Monday, April 25, 2011

Despicable Me


Despicable Me is a great family movie that will have people of all ages laughing throughout. It is a fun and unique story because it is about two villains that become set on completing the ultimate heist. Despicable Me was one of the best animated movies of 2010. For me the aspect of it that made it so successful was the fact that the story was very unique.

Steve Carrell continues to show why he is definitely one of the great comedic actors currently. One of the aspects that make him so versatile is that he is able to not only do the physical comedy, but can also give great one liners. This is vitally important because for animated movies the comedy ends up being completely different. Playing Gru it is interesting that even though Gru is an evil genius we are still instantly drawn to rooting for him, because we recognize Carrell's voice, and I think that registered at least in my brain that he is a good guy simply because of all the time I have watched him as Michael Scott. I particularly enjoyed the human element to the original rough exterior of Gru at the beginning and we can slowly see the change and softening of his tough outer shell as the girls he adopts grow on him.

The supporting cast of Russel Brand, Julie Andrews and Jason Segel were just as strong in their performances. Yet the supporting cast that really stole the show were "The Minions." These Minions were not only totally hilarious throughout the movie, but they also have a unique cuddly factor to them. While some may have found the gibberish language of the Minions to be annoying, I thought it fight them perfectly. Since they were so hard to understand it added to the funny factor during those moments where you could understand a phrase or even just a simple word. Although some of the additionally truly funny moments with the Minions take place during the end credits, which is well worth watching.

The element of the storyline was fairly unique, especially for an animated movie. The concept of a villain versus another villain was a refreshing new spin. You realize that Gru is a super villain and yet he has a great soft side that endears the audience to him. It is nice that these two first time animated film directors were able to combine two quite unoriginal plots into one with such an ease and natural flow. The aspect of trying to steal the moon, is so absurd and over the top that it hits precisely on what a movie should be.

The animation is amazing, it is bright and nicely rendered with a deft touch of simplicity, that made it not too overly glossy and polished. This made the animation look less artificial and instead it looked more fluid, which works perfectly when it comes to the practical jokes. There is humor in the film that makes it enjoyable for both viewers young and old. The humor gives nods to "Apollo 13" among others. For me though the best is that the Bank of Evil is staffed by formed Lehman Brothers executives.

Overall Despicable Me is a great fun time for the kids and adults as well. It even has those moments where the most stubborn teens will laugh at. The voice actors used in Despicable Me were superb and really all of them brought great moments to the movie. I am giving Despicable Me three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This movie ended up being well worth the cost of not only renting but adding to your movie collection.

-The Movie Man

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