Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes
Rating: PG
Directors: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
Quick Impressions:
As we left the theater tonight after Despicable Me 2, my dad—who turns 61 later this month and who seemed pretty unenthused as we dragged him along to the 9:25 showing—declared with a smile, “Well that may be the one of the very best movies I’ve ever seen.”
My husband added, “I’ve been so excited to see this that I was worried I would be disappointed. But it was so much funnier than I expected.” He agreed with my mother when she said, “I think it was better than the first one.”
“Yeah,” my ten-year-old son chimed in, “definitely better than the first one!”
Meanwhile, from the moment we left the theater until we reached our car in the remotest regions of the parking lot, my four-year-old daughter would not stop incessantly poking her father and singing out (nearly matching Kristen Wiig’s cadence), “Lipstick taser!!!!” (Only when she says it, it sounds more like, “Yipstick taster!” Then finally she asked him with a coy smile, “Did that remind you of anyone?”)
I am not completely sure I agree with the rest of my family that Despicable Me 2 is “better than the first one.” (I think they’re forgetting how touching it was to watch the sweetly pathetic Gru warm up to the idea of having people in his life who loved him.) But they’re definitely right that Despicable Me 2 is far funnier than its predecessor, and that did take me by surprise.
At this point in 2013, there’s absolutely no contest. Despicable Me 2 is the funniest family film of the year by a (conspicuously) long shot. In fact, a real highlight of the film for me was the reaction of the crowd—one member of it in particular. Not long after we selected our seats half an hour early (after standing in line for thirty minutes), a large family settled into the row behind us. Their youngest child was a tiny little girl who was (at most) two.
For the entirety of the pre-show, she was restless and ambulatory. But once the movie had started, she spent the whole birthday party scene sitting on the very edge of her chair, watching attentively, and laughing out loud (very loudly) pretty much non-stop. The rest of the kids in the theater had basically the same reaction. Little kids love the minions, and even as an adult, I must admit, they’re quite adorable.
Despicable Me 2 brings the minions right to the center of the story. It’s like they realized, “Everybody loves the minions, so let’s just put them in almost every scene, make a whole bunch more of them, and give them a major role in the plot as well.” You might think this scheme would backfire disastrously, but guess what? It works. It really works.
Despicable Me 2 has the best pace and most laughs per minute of any animated movie I’ve seen in 2013. And thanks to little Agnes and a very emotionally resonant performance from Steve Carrell, it has plenty to touch the heart as well.
Basically this movie has everything—except Al Pacino. Going in, I knew that he’d dropped out, vaguely citing creative differences. What I didn’t realize was that he dropped out like two months ago, after the movie was already animated based on his line readings! With that in mind, Benjamin Bratt (Pacino’s last minute replacement) is definitely the MVP of Despicable Me 2. Why did Pacino drop out? I have a few guesses, but I’ll discuss them
later on in this review.
The Good:
As you watch the movie, it is obvious that the actors read their lines (and no doubt improv with wild abandon), and then the animators draw the scenes to match the existing performances. As my mom kept pointing out in whispers during the movie, even watching without the sound, an attentive audience could easily tell that Lucy Wilde is voiced by Kristen Wiig. The character’s facial expressions and mannerisms are a dead give away. (Or as Mom put it, “You can just imagine Kristen Wiig giving that performance, and the animators drawing her.”)
That’s either a very good thing (if you’re an audience member enjoying the physical comedy) or a very bad one (if you’re a filmmaker trying to replace Al Pacino after the character is already animated just weeks before the release date).
Watching this movie, I was in awe of the artists behind it. I mean, yes, the movie has funny lines (some quite memorable even), but the real reason that the auditorium was a ceaseless sea of laughter is because of the nearly nonstop visual comedy. So many of the jokes are non-verbal. In other cases, funny lines are enhanced by even funnier body language, character appearances, or sight gags. It takes a particular gift to create artwork that inspires fits of giggles. Most of the humor in Despicable Me 2 comes from jokes you don’t have to think about. (In fact, they’re funny precisely because you don’t stop to think. If something would look funny, it happens, and quickly.) Everything in the movie comes fast and seems impulsive (despite the fact that animation doesn’t happen accidentally).
In the parking lot after the show, my husband said to me, “I knew that you would love that because it’s your type of humor—all very random.” It is. The last film that used visual humor of this type (almost) as successfully is Hotel Transylvania. (Perhaps because it was directed by Genndy Tartakovsky or maybe because it was co-written by Robert Smiegel, Hotel Transylvania has a very TV cartoonish sensibility and is full of delightful sight gags which double as compelling (though hilarious) stylized art.)
