Entertainment

Alvin & pals turned into hip-munks

Why “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel”? Be cause, as with “The Godfather: Part II,” so much character was left to be explored. Because, as with “The Empire Strikes Back,” a journey seemingly completed had really only just begun. But mainly because everything is funny at 10 MHz.

“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” was the occasion of only the second-highest-pitched squeaking I have heard in a movie theater this year (the top prize still goes to the audience at “New Moon”), and it’s far from the most unpleasant kiddie flick I’ve sat through this year, although I would be misleading you if I promised you lots of laughs.

This time, Alvin and Co. begin the movie as major rock stars. Alvin, the frontman, hogs the spotlight while brainy Simon and cheerful, tubby Theodore supply his backup. I’ve never seen such a ridiculously egomaniacal creature singing “You Really Got Me” before, except for David Lee Roth.

With much crying of “Alviiiin!” the munks’ minder Dave (voiced by Jason Lee) gets himself injured and excused from most of the rest of the picture. He hands off to the dull actor Zachary Levi (star of an obscure NBC series called “Chuck”) with orders to straighten the ‘munks out by enrolling them in school. “You have to be there by 8,” they learn. “In the morning?” says Alvin.

Meanwhile, the sleazy impresario (David Cross) who used to manage A and the C’s tries to get back on top, in the musical-rodent-act-management business, by finding a rival group.

As he schemes, a package arrives in the mail: It’s the Chipettes, a trio of lady chipmunks that immediately gets its Destiny’s Child on. While Alvin’s band tries to save its school by winning the big prize at a concert, the Chipettes threaten to . . . also save the school.

The Chipettes, like the Chipmunks, are voiced by celebrities (if, that is, you consider Justin Long a celebrity. Other actors include Anna Faris, Jesse McCartney and Amy Poehler), which marks a step forward in actor-worship madness. If you can’t see Anna Faris, and you also can’t hear her (thanks to the squeakalizer, or the heliumnator or the fast-forward button deployed on her voice), what exactly is she adding? It’s more of an endorsement deal than a performance.

The few laughs there are in the movie come from Cross, who essentially does his own well-honed delicate-weirdo act without talking down much to either his 6-inch-high costars or the audience.

His feverish vows of revenge (“I will. Get you. Chipmunks.”) and incompetent scheming give the picture its sole source of forward momentum amid many timeouts for tumbles down stairs, wedgies and Alvin scoring the big touchdown for the high school football team. “You are Theodorable” is about the level of the wit.

Still, among cutesy pop musical trios aimed at nondiscerning audiences, I’ll take Alvin and Co. over the Jonas Brothers any day. As one character puts it, “Fun? I guess maybe it’s fun-ish.”