Alvin and the Chipmunks is the best film of 2007...starring chipmunks. All jokes aside, I wasn't nearly as annoyed by this movie as I thought I would be. It isn't the perfect family film mind you, but it does move at a quick pace and the film does manage to evoke that sort of nutty spirit that made folks fall in love with Alvin, Simon, and Theodore in the first place.

This big screen take on characters Ross Bagdasarian created nearly fifty years ago, is an origin story of sorts and shows how human musician Dave (Jason Lee) first met up with the singing and dancing chipmunks. In the early goings on, Dave simply wants to hone his own musical skills through Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, but eventually, a family bond develops. A bond that is threatened when an egomaniacal record executive (played by a perfectly slimy David Cross) jumps into the picture and exploits the innocent little chipmunks for financial gain.

The effects here are of the been there done that variety, and Jason Lee isn't always able to sell the interaction sequences, but ultimately, I enjoyed myself. The tunes, including a rollicking version of Funky Town and the familiar Chipmunk Christmas classic, are entertaining and many of the jokes (including a hilarious helium gag) are surprisingly funny.

With its themes of family and a humorous, if a tad obvious, stab at the recording industry, the harmless Alvin and the Chipmunks is a fun time for the whole family. It isn't groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination, but it is lively and moves at a quick clip. At the very least, I was able to enjoy it through the eyes of my children. They were positively mesmerized by it.