Despicable Me 2 capitalizes on one of the real strengths of animation (as opposed to live action). In real life, only certain things can happen. But in a cartoon, if you come up with the funniest, most outrageous, most random way to end or interrupt a scene, then, bam, it can actually happen just like that right then. So when you’ve got good writers, talented comedians gifted in improv, and artists with a great sense of visual comedy, you can all get together and create a film that is laugh-out-loud funny almost every minute—because anything you can think of can happen. Right now.
Steve Carell is so funny that if I were ever forced at gunpoint to date an actor, I’d pick him. (You’d be surprised how often I stress out about this scenario. In my imagination, I’m always forced to explain, “Honestly, I don’t know any of these actors. The thought of having to date some stranger terrifies me!” But tonight during the movie, I realized with a sigh of relief that if pressed, I could probably answer honestly that I’d be willing to go on a date with Steve Carell. I actually felt such relief when I realized that. You’d think inquisitors had been terrorizing me on a daily basis, demanding I pick a leading man to date in the abstract. I’m so weird. Good grief!)
Anyway, Steve Carell is such a likeable fellow that I’m always happy to watch him in any movie. (In fact, at our house, every time somebody says, “Let’s watch something funny,” the same thing always happens—we all toss out warring suggestions and complain and waver and debate for forty-five minutes to an hour, and then we watch Get Smart.) Speaking of Get Smart, there’s quite a long sequence relatively late in the film that feels very much like a Get Smart homage. Basically, it becomes much funnier if you remember similar scenes in Get Smart. And of course, once you’re doing that, you’re hyper aware that you’re watching a character voiced by Steve Carell. Then in the next scene, you see a character voiced by Kristen Wiig having a nervous breakdown and hallucinating on an airplane, mid flight. (Fans of Bridesmaids, do you see where I’m going with this?) Actually, the way the scene concludes ends up being a tip of the hat to both Bridesmaids and Get Smart. I pretty much fell in love with the movie for doing that.
Now what was I saying? Oh yes. I love Steve Carell. Not only is he very, very funny—he seems to elevate (and where needed embroider) every line he delivers—but he’s also very good with the dramatic moments. Largely because of his performance, Gru is a memorable, lovable character whose ongoing adventures the audience continues to feel invested in emotionally. Thanks to Carell’s talents and a strong supporting turn by young Elsie Kate Fisher as Agnes, Despicable Me 2 has genuine heart. It’s mainly a comedy, so the primary goal is laughs. But foiling the machinations of the villain takes a definite backseat to the emotional journey of the sympathetic characters.
The rest of the cast is very good, too. Clearly the filmmakers are a pretty savvy bunch, thinking practically about the continuing health of their franchise. The addition of Kristen Wiig as Lucy is pure genius. (It’s also creates a delightful little meta joke—the same woman who voiced the evil orphanage operator who so tormented the girls in Despicable Me also voices the other most significant woman in their lives up to this point.) Wiig is trying to be sympathetic here, not outrageous, but she still does a lot of stuff that’s wildly funny. The scene with the secret salsa got a huge laugh in our theater, and I think part of what makes it so funny is imagining Wiig and Carell standing there in place of their animated characters. The two seem to be co-conspirators in providing hilarity for the audience. And very early on Wiig just killed me when she said quietly only “Sorry” after Lucy backs over Gru with her car.
The whole cast is actually pretty great (to the point that I didn’t really miss anybody who didn’t return from the original, though before seeing the film, I thought it was a shame to lose them). Russell Brand seems even funnier (and has more fart guns) than last time reprising his role as Dr. Nefario, Kristen Schaal is great as Shannon, and Nasim Pedrad’s Jillian had me in stiches every time she showed up. (I really love the way they animated her laugh.) I personally thought that Dana Gaier who plays Edith sounded so much older than last time, but when I mentioned it, nobody in my family seemed to agree, so maybe it’s just me.
Best Scene:
My favorite scene was the birthday party at the very beginning. I remember thinking at the time, “Oh good! Even if the rest of the movie goes downhill from here, this makes it worth it!” To my delight (and mild surprise) the movie continued along a path of excellence. This scene is both laugh-out-loud funny and very important in laying the groundwork for the personal journey Gru undertakes this time around.
