Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 : The Squeakquel

Review by Sean Lynch

With films like Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel you just have to stop every impulse inside of your movie loving brain telling you how "damn terrible this is" and replace those thoughts with "It's for the kids".

In the Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (geez, even the title is cringe worthy), pop sensations Alvin, Simon and Theodore end up in the care of Dave Seville's twenty-something nephew Toby (Zachary Levi). The boys must put aside their new found music super stardom to return to school, and are tasked with saving the school's music program by winning the $25,000 prize in a battle of the bands.

But the Chipmunks unexpectedly meet their match in three singing chipmunks known as "The Chipettes" - Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette. Romantic and musical sparks are ignited when the Chipmunks and Chipettes square off.

For a movie which took in over $360M worldwide... surely better minds could have been put to work on this mind-numbingly poor sequel. The almost embarrassing cheapness and laziness of the storyline (essentially High School Musical meets Glee... with Chipmunks) is at times, vile, once again promoting that pitiful American obsession with fame and popularity.

Yes - the message comes through that "Remembering your family is more important than being cool"... but if you really don't want kids to grow up to be Paris Hilton... don't make that option look so damn appealing!

There is the almost inexplicable inclusion (or lack) of Jason Lee's Dave Seville. Clearly Lee couldn't get out of his contract for the sequel after the backlash he received from the first, so his appearance here is nigh-on pointless. The late inclusion of Zachary Levi (a third rate Zack Braff if ever I've seen one) is also beyond comprehension - with his character so unlikeable or relevant that his so-called "story arc" simply doesn't make sense. And don't even get me started on the bounty of Pop-Culture references totally irrelevant to the target audience (and cringeworthy to those who "get it").

The voice cast for the chipmunks is actually astounding (Justin Long, Anna Faris, Christina Applegate, Jesse McCartney and Amy Poehler), but seems like a complete waste of cash for two reason: firstly, the target market has NO IDEA who these guys are... and more importantly... the "Chipmunk" voice disguises the talent so much, you could just as easily get the janitor to record a couple of lines and no one would be any the wiser.

Now admittedly, all of these qualms have little-to-no effect on the kiddies watching the movie itself. The animated chipmunks are simply adorable and mesmerising, the tunes are insanely boppy and the whole ordeal wraps up nice and quickly to avoid a loss of concentration. They will love it.

However, parents also have to endure Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel as well... and they really will struggle here.

Do yourself a favour - take the kids to far superior The Princess & The Frog or even Planet 51 these holidays... it's just as entertaining for the kids, and it won't give parents a brain hemorrhage.

2 out of 5

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Australian release: 26th December, 2009
Official Site: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Cast: Justin Long, Anna Faris, Matthew Gray Gubler, Christina Applegate, Jesse McCartney, Amy Poehler, David Cross
Director: Betty Thomas