| 80 |
Film Threat
Absolutely--four out of five stars for being cuter, funnier, and, besides, the character design far exceeded my expectations.
|
| 63 |
Premiere
Andrew Grant
At times funny, and even occasionally witty, Alvin and the Chipmunks is a lively, entertaining romp that will certainly bring smiles to the young ones this holiday season.
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| 60 |
Variety
A harmless and frequently humorous trifle.
|
| 60 |
LA Weekly
Luke Y. Thompson
Lee, acting through gritted teeth, barely musters the energy to yell “Alvin!,” but the chipmunks themselves -- voiced by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney -- are surprisingly appealing, though their newly R&B-tinged rendition of “Witch Doctor” is god-awful.
|
| 60 |
Los Angeles Times
Michael Ordona
There is sweetness here. The scene in which Dave and the boys decorate the tree is charming, and the Chipmunks' excited presentation of gifts to their human dad is actually sort of touching. And dang it, the little animated rodents are cute.
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| 50 |
TV Guide
They’re baaaaack.
|
| 50 |
Washington Post
Youngsters who love the shrieky singing and don't notice the tapioca of the story will probably get their money's worth. Parents: Bring earplugs.
|
| 50 |
Chicago Reader
Live-action stars take a backseat to CGI chipmunks in this uneven family comedy.
|
| 50 |
Philadelphia Inquirer
Ultimately, the values and the CGI are good, but the acting is broad and the chipmunks aren't really differentiated. What happened to Alvin, the rodent counterpart of Dennis the Menace? Was he declawed in the translation to CGI?
|
| 50 |
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
As for children's entertainment needs, well, having seen both "The Golden Compass" and Alvin and the Chipmunks with a full theatre of four- to 12-year-olds, this reviewer is honour-bound to report that Alvin wins the kids' vote, paws down.
|
| 50 |
Chicago Sun-Times
About as good as a movie with these characters can probably be, and I am well aware that I am the wrong audience for this movie.
|
| 50 |
Chicago Tribune
So it’s one of those Hip, Now updates, albeit with jokes riffing on pop-cult artifacts that are already Then. I mean: “Jerry Maguire”? Moratorium!
|
| 50 |
The Hollywood Reporter
Unfortunately, as rendered here by the average-looking CGI effects, the characters are underwhelming in their appeal, lacking the charm of their previous animated incarnations.
|
| 42 |
The Onion (A.V. Club)
There's just not enough here for a movie. It's almost as if some ideas were meant to live for three and a half minutes each Christmas season, not to get stretched to the breaking point for 50 years.
|
| 40 |
The New York Times
Andy Webster
Despite its shout-outs to the holiday season, this is essentially airplane fodder, not a perennial. Don’t hold your breath waiting for the sequel.
|
| 40 |
Empire
Fun musical numbers and cartoonish humour give way to a bland sermon about the evils of the music industry.
|
| 38 |
USA Today
The movie is devoid of laughs, except for a mildly funny segment when one of the chipmunks inhales helium. And since this is aimed at the under-10 set, it includes the requisite flatulence joke and a spit take or two.
|
| 38 |
Charlotte Observer
Lee sleepwalks through his part, even in romantic scenes with equally bland Cameron Richardson.
|
| 38 |
New York Daily News
If karma exists, Alvin and the Chipmunks must be Lee's punishment for appearing in the likes of "Jersey Girl."
|
| 25 |
Boston Globe
Like most family movies these days, "Alvin" is torn between the glitz that sells and the homilies that endure. It's a load of Ting Tang Wallet-Wallet Bling Blang.
|
| 25 |
San Francisco Chronicle
A movie that features a cartoon rodent eating his brother's feces, and do you really need to know more about this update of Ross Bagdasarian's iconic musical creation?
|
| 20 |
Austin Chronicle
They shoot rodents, don't they?
|
| 0 |
New York Post
This partially animated, charm-free atrocity is awful enough to instantly cure any remaining nostalgia for the rodent trio.
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