Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip | |
---|---|
Directed by | Walt Becker |
Written by | |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Peter Lyons Collister |
Edited by | Ryan Folsey |
Music by | Mark Mothersbaugh |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $90 million[2] |
Box office | $234 million[3] |
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip is a 2015 American family road adventure musical-comedy film directed by Walt Becker and written by Randi Mayem Singer and Adam Sztykiel.[4][5] The fourth installment in the Alvin and the Chipmunks film series, it stars Jason Lee, Tony Hale, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and Josh Green with the voices of Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Kaley Cuoco, Anna Faris, and Christina Applegate.
The film was released on December 18, 2015, by 20th Century Fox.[6]
Plot
Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, along with The Chipettes - Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor - set up a surprise birthday bash for Dave that also serves as a good luck party for The Chipettes, who are scheduled to be guest judges on American Idol. Alvin invites and hires many people and celebrities to the dismay of Simon, before Dave returns home in dissatisfaction. Nevertheless, Dave agrees to take them to mini-golf, and meet Samantha, the woman he has been dating for the past few months. While the Chipmunks like Samantha, her son Miles is a bully who physically abuses the trio. Later, the Chipmunks find an engagement ring in a bag Dave brought home and believe that he's going to propose to Samantha. They try to steal the ring but are unsuccessful.
Dave has to produce a record for rising pop artist Ashley Grey in Miami and decides to bring Samantha along with him. The Chipmunks and Miles are staying together, but they agree to head to Miami to sabotage the proposal. The Chipmunks drug three squirrels and dress them up in their clothes to fool their hard of seeing neighbor Ms. Price, who was tasked with looking after them. The Chipmunks travel on a plane, but Theodore lets out several animals which cause an emergency landing and brings the ire of unscrupulous air Marshall James Suggs, who resents the Chipmunks because Suggs' girlfriend left him for being so into them at the time. As a result, they are put in the No-Fly list.
The Chipmunks head to a bar and perform, but this is interrupted by Suggs and they cause a bar brawl as a diversion. They jump into a cab sitting outside. After the cab driver learns they cannot pay him, he kicks the four out of the cab. The Chipmunks and Miles rest, and he reveals that his dad left him when he was five years old. They raise money to take a bus to New Orleans, and sing "Uptown Funk", which gets the attention of Dave when it is broadcast on live television, and allows for the Chipmunks to cause Suggs, who has followed them to New Orleans, to get drunk.
Dave and Samantha meet up with Miles and the Chipmunks and proceed to take them to Miami. Because the Chipmunks are now on the No-Fly List, Dave has to drive the boys over. When they get there, Alvin reveals that he stole the ring from the container, thus ruining the proposal. However, Miles had bonded with the Chipmunks and was upset that they were celebrating over this. He crosses the street with his headphones on and is almost hit by a car, but the Chipmunks swing Theodore and push Miles out of the way, saving his life. They agree to give the ring back.
During the dinner, Suggs catches up with the Chipmunks, but they trap him in an elevator. Miles and the Chipmunks return the ring to Dave, who reveals he never intended to propose to Samantha, and the ring belonged to his friend Barry. Dave is very disappointed in the kids, so they try to make it up to him by singing a new song to him at the launch party with the help of The Chipettes, Ashley, and Miles. Having forgiven them, Dave returns home with the Chipmunks and takes them to a courthouse where he officially adopts them. Dave says that nothing could ruin his day, but returns home to see the squirrels had destroyed everything. He then predictably screams Alvin's name.
In a mid-credits scene, Suggs has escaped the elevator and decides to relax by the pool. Since he is fired as an air marshall for his obsession over the chipmunks, and since they are no longer wanted criminals, two hotel security guards carry him away.
Cast
- Jason Lee as David "Dave" Seville[7]
- Tony Hale as Agent James Suggs[8][9]
- Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Samantha[7]
- Josh Green as Miles[10]
- Bella Thorne as Ashley Grey[11]
- Eddie Steeples as Barry
- Maxie McClintock as Alice
- Retta as Party planner
- Uzo Aduba as TSA officer
- Mark Jeffrey Miller as Cab driver
- RedFoo (cameo) as himself[12]
- John Waters (cameo) as First class passenger[13][14]
- Jennifer Coolidge (cameo) as Ms. Price[14]
- Laura Marano (cameo) as Hotel Babysitter[15]
Voice cast
- Justin Long as Alvin Seville, leader of the Chipmunks.[7]
- Matthew Gray Gubler as Simon Seville, member of the Chipmunks.[7]
- Jesse McCartney as Theodore Seville, member of the Chipmunks.[7]
- Christina Applegate as Brittany, leader of the Chipettes.[16]
- Anna Faris as Jeanette, member of the Chipettes.[16]
- Kaley Cuoco as Eleanor, member of the Chipettes.[16] She was formerly voiced by Amy Poehler in the previous two films.
