98 minutes. 2013. Rated PG.
“Just because everybody hates it doesn’t mean it’s not good.”
In this sequel to the successful and very funny Despicable Me, our hero Gru (voiced again by Steve Carell) used to be a supervillain. Along with Dr. Nefario (voiced by Russell Brand) and his minions, he pulled off such stunts as stealing the moon. Well, until three orphan girls came into his life. Now, a responsible doting father, Gru is developing a line of jellies and jams and throwing unicorn and fairy princess birthday parties. Dr. Nefario misses the evil life, and leaves the fold to pursue a new job opportunity, a sad but necessary loss.
Then along comes Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig), an agent for the Anti-Villain League. She brings Gru, reluctantly at first, onto a case of finding a super villain who has stolen a very dangerous experimental chemical. The chemical can turn a harmless bunny into an indestructible, evil whirlwind of fury (also, it turns you purple). Obviously, the implications for bad are huge.
The suspects are all proprietors of different shops in a mall, and as Gru and Lucy begin to run through them, a variety of other issues appear. Eduardo (voiced by Benjamin Bratt), the owner of the Mexican restaurant Salsa & Salsa, , touches off a memory of a supposedly deceased villain named El Macho. It doesn’t help that his son, Antonio (voiced by Moises Arias), is charming Gru’s eldest daughter Margo (voiced by Miranda Cosgrove) right off her feet. Gru is convinced that Eduardo could be El Macho (after all, they never found the body), but the Anti-Villain League is unconvinced. Meanwhile, the longer Gru and Lucy work together, the more they begin to like one another. Gru’s dating life (or lack of) is an amusing sideline plot that preoccupies all of the women in his life. As these plots work themselves along, the minions are slowly being kidnapped, but Gru is too busy to notice.
While much of the plot follows fairly predictable pathways, the thing that separates these movies from other children’s fare is the intelligent comedy. Like The Incredibles or Shrek, the references in these films are clever and aimed at the grown-ups in the audience. Gru is grumpy but likable as the anti-hero, with many fabulous lines of dialogue. The minions are obviously comic relief, but unlike any other film, there are so many minions with so many opportunities to be funny, one never tires of watching them. Whether they are acting as maids in the house or dressed up as the members of The Village People, viewers are sure to chuckle. If one of the year’s most popular Halloween costumes was a minion, you know that those characters are hits across the board.
There are a few small plot twists to keep the storyline fresh and a legitimately sweet and slowly developing relationship between Gru and Lucy. While the first film may have been a bit more original, this sequel stands on its own as a worthy successor.
Despicable Me 2 is a great film for both children and adults, with the right mix of heart, comedy and action. Parents will find even more to laugh at than the children they watch it with. Let’s cross our fingers Despicable 3 is in the offing.
