Review: Despicable Me

bill bodkin, the elder, reviews despicable me

I had been watching the trailers for Despicable Me for a number of weeks and I decided that I wanted to adopt a minion. My wife said “let’s go see the movie, first” then we will decide if you can adopt one. She knows I’m not only nuts but going senile so she humors me. I told my son, one of the editors of this blog, that we were going to see the movie and would he like me to review it. He said yes of course, like he had a choice. Any way here goes.

I initially thought I could start this review ” I laughed, I cried, I peed my pants” but after seeing the movie I have to say I laughed a little and I got a little misty eyed and my pants were dry. This was pure escapism sort of like going through it’s a small World in Disney Land.

Gru voiced by Steve Carell is your atypical over-the-hill villain. Carell brings Gru to life so well. Gru hears that a pyramid has been stolen and he has lost his title as the most despicable human being, so he has to come up with a more sinister plot. He and his side kick Dr. Nefarious (the crazy Russell Brand), decide they are going to shrink the moon and steal it. But the problem is they need money. Wheredo they get this money? Ahh from Mr. Perkins (Will Arnett), at the bank. Mr. Perkins loves the idea but wants to see the machine that is going to shrink the moon.

Unfortunately that machine is in the hands of the newly crowned most despicable human being Vector (voiced by Jason Segel), who is a combination of Arnold Stang and Robert Carradine. What follows are hilarious scenes that would make Wiley Coyote seem like an amateur as Gru tries to steal the machine from Vector — but alas no luck. Drifting back to his childhood he talks with his mother (Julie Andrews), who by the way looks like Jay Leno, of how he always wanted to be a person who goes to the moon. I know the last sentence didn’t make too much sense in the context of the review but I guess they signed Julie and had to do something with her??? During his futile attempts to break into and steal the shrink machine he sees Vector allow three poor orphan girls who are selling cookies into his fortress.

I won’t go any further with the story but that is your basic plot. I don’t think this is really a child’s movie and my standards for a child’s movie are still the Disney classics. I have to be fair and admit I haven’t seen any of the Pixar movies but I did see Ratatouille and wasn’t thrilled. The audience in the movie when I was there was 60% adult and 40% percent children and the laughs were coming from the adults. There is some old shtick in there that kids and even teenagers would not understand.

I just loved the minions, they were to Gru and Nefarious what the elves were to Santa Claus and I want to adopt one or two of them or else get a dog. These little creatures moved about and spoke there own language and were perfect for the movie. They were a perfect addition.

This movie is something you want to see when you’ve had enough of the world and it BS. Pure escapism with comedy, a little pathos and a real nice feel about it. The girls and the minions are cute for the kids but the story and some of the dialogue is for the slightly older generation. On a day you’re down and out and need a break go and adopt a minion, but Dave is mine and you can’t have him.