Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip – Film Review

In The Road Chip, Dave (Jason Lee) and his love interest, Samantha (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), are hitting it off really well. But Samantha’s son, Miles (Josh Green) is a real bully, so when Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) discover a wedding ring box in their home, the chipmunks, along with Miles, plot to go to Miami, where Dave and Samantha are spending a holiday and stop the proposal.
If you are a parent wondering what to watch with your children or perhaps even an older sibling whose been given babysitting duty, this movie will definitely be a hit with the kids.
Of course it goes without saying that the plot is very corny; you definitely get what you expect. With characters that we are not unfamiliar with – who are basically presented in a Power Ranger-type fashion – our colour-coded protagonists take us through their journey to Miami as they sing and trick their way through airport security and night clubs.
Thankfully, the story is not so dreary to follow. The characters are still very entertaining and the punchlines are not too forced.
You have the occasional poke at mainstream entertainment, a few classic punch lines and, of course, some adult humour in order to keep all the members of the audience entertained. But the jokes are handled in a way that they seem genuinely funny and the more adult punch lines are subtle enough that they might just slip under your child’s radar.
I found the scenes with the chipmunks to be more interesting than the scenes with Dave, which is good because it would be sad if the main characters do not manage to carry the movie. But I think what makes this film more interesting than The Chipmunks’ previous instalments is the addition of Miles, who makes for a pretty cheeky character.
The chemistry between Miles and the chipmunks probably owes to the fact that there is a certain charm to this new character, who displays the right amount of depth – he is not flat but we do not know too much about him either.
His depth becomes a little more contrived toward the end, though. But, I mean, with some movies you can only go so far before it becomes clichéd.
Another reason why The Road Chip is not too tedious to watch is because its beats move along the plot quite quickly – so, parents, you will not have to grit your teeth all the way through. It is a cute, light-hearted movie that does all that it is supposed to do and it presents the kind of humour that is slowly dying out; so you might actually cherish its corniness.
Even though it is not the most novel movie out there, you might find the experience more rewarding than you expected.
Yes, it is mediocre entertainment at its best. But it is humour that you can appreciate more than once with its easy laughs and light content.