Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers

It’s been long enough and now it’s time for a reboot. On June 7th, 2022, I did a rewatch of the May 20, 2022 film Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. Starring John Mulaney, Andy Samberg, and KiKi Layne, it is directed by Akiva Schaffer. Taking place in Los Angeles modern day, it is rated PG.

Years ago, best friends Chip and Dale had a popular show, which got canceled after a falling out. In the present day, they have since separated but come back together to help an old friend. On the trail of his kidnapping, they try to act like detectives so they can save him and stop an illegal operation. Can their friend be saved? Are these crimes going to finally be stopped? Will Chip and Dale’s friendship ever be restored?

Basing the idea around an animated series that came out in the 1990s, it does a lot with this idea. One of those moments is with the story. Seeing Chip and Dale delve into the investigation only engages us further and keeps us on the edge of our seats. That being said, the biggest downside to this movie is that a lot of the plot is very predictable. In other good news, however, we do get to see a heartfelt buddy film. Seeing this fallen friendship slowly come back together is sweet to watch. It is also balanced so well with Chip’s straight man persona and Dale’s over the top behavior. The most brilliant part of the story is how the entire film is an homage to both animation and reboots. I will go over this more in the section immediately below, but they pull it off to perfection.

Now to talk about the humor in this film. The movie is loaded with tons of cartoon characters that fortunately don’t make it feel bloated. I won’t give too many of them away, but the funniest part of the movie is with Ugly Sonic. Parodying the original, hated design of Sonic in his first movie before the creators changed it, this film makes a real character out of him. His deal is that he’s made a living out of self-deprecation sales. He’s voiced by the talented Tim Robinson, from the hilarious sketch show I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, which I also recommend. Taking this design that almost killed the Sonic movie and actually making a funny running gag out of it shows the comedic genius that went into this movie. It also made me like Ugly Sonic for the first time, which is a positive by my account. They also play off of the idea of the original cartoon possibly getting a reboot, parodying all the reboots that have happened, especially in recent years. In addition, we see a variety of characters still animated and characters in live-action CGI, blending the two styles done over the years. For example, Chip is still hand drawn, while Dale is CGI. The explanation for the latter, CGI surgery, is also clever commentary. Finally, Chip and Dale are just so naturally funny that their friendship leads to plenty of laughs. This movie will brighten your day with humor.

The cast for the movie was a plus. John Mulaney is my all-time favorite standup comedian, so I was interested to see how he would do. He is just as funny here as is to be expected from him. His complete reluctance and bafflement lead to some excellent emotional and funny scenes. Andy Samberg brings his delightfully over the top flair to this role, being the zany but still lovable fun guy. As mentioned above, these two play off of each other so well. Besides the comedians, there are other wonderful performances too. KiKi Layne plays Ellie Steckler, a police officer who assists the two in their investigation. She does a decent job and leaves an impact as her character by helping to get the duo to investigate in the first place and trying to make up for a past mistake. To end, they have the other main characters from the cartoon, Monterey Jack, Gadget Hackwrench, and Zipper, played by Eric Bana, Tress MacNeille, and Dennis Haysbert. They aren’t anything too special but do a satisfactory job putting a new spin on these old characters.

Overall, I had a great time with this movie. Despite the predictable plot, it has a lot to offer. From the other good parts of the story, the comedy, and the casting, it succeeds in many areas. Definitely recommended for those who are tired of the overabundance of reboots or just want to laugh with some timeless characters.