Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” released in 2009, starts exactly where the first movie left off. The three CGI chipmunks – Alvin, Simon and Theodore – have started their singing careers after leaving their horrible manager Ian Hawke, and are going to have a concert in Paris. Their friend, who is also their “dad,” “keeper,” and “manager,” Dave Deville has an accident, has some bones broken, and is sent to a Paris hospital. (Stuff like this happens a lot with the Chipmunks. They normally leave a path of destruction wherever they go.)

The chipmunks fly home to Los Angeles and are in the care with Dave’s lazy brother, Toby, played by Zachary Levi, who sends our three friends off to West Eastman High School to start learning. Two problems arrive to the Chipmunks: their ex-manager Ian shows up again, who is a classic Hollywood hustler, and they have competition with a female chipmunk trio called the Chipettes, who have actually signed on with Ian.

The Chipettes, voiced by the hot Anna Faris, Christina Applegate (who you might remember as Kelly from the Fox sitcom “Married…with Children”) and SNL star Amy Poehler are the female versions of the Chipmunks and they become the boys love interests. However, before any hint of chipmunks love, there’s a chaos involving a lot of snack foods, a single fart joke, a football game, a battle at the zoo, a talent contest, and the school principal, Dr. Rubin, played by Wendie Malick, who despite her strict outer appearance is a huge fan of the Chipmunks.

Kelly Vance stated in her review, “Like the Three Stooges, McHale's Navy, and the Brides of Funkenstein, the Chipmunks are a true pop-cultural sleeper sensation.” Not even you or anyone you know likes the Chipmunks, and they have ninety million fans who remember the entire lyrics to Christmas Don’t Be Late and Alvin’s Harmonica and who’ll watch this movie with their children who love Alvin as well. Vance goes on to say, “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel will undoubtedly sell more tickets than Brothers, Up in the Air, and A Single Man combined. Remind yourself that while watching the boys sing "You Really Got Me," "Stayin' Alive," and "We Are Family." They should have made Pirate Radio with the Chipmunks instead of live actors.”

This movie was directed by Betty Thomas, a former actress who went to directing ordinary crowd-pleasers like “The Brady Bunch Movie,” “Doctor Dolittle,” “28 Days,” and “I Spy.” Vance mentioned, “Sometime in the Eighties, she guest-starred on SCTV in an extended skit with John Candy called "South Sea Sinner," set in a dive called Cognac's Bottom of the Barrel Club. The club's host, a mock-sinister, white-suited fugitive named Cognac (Candy), books the all-time loser acts — washed-up showbiz refugees from the States: Paul Revere from Paul Revere and the Raiders featuring Mark Lindsey, Sandler and Young, etc. Moral of this story: Alvin and the Chipmunks will never join the Bottom of the Barrel Club.” Even though we have heard them for 51 years, they’re still just as popular as they were back then.

If you have seen the first movie and you didn’t like it, than chances are that you will not like this one, so don’t watch it. However, if you liked the first movie, I would say check this movie out. You might like it, but if you don’t, I completely understand. I won’t try and force you to like this movie because it’s not meant for everyone. I, on the other hand, did enjoy this movie and am glad I saw it.

Check in next week when I look at the third in the series, which I actually thought was going to be the last movie.