Viewed in
2010, 2011
Formats watched
Movie theater, DVD
Premise
An evil spy, Gru, adopts three lovable girl orphans as part of his master plan to steal the Moon.
Loved
The Minions.
Liked
The grade A cartoon violence, the adorable cuteness.
Disliked
The slow first act.
Thoughts
Very funny and cute.
Once again, a film like this proved that creativity instead of pop culture jokes tends to make better comedy. A lot of the laughs came from slapstick cartoony violence. The stars of those moments were those awesome Minions, a cross between Raving Rabids and Tuck and Roll from A Bug's Life. I adored those delightful henchmen as they committed Three Stooges antics on each other. The violence hearkened back to old school Looney Tunes days.
To counter the cartoony comedy and violence was an incredible level of non-mushy cuteness. Part of the Minions appeal was how cute they were as they committed juvenile acts. Notice how each was animated differently to promote individuality. The charm kicked up a notch when the orphans appeared in Gru's life. Agnes' exuberant love for unicorns captured that child-like innocence that we all love.
This combination of comedy and cuteness made these characters endearing. Even though the plot was predictable, you wanted to see it end with one big happy family. Even when you know the kids will touch Gru's evil heart, you can't help but say "Awww". The most creative writing was the subplot involving shrinking the Moon.
The voice talent was excellent. Even though they were recognizable names (mostly from the Apatow stable), their voices were not. Steve Carrell could have easily just add a Russian voice and called it a day. Instead, he and the rest of the crew added creativity and soul to their performances that made me forget I was hearing the voices of Julie Andrews and Russell Brand.
For me, the first third was the weakest. It was slowed down by unnecessarily long scenes at the bank and the orphanage. The story, motivations, and characters would have been the same had they been trimmed.
I watched it in 2D, and it felt like the right choice. There was some gratuitous 3D scenes, like the airship fight, the roller coaster, and the credits in which the Minions attempt to outdo each other in reaching the audience. However, Ebert warned that the dimming effect was still present.
It was a very enjoyable film, thanks to the charming characters, old school slapstick, and voice acting.
What I would change
Got rid of the Lehman Brothers joke. It was a little too obvious and topical. Ten years from now, will anyone get it?
