Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers

Directed by Akiva Schaffer, Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers follows the title characters (John Mulaney’s Chip and Andy Samberg’s Dale) as they’re forced to spring into action after their old pal Monterey Jack (Eric Bana) is abducted. Filmmaker Schaffer, armed with a script by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, delivers a perpetually irreverent and frequently hilarious comedy that benefits from its tongue-in-cheek approach and raft of appealing voice performances, as, in terms of the latter, Mulaney and Samberg’s first-class work as the agreeable protagonists is matched by top-notch periphery players like J.K. Simmons, Will Arnett, Tim Robinson, and Keegan-Michael Key. (Seth Rogen’s laugh-out-loud funny turn as a motion-capture dwarf remains an ongoing highlight within the proceedings, to be sure.) And while the whole thing is sporadically just a little too silly for its own good, Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers finally comes off as a warmhearted reboot that will surely delight fans of the original series. (It’s worth noting, ultimately, that the picture also succeeds as a stand-alone piece of work.)

*** out of ****