Still sounding as cute as ever after all these years

Film review: Alvin and the Chipmunks

Alvin and The Chipmunks belong to a simpler time. Ours hold that anything can be animated and any sound can be preserved, twisted, layered or made into whatever technology makes possible. 50 years ago though, the mere sound of their out-of-a-helium-filled-balloon singing voices was enough to amaze adults and send kids in a tizzy. Parang Mickey Mouse, we once described it, although Mickey enunciated better.

In that long ago time, I was one of those who wondered if chipmunks could really sing. My mother said no, but I liked them anyway and I listened to Alvin, Simon and Theodore as much as I did to Ricky Nelson and The Fleetwoods. I could not get enough of Christmas Don’t Be Late and Witch Doctor and I enjoyed hearing David scream at the irrepressible Alviiiiiin! at the top of his lungs.

Years later, I was surprised to find out that chipmunks are really quite small. The local house rats are even bigger. No more wondering if they were real or not then. That did not stop me from listening to the songs of Alvin and his brothers though, most especially to the Christmas album which is really a little gem.

Then suddenly a few days ago, the Chipmunks, bigger than real chipmunks, or I should say, bigger than life, were in town. The mascots were promoting Alvin and the Chipmunks, the very first ever Chipmunks movie. It sure took them a long time to come to the big screen but they are finally here. It is too late for me to believe they could be real. But I am certainly not too old not to remember I once had fun with Chipmunks music and could still enjoy the movie.

There is nothing new about The Chipmunks but because it is the trio’s first, Alvin and the Chipmunks is anchored on how it all started. It is about how the little tykes met David Seville and embarked on their career as a pop singing group. Also because the Christmas album is their biggest seller, the picture is set during the Christmas Season so they could sing Christmas Don’t Be Late as Dave’s first hit in the soundtrack. Besides you really have to admit that they look cute amidst the snow and the trimmings and so pitiful losing their evergreen home which was cut down to become, what else, but a Christmas tree.

They find another one soon enough, with struggling songwriter David, played by Jason Lee of the TV show My Name is Earl. He is not the ideal human for the homeless brothers. Frustrated because he has been unable to sell his songs, he has also lost his girl and his job. The arrival of the Chipmunks soon adds anger and exasperation. But then as though to make up for the mess they make, they show David they could talk and sing his songs.

What follows next is the formulaic rise-to-fame and regret later story about David and The Chipmunks. Alvin, Simon and Theodore become singing idols, enjoy fame and the perks that come with it, become prey to an unscrupulous manager and suffer burn-out. Thanks to the hit songs, David’s personal situation improves but life with The Chipmunks is not easy and he too is about to give up. As expected, all things are then set right for the happy ending.

Presented in combined live action and animation, Alvin and The Chipmunks caters to two types of fans. The main one are the kids, who will surely identify with the Munks and fantasize about the pop star life. You know, fame, money, goodies to eat, lots of toys, trips everywhere and late nights, plus the right to be naughty. And they. Hopefully, like the Chipmunks, they will also understand what being well-behaved and considerate means and the value of friendship, loyalty and family.

Then there are those who remember The Chipmunks as the first non-human singing stars, who sat through the inane animated version on TV and who wondered why nobody wanted to make a movie about The Chipmunks. In a way, it is good that it didn’t happen then. It is easier to suspend disbelief when you have live actors playing against animated figures.

Everything is as they remember. Incorrigible Alvin, genius Simon and baby Theodore can charm their way into anybody’s heart and Lee does a very good Alvinnnnn! that is right out of the old LPs. And that is the most important thing about Alvin and the Chipmunks for them. It brings back the old songs. Just as it was in the beginning, smiles come on whenever a Munk song plays in the soundtrack. And there are lots of them. And as though to twit the unbelievers, the filmmakers laid out all those hit albums in the closing credits for all to see. They still sound cute after all these years.