A Very Despicable Sequel

Rating: 7/10 (4 September 2013)

After seeing the success of Despicable Me, I had a few reservations for the sequel which I caught yesterday... Oh, trust me, it's still playing in theaters, the best medium to see it on, especially with minimum number of kids in the audience... I think there were only 2 kids in the whole theater... And it was 2 kids too many, if you ask me... I'm such a Gru, ain't I? The concept for the original was phenomenal: a super villain named Gru, voice by the talented Steve Carrell in his most intriguing and strangely foreign English accent, whose evil master plan was to steal the moon. Quite a feat, right? By the time Despicable Me is over, I couldn't help myself but fall in love with the grouchy character with a heart of gold who adopts three adorable little orphans, much against his will, and learns how being a parent matters more than accomplishing his evil act that would make him the most accomplished villain that ever was. Suddenly, stealing the moon doesn't seem to fulfill Gru anymore and being a parent becomes his priority. In the sequel, we meet Gru and his orphans right as he is organizing a birthday party for his little princess Agnes. Everything is doing well until he learns that his "princess" will not be showing up after all and so he must please his adopted daughter by dressing up as a princess himself in what's possibly the funniest scene of the entire movie. The scene is so funny and endearing that it summarizes what the rest of Despicable Me 2 is all about: the importance of having a family. Speaking of family, I happened to catch up this movie with old friends, the same ones that came to see The Happening (how can I forget The Happening?) as well as Gnomeo & Juliet. It's great to meet these wonderful friends that, regardless of how long some of us have been apart, feels as if time has not passed by at all. Funny how I consider these friends more than I consider some members of my own family and I'm proud to say that I can really call them friends, without hesitation. Especially after what I've gone through lately at work, it's nice to know that I can still count on these friends, that I can rest assured that whatever I tell them will be kept among us. It's taken this long to realize who my real friends are, and who are just trying to take advantage. Back to Despicable Me 2, I have to say that it's Gru's minions that really bring the comic relief in an otherwise ordinary and predictable film: Gru takes a jive at dating, with disastrous results, until he realizes that his new partner in crime Lucy (voiced by Bridesmaids' Kristen Wiig) is really the one that completes him, the only one that gets him and admires him. There are plenty of laughs thanks to the yellow, mischievous minions that end up dressing up as French maids, as firefighters, as Hula Hula dancers and many more outfits that will keep everybody laughing. Many jokes are geared towards the adults as well, as a matter of fact a big chunk of the movie will have the kids abay. The plot involves another villain who abducts his or her victims through a spacecraft that resembles a giant magnet. I noticed how the "experimental" kids that were in the audience were oblivious to this whole plot (although they also suffered from a severe case of ADD anyways) and could have cared less if there was a plot. They had come to see the minions, that's it. I never would have thought that having a plot could ruin the momentum of a movie but this was the case with Despicable Me 2. I believe that having less plot and more laughs would have help this movie soar, especially when you are trying to please your targeted audience. My favorite moment came when the minions, dressed up in their white suits, performed "This I Swear" by Boys 2 Men. I was literally in tears watching these minions belting it out and I will look forward to seeing that scene again when it comes to cable (not too far out, I assume). I will definitely look forward to seeing Despicable Me 3, their animation is always phenomenal, script is always funny as well as having Steve Carrell who has made of Gru into a villain that everyone can relate to and loves to love. Maybe not what a villain wants to hear, right? Oh and can't forget about those minions: yellow, purple or in any outfit they will breathe life and laughter into any Despicable movie.