Ian Hawke (Alvin and the Chipmunks Live-Action films 2007-2011)

Ian Hawke is one of the main antagonists of the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise. He is one of the characters to only appear in the live-action films, appearing in 3 of the 4 movies, being the main antagonist in the 1st film and The Squeakquel, and then being the central antagonist-turned-tetartagonist in Chipwrecked. He was Dave's roommate in college, used to work for Jett Records, and was the former enemy of Dave, the Chipmunks, and the Chipettes, but he later reformed and became their friend. He is a very entertaining villain in the franchise, being one of the only likable characters from the live-action films.

Why He Rocks

 * 1) He's one of the likable characters that only appears in the lackluster live-action film series.
 * 2) David Cross does a good job playing as him in all 3 films, with the 1st film being his most hilarious and enjoyable, the 3rd film being his 2nd funniest which is decent and fun, and the 2nd film being his least funniest but still fun and entertaining overall.
 * 3) He is part of some of the most funniest moments in the film series.
 * 4) Depending on your view, the scene from the 2nd film where Ian pretends to be the Chipettes is so stupid some may find it funny, as a scene that's so bad it's good.
 * 5) He is a good example of when a business man goes too far with how they are treating their stars, shown when he exhausts the Chipmunks so he can use their popularity for money and fame, and when he uses the Chipettes to rise back to the top of fame and glory, not caring for either groups' health and safety.
 * 6) He is an entertaining villain in the first 2 films thanks to his actor's performance, showing he can be cleaver and sneaky.
 * 7) He does get his comeuppance for his villainous actions after Dave saves the Chipmunks in the 1st film, and after Alvin saves the Chipettes in the 2nd film, where his career is ruined and his popularity goes down significantly.
 * 8) In the 3rd film, un-ironically, he actually went through a bit of character development, going from being the generic greedy music director from the last two films into to just an indeed equally likable minor but anti-hero character, in mostly off-screen between the last film and this film, where he redeemed himself and becomes friends with the Chipkunks, the Chipettes and Dave, which is shown when he talks Zoe down for trying to kill Dave. He also moves on to a new career as a screenwriter by selling a screenplay about Zoe's story to Hollywood, earning him his wealth back and making Zoe famous, and parted with Dave and his family on good terms. Despite not being much, he still got more character development than the seven main characters in the whole live-action tetralogy adaption.
 * 9) Because of the previous reason above, his redemption arc in the 3rd film was surprisingly well-executed and natural. And unlike some other villain redemptions in media (including Zoe, the actual main villain of this film), it's not shoved down the audience's throats or rushed by being forced to take place at the last minute without any proper character development actually happening.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) He is involved in some unfunny moments, like the scene in the climax of the 2nd film where he gets hit right in the the crotch by....a toy motorcycle. While it's normally good to see him get his comeuppance for his villainous ways, this goes way too far (though to be fair, it was by accident after Eleanor throws her uncomfortable shoes off and they ended up hitting the toy motorcycle, changing its course to Ian). Oh, and there was also the scene in the 3rd film where he was commenting on how he saw Snoop Dogg light a joint with two carrot sticks.
 * 2) He isn't quite as funny in the 2nd film as David Cross' performance slacked a bit. But he is still fun and entertaining overall, and he does improve in the 3rd film as mentioned above.
 * 3) He has a cringeworthy moment in the 2nd film where he dresses up like Brittney having Jeanette and Eleanor puppets and performing terribly on the Staples Center stage.
 * 4) Being a villain in the 2nd film as well, it's not surprising that he has a moment of being cruel, which is when he threatened to barbecue the Chipettes at a Korean restaurant.

Trivia

 * Ian is believed to be the live-action film and human version of "Uncle" Harry from the original 80s cartoon. However, one major difference between them is that "Uncle" Harry never reforms, while Ian redeemed himself and is now on good terms with Dave and his family.
 * Ian does not appear in the fourth film The Road Chip, but he is replaced by Agent James Suggs. While Ian does not appear in the film, it could be implied that Dave achieved his career as a record production through Ian's guidance and connections in honor of their redeemed friendship restored during the events of the previous film.

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