Film

Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in Chicago, plus articles, trailers and more

 

Alvin And The Chipmunks 2 : The Squeakquel (2009)

Director: Betty Thomas

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Given that Alvin and chums originally started out in 1958 as a trio of high-pitched recording artists, it’s only right that this live-action ‘squeakquel’ should begin with the furry little CG blighters wooing a concert crowd with a raucous Kinks cover. Unfortunately, it’s the film’s only highlight – if the sight of three annoying furballs murdering ‘You Really Got Me’ can be considered a highlight.

I’d like to think the filmmakers had a lengthy deliberation about a storyline, but I suspect they simply caught an episode of ‘The X Factor’ and the recently released ‘Bandslam’ and thought a premise involving a self-centred Alvin, a rival group of female chipmunks (The Chipettes) and a college talent contest would prove a mighty good wheeze. And, indeed, that might have been the case had the story any semblance of… a story. Instead, what we’re offered is a succession of lifeless scenes punctuated by pratfalls that only a handful of kids in the audience found funny. Next.

Author: Derek Adams

Time Out London Issue 2053/2054: 17–30 December, 2009


What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields





Features

Do overs!

Do overs!

After Race to Witch Mountain, what should Disney remake next?

Gray's anatomy

James Gray wants to push buttons—again.

The next big thing?

Gigantic Releasing tries to rethink indie distribution…without movie theaters.

Red Diva: Lyubov Orlova, First Lady of Soviet Cinema

So you think you can dance, comrade?

Puppet master

Coraline director Henry Selick takes stop-motion animation into 3-D.

Socratic method

Laurent Cantet's approach on the set matches the message of his film.

Wander woman

Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy puts a Bush-era spin on the road movie.

Oscars

Read our interviews with the nominees, our reviews of the nominated films and more.