The appeal of Alvin and the Chipmunks

I must be honest, learning that a third Chipmunk movie was being released had me thinking, why? I reminded myself, "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" is not for me.

NOT FOR ME. I repeated this often.

It's for the children, those angelic innocents who find chirpy voices funny or cute or both. It's for kiddies who laugh when things get knocked down and adults are dorks and dumb. Juvenile equals hilarious.

If you've seen the previous movies, you know they are silly kid fantasy. The humor is generally aimed at the under 10 crowd, with a sprinkling of clean pop culture references. Is it good? Well, if you are six, I'd say sure. Plenty of smart and funny kid films came out this year. Kung Fu Panda 2, Rio, Puss in Boots and The Muppets rocked. The Chipmunks aren't in the same class.

The third Chipmunks movie kicks off as the boys, Alvin, Simon and Theodore; girl group Chipettes and adoptive dad Dave (Jason Lee) head to a vacation singing the Go-Go's, a little break before performing on a big music awards show. As soon as they board the cruise ship, the boys find themselves in TROUBLE (cue Pink's hit "Trouble"). Dave yells a lot, as expected. Then brainy chipmunk Simon pleads, "Kids will rise to the occasion if you give them a little trust." But, duh, Alvin (voiced by Justin Long) has to push buttons and get in BIG trouble before he can learn a lesson. Thus, the furry tweens take flight and end up on a deserted island where they bump into a stranded cargo pilot (think Castaway), who is a bit crazy. Alvin behaves responsibly and Simon become Simone, a lover and daredevil, after a bug bite. Dave and Ian, the malicious music agent from previous movies played by David Cross, must team up to rescue the chipmunks.

The chipmunk adventure is never too perilous, gotta keep it light and sing-songy. There are moments of laughter, but the deeper meanings will be lost on little ones who may not know of Charlie Sheen, Jersey Shore, Castaway or Sarah Palin. But there is plenty of predictable silliness: Laughter flowed during a scene where Ian, in a pelican suit, makes a bed in a nest, as well as the line, "You mess with me ese, I go loco on you."

My rating: D
My son and his friend (ages 13 and 14): B

What you need to know: The movie is rated G. The humor is aimed at kids, so there isn't anything truly racy, but Simon does get flirty and one of the boys after hitting a tree cries for his "acorns."