We haven’t seen much of The Chipmunks since their 1980’s TV cartoon. And you’ve never seen them like this. Alvin, Simon and Theodore are on the big screen for the first time in “Alvin and the Chipmunks.”
Jason Lee stars as David Seville, a songwriter who’s having trouble coming-up with good songs. One night the three Chipmunks get into his house and Dave discovers that not only are they messy, but they can talk and sing. Dave figures out that if he can get the Chipmunks to sing his songs they’ll all become famous!
And it works. But Dave’s agent (played by David Cross) only cares about using the Chipmunks to make a lot of money. He takes them away from Dave and forces the trio to work too hard. So it’s up to Dave to save them.
There are a lot of musical numbers in “Alvin and the Chipmunks”, including Chipmunks classics: “The Witch Doctor” and “The Chipmunk Song” (Christmas Don’t Be Late), and there’s versions of new songs such as “Bad Day.” All the songs are excellent. The sold-out crowd at the showing I was at cheered after “Funkytown”.
“Alvin and the Chipmunks” is a lot of fun. The CGI animation is great – the Chipmunks look pretty real. Overall, the movie is very entertaining even though the plot is rather simple.
Doing the voices of The Chipmunks are Justin Long (Alvin), Mathew Grey Gubler (Simon) and Jesse McCartney (Theodore).
The film is rated PG for a little rude humor but it’s appropriate for everyone. In fact, it’s one of the funniest family films of the year.
“On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Alvin and the Chipmunks” gets a B.
And…by the way…I agree: “Please, Christmas don’t be late.”
Lights Camera Jackson (a.k.a. Jackson Murphy) began his career as a film critic/entertainment reporter in 2006 at the age of 7. Jackson has written nearly 1,000 reviews of new releases. All together he has seen more than 1,500 films. In 2010, Jackson became the youngest person to win a NY Emmy Award, for his on-air movie reviews on Time Warner TV station, Capital News 9.
LCJ appears every Friday morning on WGNA-FM . His movie reviews are also posted on his website, his YouTube channel and the popular website Cultjer.com. He is also a contributing writer for Jerry Beck’s AnimationScoop.com. Jackson hosts the weekly internet pop culture news show “LCJ LIVE” (every Sunday at Noon ET). And “The LCJ Q&A Podcast” features interviews with celebrities and filmmakers. Among those who have joined LCJ on the show are comedy legend Gilbert Gottfried, “Wallace & Gromit” creator Nick Park, Emmy-winning game show host Todd Newton and Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody.
Lights Camera Jackson has been co-starring in photographs with his favorite celebrities since he was 6 years old. “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest appeared in the first. Seacrest was a VIP guest at a local telethon. Jackson, a big fan of “Idol”, approached Seacrest during a break and asked for an autograph. The “Idol” star eagerly obliged. Jackson and Ryan then posed for this photo.
Since then Jackson’s collection of photos with stars from film, TV, stage and sports has grown to over 400. Every one represents a special moment in the life/career of Lights Camera Jackson and includes its own unique backstory.