Reviews

Alvin and the Chipmunks

All funked up

By BROOKE HOLGERSON | December 12, 2007

1.0 Stars

VIDEO: Watch the trailer for Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Depending on when you were born and how much affection you have for a trio of singing rodents, Alvin and the Chipmunks may be a tough sell. A pop-culture sensation in the late ’50s partly because of their weirdness, they need to be handled with whimsy — which is not director Tim Hill’s forte. Also not helping matters are the charmless CGI chipmunks and a strictly-for-the-paycheck performance by Jason Lee as the put-upon Dave Seville, who finds the munks, as they’re sometimes called in this “hip” reinvention, trashing his house in their never-ending quest for food. A legendary musical collaboration ensues, and a gimmick is born, just in time for the holidays. Those who remember it from childhood might be charmed by “The Chipmunk Song,” which appears in the film. Less so the Chipmunk version of “Funky Town.” 91 minutes | Boston Common + Fenway + Fresh Pond + Chestnut Hill + Suburbs

Related: Enchanted, Horton Hears a Who!, Night at the Museum, More

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