# No, please...it can't be...Alvin & the Chipmunks, CGI and live-action.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-please-it-cant-be-alvin-the-chipmunks-cgi-and-live-action/410908>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 7, 2007, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-please-it-cant-be-alvin-the-chipmunks-cgi-and-live-action/410908 "2007-07-07T22:28:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-please-it-cant-be-alvin-the-chipmunks-cgi-and-live-action/410908/21 "2007-12-16T07:38:36Z")

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[QUOTE=mobo85]  
I seem to recall that Ross Bagdasarian Jr and his wife, the current chipmunk voices, were to reprise their roles, but they’ve been replaced by Jesse McCartney (singer, _Beautiful Soul_ et al), Matthew Gray Gubler (_Criminal Minds_), **and Justin Long (“I’m a Mac” from Apple commercials).**  
[/QUOTE]

(bolding mine)

… _cries for her incipient crush since Live Free or Die Hard shut up, geekboys are hot_

Alvin and the Chipmunks: the new movie. Proof that God exists, and that we have royally pissed Him off.

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-please-it-cant-be-alvin-the-chipmunks-cgi-and-live-action/410908/22 "2007-12-16T11:04:59Z")

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It’s not Tolstoy, for god’s sake. It’s a bunch of chipmunks. Lighten up.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-please-it-cant-be-alvin-the-chipmunks-cgi-and-live-action/410908/23 "2008-01-06T04:46:13Z")

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Just saw it today with my boys, ages 11, 8 and 4. My eldest gave it a B, my middle son gave it an A, and my youngest doesn’t understand the concept of letter grades. I’d give it… maybe a C+. Not nearly as annoying as I thought it might be. A few laughs, some impressive CGI work, and Jason Lee’s character has a totally hot sometime-girlfriend, so all in all it wasn’t the worst way to spend a few hours on a rainy afternoon.

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**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-please-it-cant-be-alvin-the-chipmunks-cgi-and-live-action/410908/24 "2008-01-06T05:34:26Z")

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I saw it on New Year’s day with my kids. The chipmunks themselves are great – when they’re on screen doing their songs or making trouble the movie is a lot of fun. I particularly liked how they kept doing “chipmunky” things – like compulsively hiding food all over the house.

The biggest problem is that overall it doesn’t hold together from scene to scene. Jason Lee’s character is all over the place, lurching back and forth between loving and hating the little guys, and the “action climax” is almost totally devoid of excitement.

But moments like Simon deadpanning “We’re TALKING CHIPMUNKS, Dave. We can get out of a cat carrier.” actually made me laugh out loud.

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