page_title: Alvin and the Chipmunks (film)
section_title: Critical reviews
hierarchical_section_title: Alvin and the Chipmunks (film) / Reception / Critical reviews
caption_attribution_description: Comedian/actor David Cross at the 2007 Plug Awards, Irving Plaza, NYC
context_page_description: Alvin and the Chipmunks is a 2007 American live action/computer animated musical comedy film directed by Tim Hill. Based on the characters of the same name created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr., the film stars Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney, with Jason Lee, David Cross, Cameron Richardson, and Jane Lynch in supporting roles.
  It was released worldwide on December 14, 2007, by 20th Century Fox and produced by Fox 2000 Pictures and Regency Enterprises. Alvin and the Chipmunks grossed $217 million in North America and $361 million at the box office worldwide on a budget of $60 million and was the seventh-best-selling DVD of 2008, earning over $101 million. Despite this, the film received generally unfavorable reviews from critics.
  Alvin and the Chipmunks is the first live action/animated film starring Alvin and the Chipmunks since Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks was released in 2003, as that film features puppetry used for the Chipmunks and this film features computer animation used for them.
context_section_description: Rotten Tomatoes reported that "critics say this may be the weakest vehicle for the helium-voiced rodents yet," elaborating, "the pundits say despite a few laughs, this is pretty bland stuff: dated, weakly constructed, and lacking in three-dimensional characters of the human or CGI variety." As of November 2016, the film holds a score of 28% of 109 critical reviews being fresh, and has a normalized rating of 39/100 based on 23 professional reviews. However, it had a far more favorable audience reception, as indicated by its CinemaScore grade of an A. Alvin and the Chipmunks is an "occasionally rancid but mostly just dull film that isn’t as excruciating as Garfield: The Movie," concluded Creative Loafing; and Total Film summarized it consists of "trite family values, mediocre CGI and a shallow anti-exploitation message." News & Review summarized Alvin and the Chipmunks as "disposable junk that’ll probably be forgotten in a month," but Philip French wrote that "kids will love it and I found it tolerable."
  Critics called its plot "predictable," "pencil-thin," "over-familiar," "paper-thin," "strictly by-the-numbers," "airplane fodder," and in "formulaic Disney Channel territory." Jeff Vice wrote, "Even at a relatively scant 92 minutes, the film feels a little padded. And again, relying on lowest common-denominator humor is a sure sign of desperation on the part of the three credited screenwriters." Explained the Daily Mirror, "things like storyline and character development are barely in evidence with the whole point of the movie being to keep the chipmunks on screen." The most common censure was the film's satire on commercialism, which was hypocritical due to being bombarded with popular brands, including the chipmunks themselves. Explained Burr, the film's message "is torn between the glitz that sells and the homilies that endure." Slant Magazine, somewhat enjoyed Alvin of the Chipmunks for being "intermittently cute," and "you may even appreciate it as a music-industry satire;" and The Globe and Mail writer Stephen Cole called its non-musical segments "pretty funny and absolutely adult-friendly" while more annoyed by the chipmunks singing. The Toronto Star also thought the unoriginal plot was made up for by endless "entertaining antics," and a San Francisco Chronicle critic found "a few funny moments" in the mostly "soulless" content, such as a joke making fun of lip-syncing in live performances. Anna Smith also highlighted its "cartoonish visual comedy," and "the ’munks themselves are pretty cute: their nimbly choreographed version of Funky Town is a hoot, and chubby Theodore is bound to elicit “aahhs” as he snuggles up to Dave after having nightmares." Los Angeles Times was also favorable towards the film's "sweetness."
  Explained Ty Burr, "the script leans heavily on the pranks and big-eyed cuteness of the li'l guys and leaves the live actors with unfunny dialogue and nothing to do." According to The New York Times, "its animated protagonists are egregiously eclipsed by the live-action characters." Chicago Reader criticized the "cardboard" characters of David Seville and Ian Hawke. Some critics disliked Lee's under-acting, particularly his underwhelming yelling of the word "Alvin!" In Premiere's view, "Jason Lee makes for a sympathetic Dave, yet there's an almost somnambulistic quality to his performance;" and Vice wrote that Lee's "rather 'cartoony' acting style here leaves a lot to be desired." However, Lee's acting did have some supporters for working as a likable protagonist, such as Time Out, a source that thought his "wry approach lends an edge to some of the script’s wittier moments." Some reviewers praised Cross' performance, such as Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic who called the villain the highlight of the film: "Cross is hilarious in everything he does, but he's surprisingly effective in a kids comedy. His villainy is so broad that it's never really scary, and he's so funny that you never tire of seeing him on-screen." However, one reviewer, Tim Robey, admitted to being annoyed by Cross in the film. 
caption: Several film reviewers praised Cross' performance as the villain.[124][110]
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