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ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUELMovie Reviews
Animated tale about the famous trio Alvin and the Chipmunks meeting their match in the guise of the equally talented trio the Chipettes. Cast:Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartneyDirector:Betty ThomasRelease Date:December 23, 2009DVD Release:March 30, 2010From:20th Century FoxRating:PGLength:1 hr. 28 min.
MARCH 30, 2010
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Poor Reviews
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel played to poor reviews. • Peter Hartlaub wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...my 4-year-old laughed pretty much nonstop throughout... This was his 'Citizen Kane.' But despite its success as a babysitter for preschoolers, it's not a very good film." • And Bill Goodykoontz wrote in the Arizona Republic, "Whatever limited charms the first version had have since soured." More Reviews Below...
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Positive Reviews (24 Reviews, reviews below)
Richard Corliss, Time: POOR "...soul-sapping would-be comedy.... The picture's single triumph, true to the mercantile nature of the enterprise, is thunderously obvious product placement."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 886 words, 01/01/10
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: FAIR(cg) "...features a lame plastic plot that has Alvin and his boys going to high school, plus Zachary Levi doing sub-Adam Sandler routines as the chipmunks' caretaker."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 337 words, 01/01/10
Glenn Whipp, Associated Press: POOR(cg) "...they've basically dropped the Chipmunks into 'High School Musical' and, God help us, we'd take the warbling of Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens' any day..."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 12/23/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "...little time seems to have been spent casting the humans.... In fact, it seems as if no professional actors were hired in the making of this motion picture."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 501 words, 12/23/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: FAIR "The earlier 'Alvin' movie made more than $217 million just in the United States. It's hard to imagine this somewhat confused sequel doing as well."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 423 words, 12/23/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...the 6- to 10-year-old audience this movie is aimed at deserved better.... a hodgepodge of standard kid-film elements spread around a nest of fame-obsession."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 430 words, 12/23/09
Bryant Manning, Chicago Sun-Times: WEAK(cg) "These once charming and witty rodents have earned the right to make their goofy music in a new age, so why does this incarnation sound like a lot of white noise?"(See all of Bryant Manning's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 498 words, 12/23/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Director Betty Thomas brings a light campy touch... the tunes are sung by voices that seem to be working off a huge tank of helium, always a crowd pleaser..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 708 words, 12/23/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...it's far from the most unpleasant kiddie flick I've sat through this year, although I would be misleading you if I promised you lots of laughs."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 524 words, 12/24/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: POOR(cg) "For parents heading to 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,' a suggestion: Load an audiobook onto the iPod and bring one of those airline sleep-masks."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 327 words, 12/23/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "As shrill, partly-animated musicals about singing vermin go, 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel' really isn't all that bad."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 482 words, 12/23/09
Ella Taylor, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...capable mediocrity.... The rest is a horribly loud, partially comprehensible, and half-assed action movie, strewn with homilies about staying true to your sisters and bros..."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 12/23/09
KEY CITIES (8 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...this sequel to the 2007 feature about an animated trio of squeaky-voiced singing rodents is a fair sight better than the original. That's not saying a lot, admittedly."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 12/23/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: WEAK(cg) "Whatever limited charms the first version had - mostly David Cross' portrayal of Ian, the greedy manager who exploits the furry creatures - have since soured."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 12/23/09
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "...my 4-year-old laughed pretty much nonstop.... This was his 'Citizen Kane.' But despite its success as a babysitter for preschoolers, it's not a very good film."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 434 words, 12/23/09
David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "Alvin, Theodore and Simon are going to have to get by on their charm and chittering voices this time, because there's not much else to recommend this follow-up."(See all of David Hiltbrand's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 12/25/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "When Alvin opens a cupboard and exclaims, 'Holla! The cheeseballs are in the hizzouse!,' it opens up a whole new field of cultural offense: digital rodent blackface."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 469 words, 12/23/09
Charles Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The excellent animation makes up for a so-so plot, but it really doesn't matter. 'The Squeakquel' is for kids.... If the Chipmunks don't make you smile, you're nuts."(See all of Charles Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 215 words, 12/23/09
Sherry Robinson, St. Petersburg Times: FAIR(cg) "How do you make a movie with Anna Faris, Amy Poehler, David Cross, Jason Lee and Wendie Malick and not give them anything genuinely funny to say or do?"(See all of Sherry Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 597 words, 12/23/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: POOR(cg) "Whatever charms network executives saw in Zachary Levi, he hasn't the charisma to fill even a small fraction of the big screen. He doesn't try."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 395 words, 12/23/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (3 Reviews)
Ella Taylor, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...capable mediocrity.... The rest is a horribly loud, partially comprehensible, and half-assed action movie, strewn with homilies about staying true to your sisters and bros..."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 12/23/09
Lance Gould, Boston Phoenix: POOR(cg) "...wait, when an elderly woman in a wheelchair slips down the stairs, one step at a time, is it a clever reference to Sergei Eisenstein's 'Battleship Potemkin?' Nah."(See all of Lance Gould's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 175 words, 12/24/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: FAIR "The earlier 'Alvin' movie made more than $217 million just in the United States. It's hard to imagine this somewhat confused sequel doing as well."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 423 words, 12/23/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Director Betty Thomas brings a light campy touch... the tunes are sung by voices that seem to be working off a huge tank of helium, always a crowd pleaser..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 708 words, 12/23/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Joe Leydon, Daily Variety: GOOD "...undeniably funny... one thing leads to another in a manner sufficiently zippy to engage small fry with tiny attention spans. Older viewers should be mildly amused..."(See all of Joe Leydon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 876 words, 12/21/09
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "The tune selection might be different, but otherwise it's the same old song... very little about this contractual obligation of a sequel feels fresh or inventive."(See all of Michael Rechtshaffen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 494 words, 12/20/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Director Betty Thomas brings a light campy touch... the tunes are sung by voices that seem to be working off a huge tank of helium, always a crowd pleaser..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 708 words, 12/23/09
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: FAIR "The earlier 'Alvin' movie made more than $217 million just in the United States. It's hard to imagine this somewhat confused sequel doing as well."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 423 words, 12/23/09
19.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel's reviews are separated by an average 19.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (24 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel's reviews cover 42.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 11,106 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 463 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Coverage, Volume & Length (24 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 3 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel's reviews on average broke 3 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (24 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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