Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011): Dir: Mike Mitchell / Cast: Jason Lee, David Cross, Jenny Slate, Andy Buckley, Michael P. Northey: Third in this tiresome and annoying franchise. The subtitle physically refers to the fact that Dave and his fuzzy companions are stranded on an island, but it also symbolizes the behaviors of the chipmunk personalities. That is about the height of any intelligence coming out of this waterlogged screenplay. Dave and his singing chipmunks are on a cruise and one thing leads to another until they end up on an island. This is quite boring and Mike Mitchell does his best as director whose film is totally dependant on the chipmunk talking visuals. Mitchell previously made the underrated Surviving Christmas as well as the retread Shrek Forever After. Jason Lee is well cast as Dave, the chipmunks owner and manager but the role is routine and cardboard at this point. The same goes for David Cross as Ian the scheming villain who reemerges in a pelican mascot outfit on the cruise. Jenny Slate plays a total moron named Zooey whom the chipmunks and chipettes encounter on an island. The reference to Cast Away is one of the better jokes but this character is so brain dead that viewers will likely lose any sympathy for. Andy Buckley is flat as the annoyed cruise captain. Michael P. Northey is billed as the Hawaiian Shirt Guy, and that is about as creative as this junk gets. While Alvin, Simon and Theodore are visually amusing, watching the chipettes in bikini outfits dancing to techno music is enough to make a person toss this family oriented crap overboard. Score: 3 / 10