Best Scene Visually:
Artists made this. I mean graphic artists, people who understand the power of the image. Visually not only is the entire movie highly appealing, it’s also—for the most part—hilarious. There’s a lot going on in every scene, yet the scenes never feel busy, just rich with winning detail. One of the most eye-catching moments comes with the application of the antidote.
For a movie that’s also being released in 3D, the scenes look surprisingly gimmick free. When I watched the ice cream truck part, I suddenly remembered the 3D, and I’d guess in 3D that scene is spectacular. But even in 2D, the film has surprising depth and an overall look that manages to be simultaneously aesthetically pleasing and extremely hilarious.
Funniest Scene:
The minions are the funniest part of this movie. Giving them such an enlarged role (when they already had quite a large role) turned out to be a great decision. The children love them. (My daughter was not the only one there wearing a yellow minion shirt. I don’t know if that’s proof that kid’s love the minions or that many indulgent grandmothers shop at Target. Either way, there were a lot of little minions in the crowd, and they were all exploding with laughter at the minions on screen. Basically, the minions are little yellow kids (or ids if you prefer). They all love ice cream. They all like bananas. They all want to drive the car.)
I remember the earliest teasers for Despicable Me 2 featuring a brief scene of minion abduction, but it seems like at least a year since I last saw those, and I had honestly forgotten all about them until tonight. But sliding the minions right into the beating heart of the plot makes so much sense and really works out wonderfully in terms of laughs.
The very last scene in the movie opens with a musical performance by the minions that becomes increasingly hilarious (and in retrospect is slightly reminiscent of the ending of The Forty Year Old Virgin. When I watch the movie again, I’m definitely going to look for more moments that callback earlier films of the voice actors.)
I also love the minions’ reaction to the jelly, and the fact that they were able to call back the fart gun and work it in so often.
Oh yeah, and then there’s the part where Gru rehearses a phone call to Lucy, and things heat up pretty quickly. After the movie, my husband said, “That reminded me so much of you!” That’s okay! A couple of things reminded me of him. 1) What Antonio confides in Margo about his dream career, and 2) What Gru says to Dr. Nefario to make him feel better about the taste of the jelly.
Best Action Sequence:
It’s hard not to be in awe of the death scene of El Macho (as described by Gru to Lucy in the mall). Forget Al Pacino and Benjamin Bratt. You know who should have voiced El Macho? Robert Rodriguez. I know he’s not really an actor, but still, I think not casting the director of The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D in the El Macho role was an opportunity sadly missed.
When I asked the kids, “What was your favorite part?” my stepson eagerly named the big show-down at the end, and there’s certainly a lot to love there. (His four-year-old sister, meanwhile, would not stop singing out, “Yipstick taser!” though when one of the minions literally swung by to do something significant in that scene her brother mentioned, she cheered out loud.)
Most Useful Scenes to Screen for a High School English Class When Teaching the Pathetic Fallacy:
Teachers, you will know them when you see them. (Students, ask your teachers about the pathetic fallacy!) I’m considering getting a teaching job just because these scenes provide such a clear cut, easily accessible example of the pathetic fallacy.
Most Daring (Good) Choice:
Children love those minions. The filmmakers take a very big risk late in the movie. Seriously, they’re playing with fire. I know my child was not the only one terrified and vocally worried. The whole movie is silly and zany, laid back, feel good, and then suddenly the stakes get incredibly high (if you’re a young child). Overall, I think the risk here pays off, but man is it a brave thing to do because—I don’t think I can emphasize this enough—children love those minions!
The Negatives:
A key character in this movie is an over-the-top Mexican stereotype named El Macho. Now, I won’t say that this is racist or even inappropriate, but it did give me pause for sure. In general, I think it’s never a good thing when you’re watching a children’s movie and have to stop and ask yourself, “Wait! Should I be laughing at this? Is this kind of racist?” (Racist isn’t quite the right word. It seems to be making fun of a subculture more than anything else.) After a while, I began to wonder uncomfortably, “Are they making El Macho funny and over-the-top, or are they being over-the-top making fun of what we perceive as Mexican culture? Is this funny or offensive?”
I felt slightly better when I heard some people sitting near us laughing and exclaiming to each other in delight in Spanish. But then I thought, Should that really make me feel better?
But now to defend the movie, I will point out that El Macho isn’t just some average citizen living quietly at home and working at a run-of-the-mill job in business or the tech industry or whatever. He’s the charismatic owner of a Mexican restaurant in a trendy mall.
