Book of Secrets, Mama's Boy, Fred Claus, I Am Legend, and Enchanted, were the most anticipated films of the 2007 fall and winter seasons in the group. Reception Predictions Months before its release, bloggers predicted Alvin and the Chipmunks to be terrible because of the involvement of the director of Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006); the writers of the Ice Age films, Robots (2005) and Big Momma's House 2 (2006); and the poor quality of previous live-action adaptations of old cartoons. Critical response Rotten Tomatoes reported that "critics say this may be the weakest vehicle for the helium-voiced rodents yet," elaborating, "the pundits say despite a few laughs, this is pretty bland stuff: dated, weakly constructed, and lacking in three-dimensional characters of the human or CGI variety." , on Rotten Tomatoes the film had an approval rating of 28% based on 109 reviews and an average score of 4.52/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Though cutely rendered, Alvin and the Chipmunks suffers from bland potty humor and a rehashed kids' movie formula." , on Metacritic the film had a weighted average score of 39 out of 100 based on reviews from 23 critics. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it grade A, on a scale of A+ to F. Ty Burr of the Boston Globe said, "the script leans heavily on the pranks and big-eyed cuteness of the li'l guys and leaves the live actors with unfunny dialogue and nothing to do." According to The New York Times, "its animated protagonists are egregiously eclipsed by the live-action characters." Chicago Reader criticized the "cardboard" characters of David Seville and Ian Hawke. The most common censure was the film's satire on commercialism, which was hypocritical due to being bombarded with popular brands, including the chipmunks themselves. Explained Burr, the film's message "is torn between the glitz that sells and the homilies that endure." Some critics disliked Lee's under-acting, particularly his underwhelming yelling of the word "Alvin!" In Premiere's view, "Jason Lee makes for a sympathetic Dave, yet there's an almost somnambulistic quality to his performance," and Vice wrote that Lee's "rather 'cartoony' acting style here leaves a lot to be desired." However, Lee's acting did have some supporters for working as a likable protagonist, such as Time Out, a source that thought his "wry approach lends an edge to some of the script’s wittier moments." Some reviewers praised Cross' performance, such