I have always been a big fan of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Though the films aren’t directly targeted to me, I understand their innocence and find a unique sense of humor in their antics and their immensely high-ranged vocals with downright flawless harmonies. All that is to say that I was mildly excited for Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Trip, and that excitement quickly vaporized during the film’s rough opening act.
Beginning with a backyard party that is awkwardly recorded by way of an iPhone, it doesn’t take long for the chipmunks to find themselves on the wrong side of the discipline stick. We quickly discover that the threesome has been sitting at home, bored out of their minds due to Dave’s decision to remove music from their lives. All the while the Chipettes score the ‘highly’ coveted guest spot as American Idol judges and appear to have a flourishing career.
But things really take a snarky turn when Alvin, Simone and Theodore find themselves face to face with Dave’s new girlfriend and her overly cruel (and highly mean spirited) son. It is at this point that the central plot points (if we want to call them that) begin to take shape as Alvin spots an engagement ring in Dave’s bag. Imaginations run wild, and the crew suddenly finds themselves booking a flight to Miami to disrupt the planned engagement.
Forgoing the music, a main staple of the franchise, Walt Becker attempts to entertain with comedic relief, witty banter and juvenile disobedience. And while it likely works for the under seven crowd, the detour from the usual brings an unfamiliar sense of uncertainty that rings far too loud for comfort.
Things get a bit absurd (as if talking chipmunks aren’t enough) when the gang sneaks onto the airplane and Theodore becomes a freedom fighter in the luggage bin, setting a herd of animals free to roam the halls and force an unscheduled landing. Here we meet Agent Suggs, a flight marshal who, thanks to some personal history, wants nothing more than to send the pint-sized singers to a jail cell. The cat and mouse chase is heavily overplayed, especially early on, and the film drags as a result.
When the crew finally makes its way through a country western bar, a night asleep in a tree and a rugged bus stop, they find themselves connecting with their potential brother-to-be and second guessing their trip. But they pursue on, adamant on stopping the engagement and ensuring that they don’t have to share their ‘father’ with anyone.
As the film wages on, offering up an atrocious string of moral lessons and a slew of already assumed misunderstandings, you can’t help but be okay with the harmless fun, yet somewhat disappointed with the end result. The lack of music, the limited presence of the Chipettes, and the ridiculous acting of Josh Green (potential future brother Miles) all combine to allow Road Trip to travel to a new low for the budding franchise. It’s a lazy form that meets the bare requirements to consider it a feature length film.
While I refuse to think that the franchise itself has peaked, I do think that the creative minds at work here have long past peaked. Road Trip is not an attribute to the series, and hopefully won’t fully derail it from receiving future installments.