You would definitely expect to see over-the-top, cheesy, played up, kooky props and decorations in a Mexican restaurant in a trendy mall. So in that way, El Macho isn’t just a character who happens to have a Mexican heritage, he’s the proprietor of a place that pushes a particular theme. I mean, it might seem offensive to see a character saying in an exaggerated Italian accent, “Here’s a spicy meataball for you!”—unless he were the chef putting on a show for diners in his spaghetti restaurant located in a trendy mall. I mean, it’s not like El Macho wears a guacamole hat to church or grocery shopping—he just gives them out as favors at his very commercialized Cinco de Mayo party thrown to drum up business for his restaurant in the trendy mall. Wearing a chip-and-dip hat is not a part of Mexican culture. It’s a part of American commercialism.
Another thing in the movie’s favor is that El Macho actually seems like a really nice guy (to the point that at the moment when Gru is faced with a choice, neither choice would have disappointed me. Despicable Me began as a franchise that chuckled at the grandiosity of self-identified villains. The villains in this series are for the most part either delightful or so inept that they’re non-threatening. They’re certainly not actually evil.) The whole “El Macho” alias makes him seem like a pro-wrestler or something, anyway. Most of what we see from him is a phony persona played up for business reasons.
But it is perhaps a bit problematic that El Macho is such an out-of-control stereotype when no other character of similar heritage appears in the movie at all (except for his son who doesn’t count because he’s too closely associated with his father). But of course, Gru’s got that vague, Eastern European accent, and Dr. Nefario is clearly an English mad scientist. So there’s that.
I don’t think El Macho is intended to be offensive because I think the movie is offering him as an outrageous character like others they’ve presented in the past. They’re not trying to present him as some typical guy representative of a larger group. But I can definitely see why some people might be concerned about this. After all, this is a kids’ movie, and young children are not always keen graspers of nuance. Of all the scenes in the movie, the one that got probably the least laughs from our theater was the first encounter with the dangerous chicken. That looks like it’s intended to be funny. But for most of the scene, nobody laughed.
I can’t help but wonder if this is the reason Al Pacino decided to distance himself from the movie. I mean, the character is funny, so it could be the kind of thing that didn’t occur to him during filming, but then with some distance, perhaps he noticed a potential problem and didn’t want anyone to think he was being an insensitive jerk. Ironically, though, Pacino’s involve men might have made some of the aspects of the character way, way less potentially offensive since El Macho sometimes seems like a bit of a Tony Montana parody. Of course, maybe Pacino’s beef was about something else entirely like money or some interpersonal conflict. Who knows?
Also slightly disturbing is the scene of taking home Shannon (hilariously and very recognizably voiced by Kristen Schaal). That part is definitely really funny, but I’m not so sure it sends the greatest message to kids. Fortunately there’s this new thing you can do with your kids called talking to them, but you still have to think that there are going to be some children who see this who internalize the behavioral norms they see in movies because they don’t get a lot of feedback from the adults in their lives. The message seems to be, if someone is unpleasant, then it’s perfectly acceptable (and in fact a laugh riot) to abuse them horribly as if they’re not even human and can’t feel pain. Now granted, I know this is a cartoon and everything is exaggerated, and I don’t really have a huge problem with this scene. It did make me laugh a lot. I’m just mentioning it here because it also made me pause for a few seconds and think uncomfortably, “Hmm? Well…?” But I do tend to overthink things.
And that’s it. I have no other criticisms of this movie. I don’t think it stumbles at all in creativity or execution. My only complaint is that it could sometimes be more sensitive. And maybe the Miranda Cosgrove/Moises Arias love story could be a bit more fleshed out or resolved. (By the way, when I was trying to tell my husband that Arias played Antonio, the only name I could think to call him for several minutes was Boccaccio. Not quite right. Fortunately, he knew I meant Biaggio from Kings of Summer.)
Overall:
Despicable Me 2 is consistently hilarious, a joy to behold, authentically sweet, often touching, perfectly (fast) paced, and winningly brief. The entire cast is fantastic, the minions are a scream, the theme song is familiar, and I am definitely on board for future installments of this franchise. (I would also be interested in attending a screening where Benjamin Bratt’s scenes are muted and audience members try to recover the original El Macho by taking turns reading his lines in their best Al Pacino voices. So somebody organize one of those events for me quickly please!) (Also, someone please record a family friendly version of Eminem’s “Without Me” that we can listen to in the car because that’s been stuck in everyone’s head since the preview.)