), Transformers (great action spectacular!), and I could mention more, but that's a good enough start. Of course, if you love Alvin and the Chipmunks, you have to see "The Chipmunk Adventure", "Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolf Man", and "A Chipmunk Christmas", all their best work outside of this new live-action feature!
Summary of Alvin and the Chipmunks
A L V I N ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Struggling songwriter Dave Seville (Jason Lee) opens his home to a talented trio of chipmunks named Alvin, Simon and Theodore, they become overnight music sensations. But when a greedy record producer (David Cross) tries to exploit the "boys", Dave must use a little human ingenuity and a lot of 'munk mischief to get his furry family back before it's too late!Families come in many different shapes and sizes, but few humans consider rodents members of the family. Dave Seville (Jason Lee) is no exception, so when this flailing musician finds three young talking chipmunks gorging themselves in his kitchen cupboards, Dave is quick to question his sanity and then toss the offending chipmunks outside into the rain and restore order. When Dave hears the chipmunks singing outside his window, he realizes that that unusual trio might just be the world's next vocal sensation and he strikes a bargain with them--the chipmunks can stay with him if they sing his songs. While chipmunks Alvin (Justin Long), Theodore (Jesse McCartney), and Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) quickly begin to see Dave as a father figure, it's strictly a business arrangement for Dave and he maintains an appropriate emotional distance. Dave's frustration with the chipmunks mounts as they unwittingly wreak havoc on his personal life, but when Dave's old friend and record label mogul Ian (David Cross) begins to exploit the chipmunks for personal gain, Dave suddenly realizes what an important part of his life, and indeed his family, the three chipmunks have become. Hilarity reins in this live action/CGI comedy with many memorable scenes--think chipmunks showering in the dishwasher, riding in remote control planes, and bouncing off the walls under the influence of a serious caffeine buzz. Catchy Chipmunks' songs both new and old promise to lodge themselves in the minds of viewers long after the credits roll and even those none-too-enchanted with the premise of singing chipmunks can't help but be entertained by this comical film. (Ages 6 and older with parental guidance due to mild rude humor) --Tami Horiuchi
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