Criticism of David Cross in Alvin and the Chipmunks

While some film critics praised Cross's performance as the villain, his role also garnered significant negative reactions from both fans and commentators.

David Cross, an American comedian and actor, faced notable criticism and controversy for his involvement in the Alvin and the Chipmunks live-action film franchise. Portraying the antagonist Ian Hawke, Cross's role was met with mixed reactions from both critics and the actor himself. While the films achieved commercial success, grossing over a billion dollars collectively, Cross openly expressed dissatisfaction with his experience during production, calling it one of the most challenging and unpleasant projects of his career.

Fan and comedian reactions

Fan responses

David Cross's involvement in Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) drew negative reactions from fans familiar with his work in alternative comedy. Some expressed disappointment with his decision to participate in the film, with The New York Observer reporting blog comments calling him a "smug, condescending asshole" and "a huge prick" for taking the role.

David Cross and Patton Oswalt

Negative fan responses as well as a joke about Cross' involvement in Alvin and the Chipmunks made in a blog by Patton Oswalt (pictured) influenced Cross to write on his blog about why he worked on the film.

On December 10, 2007, comedian Patton Oswalt added to the criticism by posting a blog entry on his MySpace titled "Godawful/Thank God". In this post, Oswalt revealed that both he and Brian Posehn were approached for the role of Ian Hawke but declined after reading the script. Oswalt humorously remarked, "We both threw the script across the room in disgust. David Cross caught it." This joke, perceived by some as a dig at Cross, sparked additional commentary from fans and critics.

In response, Cross addressed the situation on his own blog, The Bob and Davider on December 31, 2007. He explained that he was offered the role before the casting team approached Oswalt and Posehn, but rejected. Cross accepted the offer six months later, claiming the film paid for a down payment on a summer cottage in Sullivan County, New York and more than "all my other projects combined: book, TV show, the two pilots, Year One, yeah." Cross emphasized that he had not watched the film and expressed regret over being perceived as a “sell-out,” stating that he hoped to dispel the notion that he was only motivated by money.

Despite this clarification, the backlash continued, with fans posting harsh comments. An A.V. Club user stated that Cross was "digging his own grave, professionally," while a commenter on Stereogum stated they "wouldn’t mind if [Cross] dies." Oswalt later responded to Cross’s blog post in an interview with The A.V. Club on January 2008. He revealed that the comment towards Cross was nothing more than a "snide, private in-joke between us" that referenced a comment Cross made at a party in New York in March 2006; Cross had just received the script for Failure to Launch and stated, "Man, they sent me that script, and I read ten pages and threw it across the room." He noted that while the blog comments were entertaining, he held no personal judgment about Cross’s decision to take the role, stating, “I don’t care what any of my friends – or, for that matter, enemies – does to pay the bills.”

In 2014, Flavorwire named Oswalt's snide remark in the MySpace blog the 30th harshest comedian-on-comedian insult of all time.

Other responses

When it came to responses from professional writers towards Cross' behavior in the debacle, Jeff Bergstrom of BrooklynVegan opined that "no explanation was needed; a person needs work. And to be honest, I found his 5 part response to be a mega-invaluable resource for learning what Cross has been up to these days." C. Robert Cargill thought that while Cross gave "pretty good reasons" in his post, "he forgot that he could drop some really biting sarcasm in the place of a 1000-word diatribe" and "lost" in responding to Oswalt.

Playlist called Cross' post an "extremely lengthy and tedious defense" and that "at least Jason Lee had the good sense to take the pay check and shut the fuck up." Writing for The A.V. Club, Steve Hyden called Cross' blog post a "snide, dishonest, and largely unsuccessful attempt" to deflect the harsh responses thrown at him. He cited similar public statements Cross made when involved in previous projects, such as when he discussed being in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Bombshell" with Time Out Chicago; he elaborated, "Even at his funniest Cross is distant, cold, untouchable; he either can't admit to the occasional lame moment in his own life or he honestly believes he's above the foibles the rest of us idiots are guilty of every day."

In an interview withThe New York Observer, Cross stated that he "seemed genuinely hurt by the criticism he was being subjected to online." Cross stated while being interviewed:

There’s no small part of people wanting to call you on your shit. And I think some of It's deserved on my part, but I also think a lot of it isn’t. I think a lot of it is lazy and not really thoughtful. Look, do I really think that Lobsterboy103 thinks that I’m ‘evil’? Of course not … But It's just the Internet, you know. It's tippity-tappity-tippity-tap … [here he mimics simian typing] … Done. Hit send.

Cross reprised his role as Ian Hawke in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009) and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011).

Criticism by Cross of Chipwrecked

Cross reprised his role as Ian Hawke in Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked. David described Chipwrecked as "literally without question, the most unpleasant experience I've ever had in my professional life." He accused an unidentified female producer of antisemitism and mistreating him. He was also "forced at legal gunpoint" to spend a week shooting footage on a Carnival Cruise, which Cross argued was pointless since he had no lines and was unrecognizable in a pelican suit. The comments cost Cross a $150,000 bonus for violating his non-disparagement clause by discussing his grievances publicly.