Alvin And The Chipmunks 4: The Road Chip

This review may contain spoilers!

This is a surprising return to form for the Chipmunks series. I would give Alvin And The Chipmunks 4: The Road Chip a 6/10.

The Chipmunks film has always presented themes of family and working together really well and in this fourth instalment those themes are back strong. This fascinating story about the Chipmunks fighting to keep the status quo of their family life style is really interesting, you find yourself caring deeply about many of the main protagonists in the film. The pacing is good, ultimately the well spaced musical numbers and return to engaging plot points makes this film move quite quickly. Furthermore the soundtrack for this film is superb, the music isn't forced and starts playing a role in the narrative again. The special effects used to create the Chipmunks, Chipettes and squirrels looks really good; they fit well against the live action cast.

Justin Long, who voiced Alvin, is a great protagonist for this film; as always the best part of these films is seeing Alvin earnestly accepting his mistakes. Matthew Gray Gubler, who voiced Simon, has the perfect voice to play the nerdier character of the group; he acts as a strong conscience to the rest of the protagonists. Jesse McCartney, who voiced Theodore, is the most charming of the Chipmunks; the scene where Theodore gets hit by a car in this film is one of the best and most emotional. Josh Green, who played Miles, is a wonderful newcomer to these films; I really liked the backstory about his father and the character development he goes through as a result of the Chipmunks in this film. Christina Applegate, Kaley Cuoco and Anna Faris, who voiced Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette respectively, really match up to the Chipmunks voice actors despite being a bit underused in this film; the Chipettes always have a lot of presence when they're in their scenes. Jennifer Coolidge, who played Ms Price, has a really great appearance in this film; I thoroughly enjoyed her comedic line delivery. Uzo Aduba, who played TSA Officer, was another one of many great cameos in this film; her presence meant that a scene that could have been reduced to toilet humour was saved and made quite entertaining. Retta and Stefan Gordy, who played Party Planner and himself, really kicked the film off with the great cameos; their shared comedic interactions are what made me realise this film might very well be a return to form for the Chipmunk films. Flula Borg, who played Man Behind Mask, was another great cameo in this film; I really enjoyed his tattoo scene.

However the best performance came from Jason Lee, who played Dave. Lee has always been a constant within these films; he interacts well against his animated counterparts. What he does really well in his performance is deliver really strong dialogue that feels very realistic and fits his father figure dynamic well. Ultimately Lee really embodies the family values that these films present.

The humour in this film falls spectacularly flat most of the time, the film relies on dumbed down comedy or puns that make you groan inwardly. The score for this film is really bland, in fact it feels like an over the top piece that belongs with a Disney Junior show. The cinematography in this film is very basic, the shots accommodate the Chipmunks well without ever actually presenting interesting visuals. The editing follows the cinematography in that it plays to a very basic film making rule book; the cuts are simple and don't help heighten the film.

Kimberly Williams-Paisley, who played Samantha, was a really strange character in this film; ultimately the romance subplot between her and Lee was quite hashed and they didn't have much chemistry. Tony Hale, who played Agent Suggs, was another weak antagonist in the series; Hale played his role far too over the top to be entertaining. Bella Thorne, who played Ashley Grey, had very little reason to actually be in this film; it was painfully awkward watching her interact with Green. Eddie Steeples, who played Barry, is a minor character that was given far too much screen time; honestly he had about two or three scenes too many. Laura Marano, who played Hotel Baby Sitter, was playing a basic stereotype; I'm quite tired of the teenage stereotypes that are slapped carelessly into kids or comedy films.