logan j. fowler is so fluffy … but in the best way possible …
Plot: When Gru (Steve Carrel) is asked to be part of the Anti-Villain League due to his knowing of how the bad guy mind works, he accepts the position to go undercover in a mall store to seek out the creator of a mutation serum that could potentially mean bad news for the world at large. Gru teams up with Lucy (Kristen Wiig) to take down the potential threat, and the two seem destined for each other. In the meantime, minions madness!
I watched the first Despicable Me a few months prior to the sequel being released, and I have to say, it was a fun ride. Adorable, sweet, and juvenile, the film just was a different slice of animated film. To say that its sequel improves upon it wouldn’t do it justice; If Despicable Me earned a place in my heart just by being, then the follow up cuts the door down with a chainsaw and rightfully will remain.
Despicable Me 2 is zany as you could imagine. It’s a riot, it’s downright silly and it’s all the better for it. While Pixar uses it’s animation to aim for the heartstrings and use adult humor that’s verbally sound, this movie juices up the juvenile meter and aims square for the funny bone. I would have to say that no other animated film has made me laugh as much as this one did.
I was in between chuckling and guffawing any time the minions were on the screen. Those little yellow pill shaped dudes with their own “minion” language clearly steal the show, just like in the first movie. They have more screen time, and it definitely doesn’t take away from the movie that’s to be had, the core story I mean. But seriously, if these guys have their own film, I’ll gladly put down money for it. Bizarre as ever, the minion army earns every laugh easily in the film.
Carrel still shines as Gru, thick with an accent and making everyday phrases sound ridiculous. Wiig also is a fun time, who doesn’t play straight character to Gru, but rather, an over the top, wary-of-her-surroundings, love interest. Benjamin Bratt pulls double duty as El Macho (a possible lead for Gru and Lucy’s quest for the villain), and Eduardo, El Macho’s son, who serves as a thorn in Gru’s side due to his pining for Margo (one of Gru’s adopted daughters, voiced by Miranda Cosgrove). Bratt is nearly unrecognizable as the actor embraces the Spanish accent full on.
If the minions aren’t around, then the one stealing the movie from everybody else is Agnes (Elsie Fisher), who placed Despicable Me in the halls of quotable history when the infamous ”IT’S SO FLUFFY!” line was said by her. In the sequel, Agnes turns the adorable up to 11, spouting even more quotable stuff, and also laying on the charm thick. The adorable animated girl steals your heart, definitely a stand out of the movie.
If Despicable Me 2 has any downfalls, it is that it’s kind of predictable. That’s really the only complaint I have. Otherwise, this sequel joins Monster’s University as one of my favorite films of the summer, probably the year to boot. It’s funny, it’s adorable, it’s charming, it’s silly, and I certainly think that it rocketed past the first in my eyes, solidifying a place in my movie loving heart by way of comedic forceful entry.
Rating: 9/10
all photos credit: universal pictures
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