Production
In June 2013, 20th Century Fox announced that a fourth installment, Alvin and the Chipmunks 4, would be released on December 11, 2015.[17] In August 2014, Randi Mayem Singer signed on to write the fourth installment.[18] On December 18, 2014, it was announced that Walt Becker signed on to direct and that the film would be released on December 23, 2015. The movie was officially released on December 18, 2015. It was also announced that the film would be titled Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip.[19] In February 2015, Tony Hale joined the cast.[8] On March 10, 2015, Kimberly Williams-Paisley joined the cast.[7] On March 23, 2015, it was confirmed that Bella Thorne had joined the cast.[11] Principal photography began on March 16, 2015, and ended on May 20, 2015.[20][21]
Music
Mark Mothersbaugh, who previously scored Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, returned to score The Road Chip.[22]
Home media
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 15, 2016.[6]
Soundtrack
Untitled | |
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Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the licensed soundtrack based on the film. It was released on December 11, 2015, by Republic Records.[23] Only 2 songs that didn't feature The Chipmunks or The Chipettes.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performing Artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Juicy Wiggle (Munk Remix)" | Madeleine St. John | Redfoo (featuring The Chipmunks) | 3:50 |
2. | "Conga" | Enrique E. Garcia | The Chipmunks | 3:16 |
3. | "Oh My Love" | Eddie Anthony, Edan Dover | The Score | 3:37 |
4. | "South Side" | Thomas Rhett, Jesse Frasure, Chris Stapleton | The Chipmunks | 2:27 |
5. | "Iko Iko" | James Crawford, Barbara Hawkins, Rosa Hawkins, Joan Johnson | The Chipmunks | 2:00 |
6. | "Uptown Funk" | Jeff Bhasker, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Nicholas Williams, Devon Gallaspy, Lonnie Simmons, The Gap Band, Rudolph Taylor | The Chipmunks | 4:30 |
7. | "Geronimo" | Jay Bovino, Amy Sheppard, George Sheppard | Sheppard | 3:37 |
8. | "Turn Down for What" | DJ Snake | The Chipmunks | 3:34 |
9. | "Home" | Alana Da Fonseca, Jordan Yaeger, Jason Gleed, Bryan Spytzer | The Chipmunks and The Chipettes | 3:04 |
Total length: | 29:55 |
Reception
Box office
As of March 3, 2016[update], Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip has grossed $84.9 million in North America and $138.8 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $223.6 million, against a budget of $90 million.[3]
In the United States and Canada, The Road Chip was released on December 18, 2015 across 3,653 theaters alongside Sisters and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with box office analysts believing the opening figures could be hurt by the latter.[24] The film grossed $4.1 million on its first day and $14.3 million in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office behind The Force Awakens ($248 million).[3]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 16%, based on 61 reviews, with an average rating of 3.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "In some respects, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip is a marginal improvement over prior installments, although this in no way qualifies as a recommendation".[6] Metacritic gives the film a score of 33 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[25] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.[26]
Accolades
Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Golden Raspberry Awards[27] | Worst Supporting Actor | Jason Lee | Nominated |
Worst Supporting Actress | Kaley Cuoco | Won | |
Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel | Nominated | ||
Kids' Choice Awards[28] | Favorite Animated Movie | Nominated | |
Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie | Justin Long | Nominated |
References
- ^ "ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP (U)". British Board of Film Classification. January 5, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ "'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Rockets to Record $57 Million in Thursday Previews". The Wrap. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ Petski, Denise. "'Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Road Chip' Trailer: Alvin, Simon & Theodore Hit The Road For NYC". Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ "Alvin and the Chipmunks". Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Pedersen, Erik (March 10, 2015). "Kimberly Williams-Paisley Cast In 'Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Road Chip'". Deadline. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ^ a b Hipes, Patrick (February 11, 2015). "John Ortiz Cast In 'Steve Jobs' Movie". Deadline. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ^ "'Alvin and the Chipmunks' road-trip sequel takes a familiar route". Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip". Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ a b Pedersen, Erik (March 23, 2015). "Bella Thorne Joins 'Chipmunks 4′; Jon Bernthal, Richard Armitage in 'Pilgrimage'". Deadline. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
- ^ "Redfoo Juicy Orange Studded Flat Top Glasses from Alvin". The Take. February 11, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ^ "John Waters has a cameo in latest 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' movie". Chris Kaltenbach. The Baltimore Sun. December 17, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ a b "ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: ROAD CHIP - The Review". Tom Stockman. We Are Movie Geeks. December 17, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ "Laura Marano Making Surprise Appearance in New 'Alvin & the Chipmunks'". Fanlala.com. December 17, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Alvin and the Chipmunks - About". Facebook. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ^ Lussier, Germain (June 11, 2013). "Fox Dates 'Frankenstein,' 'Alvin and the Chipmunks 4′ and Animated Films Through 2018". SlashFilm. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
- ^ Douglas, Edward (August 22, 2014). "Mrs. Doubtfire Writer Signs Onto Alvin and the Chipmunks 4". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ Kit, Borys (December 18, 2014). "'Alvin and the Chipmunks 4' Finds a Director (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
- ^ Diane, Megan. "'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip' Open Casting Call in Atlanta". Projectcasting.com. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ^ "On the Set for 5/25/15: Chris Pratt Starts on The Magnificent Seven, Brad Pitt and Christian Bale Wrap 'The Big Short'". Ssninsider.com. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
- ^ "Mark Mothersbaugh Scoring 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip'". Film Music Reporter. Film Music Reporter. November 6, 2015.
- ^ "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Various Artists on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ Anthony D'Alessandro, Nancy Tartaglione (December 14, 2015). "Planet Earth Braces For 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' To Make Intergalactic B.O. History". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=
(help) - ^ "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
- ^ Anita Busch (December 21, 2015). "'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Box Office: Record $250 Million Bow Likely". Deadline. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
- ^ "'Fifty Shades of Grey' Tops Razzie Awards". CNN.com. February 28, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
- ^ "Kids' Choice Awards 2016: The Complete Winners List". Hollywood Reporter. March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
External links
- 2015 films
- Alvin and the Chipmunks films
- American films
- English-language films
- 2010s adventure films
- 2010s comedy films
- 2010s musical films
- American adventure films
- American children's films
- American fantasy films
- American comedy films
- American musical films
- American sequel films
- Film scores by Mark Mothersbaugh
- Films directed by Walt Becker
- Films featuring anthropomorphic characters
- Films set in Miami, Florida
- Films shot in Florida
- Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Films with live action and animation
- Regency Enterprises films
- Road movies
- 20th Century Fox films