If you’ve been friends with me within the past two years, you’ll know that I have oddly strong opinions about the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies.
It all began during the 2021 holiday season when I decided to rewatch the movies, not anticipating the can of worms that would burst open in my brain — for the sake of focusing on the holiday theme, we’ll just be diving into the first one and all of its ridiculousness.
Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) follows three chipmunks, Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) as they go from living in the forest to finding a new home with their human songwriter-turned-adoptive-father, Dave (Jason Lee).
The first scene features the three chipmunks storing nuts in their tree. We can tell they’re down on their luck, because they’re singing Bad Day by Daniel Powter. I cannot make this up. Even if you never watch this movie again, I strongly encourage you to listen to this cover.
The facial expression I made upon first hearing it remains indescribable, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t go kind of hard. There's something absurd about sitting down at 1:30 a.m. and taking notes on a film featuring three chipmunks sadly singing pop music, though I found it to be oddly comforting. Yes, I was having a bad day. I saw myself in those Chipmunks, and I think I should be worried.
They end up at Dave’s house after their home is used as a Christmas tree for JETT Records. Dave initially kicks them out, but he discovers something special about them: They’re exploitable. They win him over with their rendition of Only You by The Platters, and honestly, it won me over at first, too. I was ready to believe they had produced an unironically good cover, but I judged it too soon. How could they both make me cringe and give me chills in a matter of seconds? Such is the duality of munk, I suppose.
Dave realizes they’re what he needs to become a serious songwriter. In a pre-sleep rush of motivation, Dave writes The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late).
Soon, the chipmunks’ careers take off and they’re picked up by the chief executive of JETT Records — a.k.a. the backbone of these movies — Ian Hawke (David Cross). He makes them perform music that’s not their style, rendering me speechless in the process. Hearing a chipmunk sing the lines “Iced out, rocks hot / Droppin' dollars, ladies holler "Hey" / Gotta get that cream” is a scene that never quite leaves your mind.
The movie ends with Dave finally admitting that the three chipmunks are his family after repeatedly denying it for most of the film. I think the movie pushes the idea that Dave’s reluctance to say so is because of his commitment issues, when it should be the fact that they are literal rodents and he is a human man. I guess you could consider this a found family story, so if that’s up your alley, this could be a new fave.
Unfortunately, this movie had many moments I found embarrassingly relatable and kind of funny. Watching Dave deal with the mess of his life in an unusually calm “this is fine” sort of way hits differently now than it ever did before. It’s worth a rewatch this holiday season, if you can withstand a little absurdity.
It all began during the 2021 holiday season when I decided to rewatch the movies, not anticipating the can of worms that would burst open in my brain — for the sake of focusing on the holiday theme, we’ll just be diving into the first one and all of its ridiculousness.
Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) follows three chipmunks, Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) as they go from living in the forest to finding a new home with their human songwriter-turned-adoptive-father, Dave (Jason Lee).
The first scene features the three chipmunks storing nuts in their tree. We can tell they’re down on their luck, because they’re singing Bad Day by Daniel Powter. I cannot make this up. Even if you never watch this movie again, I strongly encourage you to listen to this cover.
The facial expression I made upon first hearing it remains indescribable, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t go kind of hard. There's something absurd about sitting down at 1:30 a.m. and taking notes on a film featuring three chipmunks sadly singing pop music, though I found it to be oddly comforting. Yes, I was having a bad day. I saw myself in those Chipmunks, and I think I should be worried.
They end up at Dave’s house after their home is used as a Christmas tree for JETT Records. Dave initially kicks them out, but he discovers something special about them: They’re exploitable. They win him over with their rendition of Only You by The Platters, and honestly, it won me over at first, too. I was ready to believe they had produced an unironically good cover, but I judged it too soon. How could they both make me cringe and give me chills in a matter of seconds? Such is the duality of munk, I suppose.
Dave realizes they’re what he needs to become a serious songwriter. In a pre-sleep rush of motivation, Dave writes The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late).
Soon, the chipmunks’ careers take off and they’re picked up by the chief executive of JETT Records — a.k.a. the backbone of these movies — Ian Hawke (David Cross). He makes them perform music that’s not their style, rendering me speechless in the process. Hearing a chipmunk sing the lines “Iced out, rocks hot / Droppin' dollars, ladies holler "Hey" / Gotta get that cream” is a scene that never quite leaves your mind.
The movie ends with Dave finally admitting that the three chipmunks are his family after repeatedly denying it for most of the film. I think the movie pushes the idea that Dave’s reluctance to say so is because of his commitment issues, when it should be the fact that they are literal rodents and he is a human man. I guess you could consider this a found family story, so if that’s up your alley, this could be a new fave.
Unfortunately, this movie had many moments I found embarrassingly relatable and kind of funny. Watching Dave deal with the mess of his life in an unusually calm “this is fine” sort of way hits differently now than it ever did before. It’s worth a rewatch this holiday season, if you can withstand a little absurdity.