Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel wants to be everything a sequel promises: bigger, louder, and more romantic. It gets the first two right. The romance, not so much. This is a movie about three singing mice entering high school, facing bullies, and competing against a rival trio of singing mice in a battle of the bands. It is also a movie about a broken record executive who tries to resurrect his career by signing those rivals, while lying to them about why he betrayed the original group. That setup is fine. What follows is less fine.
Trailer, via 20th Century Studios UK.
Toby Takes Over
The story opens two years after the events of the first film. Dave Seville, played by Jason Lee, is injured during a charity benefit concert in Paris when a cardboard cutout of Alvin sends him flying across the stage. He recovers in a French hospital, where he asks his aunt Jackie, played by Kathryn Joosten, to look after the Chipmunks. The arrangement also includes sending the three brothers to West Eastman High School.
Jackie falls down the stairs in her wheelchair and is hospitalized herself. That leaves the Chipmunks in the care of Toby, Jackie’s grandson and Dave’s cousin. Zachary Levi plays Toby, and his presence is meant to ground the story in family drama. Instead, he mostly functions as a device to get the Chipmunks out of their previous living situation and into a new one.
Ian’s Betrayal
Ex-JETT Records chief executive Ian Hawke, played by David Cross, is the villain of the piece. He is broke and destitute after losing the Chipmunks, and he lives in the company’s basement. When three singing female chipmunks emerge from a FedEx package — Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor, collectively known as the Chipettes — he sees an opportunity. He signs them up to work with him, lying to them that the Chipmunks disrespected him and left him the first chance they got.
The lie is central to the plot. It sets the Chipettes against the Chipmunks, and it drives the musical conflict of the film. The problem is that the lie feels thin. Ian is not a memorable villain, and his scheme is easy to see through from the moment he utters it. The audience knows he is lying, and the Chipettes know it too, but the movie treats their ignorance as a genuine plot complication anyway.
Battle of the Bands
While at school, two bullies attack the Chipmunks. The group is summoned to the principal’s office after attacking and defeating the bullies. The principal, Dr. Rubin, played by Wendie Malick, is a fan who saw them in Denver. She enlists their help to raise money for the school’s music program by participating in a battle of the bands. The prize is $25,000, and the Chipmunks agree to compete.
A shocked Ian finds that the Chipmunks will represent the school, and he enrolls the Chipettes there as well. The two groups meet, and both are smitten with each other. The boys struggle to make it through a rehearsal because of their new crushes, while the girls recall that Ian told them the Chipmunks were untrustworthy. The tension between the two groups is supposed to drive the romantic subplot forward. It does not.
Singing Voices
The Chipettes are voiced by Christina Applegate, Amy Poehler, and Anna Faris. The Chipmunks keep their original voices from the first film: Justin Long as Alvin, Matthew Gray Gubler as Simon, and Jesse McCartney as Theodore. The singing voices are handled by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. for Alvin, Steve Vining for Simon, and Janice Karman for Theodore. The Chipettes’ singing voices are provided by Janice Karman for all three characters.
The vocal performances are adequate. The songs are catchy, and the harmonies hold together. But the emotional weight of the romance never quite lands. The movie keeps trying to sell us on the idea that these tiny singing animals are falling in love, and it keeps failing to make us believe it. The chemistry between the Chipmunks and the Chipettes is not there, and the movie does not seem to know what to do with it.
The Romance Problem
The romance is the film’s biggest weakness. It is meant to be the emotional core of the story, but it never gels. The Chipettes are introduced as a threat, a rival group that the Chipmunks must defeat in the battle of the bands. Then they are introduced as potential love interests. The movie wants both things to be true at once, and it cannot manage either.
The result is a romance that feels forced. The Chipmunks and the Chipettes meet, they flirt, they fight, they sing together. None of it feels earned. The audience is asked to care about these tiny singing animals falling in love, and the movie offers no reason beyond the fact that they are cute and sing well. That is not enough.
Bullies and the Principal
The bullying subplot is better executed than the romance. The Chipmunks face two bullies at school, and they defeat them in a physical confrontation. That sequence is energetic and funny, and it gives the movie a clear sense of danger. The principal’s role as a fan who saw them in Denver adds a nice touch of nostalgia, and her request for help raises the stakes of the battle of the bands.
The battle of the bands itself is the climax. The Chipmunks and the Chipettes face off, and the movie builds to a final showdown. The stakes are the $25,000 prize, which the school needs to save its music program. It is a simple premise, and the movie executes it competently. The performance sequences are well-choreographed, and the songs are fun to listen to.
Comparing the Two Groups
| Group | Voice Cast | Role in the Story |
|---|---|---|
| Chipmunks | Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney | Main protagonists, tasked with saving the school’s music program |
| Chipettes | Christina Applegate, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris | Rival group, signed by Ian to compete against the Chipmunks |
The comparison is instructive. The Chipmunks are the heroes, and the Chipettes are the villains-turned-rivals. The movie spends most of its runtime trying to make the rivalry feel like a romance, but it never succeeds. The Chipettes remain a threat until the very end, and even then, the resolution feels rushed.
The Verdict
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a competent but flawed sequel. It delivers on the promise of bigger stakes and more action, but it fails to deliver on the promise of a satisfying romance. The battle of the bands is fun, the songs are catchy, and the animation holds up. But the central relationship between the Chipmunks and the Chipettes never clicks.
The movie is not a disaster. It is not a failure. It is a missed opportunity. It could have been a great movie about tiny singing animals saving a school’s music program. Instead, it is a mediocre movie about tiny singing animals who fall in love with each other. The difference is significant.
The film’s score is 4.1 out of 10, which matches the published critical score. That score reflects a movie that is enjoyable in parts but disappointing overall. It is a film that will entertain children and adults alike with its songs and its action, but it will leave viewers wishing for a stronger emotional center. The romance is the fatal flaw, and the rest of the movie is simply adequate.
The Squeakquel is a sequel that tries to do too much. It wants to be a comedy, a family film, a musical, and a romance. It cannot be all of those things at once. The result is a movie that is pleasant to watch but forgettable. It is a film that will be remembered for its songs and its jokes, but not for its heart.
The Chipettes are a good idea. The Chipmunks are a great idea. The romance is a bad idea. The movie should have stuck to being a fun adventure about singing animals saving a school. Instead, it became something else, and that something else is weaker than the whole could have been.
The final score stands: 4.1 out of 10.
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