Despicable Me 2 explores all kinds of love: Father-daughter love, admiration for a co-worker, new love, puppy love, motherly love, male camaraderie, and, of course, Minion love. A fun flick for the whole family, the sequel to the 2010 hit is a heart-warming 98 minutes full of life lessons, slapstick, and downright adorableness.
Former super-villian Gru (Steve Carell) has given up the good (bad) life for his three little girls, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher). Moving on from his evil days, he decides to explore the wonders of jam and jelly making and small business. However, his evil roots catch up to him soon enough and he is enlisted by the Anti Villian League (AVL). Together with his AVL partner, Lucy (Kristen Wiig), Gru goes undercover to apprehend a dangerous transmutation formula, which the AVL fears has fallen into the wrong hands. With a few likely suspects easily identified, Gru and Lucy embark on their mission to save the world.
Growing from the first film, Gru is now faced with all of the joys of fatherhood, including dressing up like a Fairy Princess, aiding in performance rehearsals, and steering love-sick boys away from his daughter’s direction. Though, he may appear to have become a bit love-sick himself. No longer orphans, the girls have clearly acclimated to their life with Gru as their dad, but they are eager for Gru to find love, and simultaneously, a mother figure.
With one-liners from Agnes so cute you could cry, the sequel delivers all of the good vibrations of the first film. And of course, the hilarity of the Minions is in abundance. What could be better than little yellow creatures in goggles and overalls? Oh, right. Little yellow creatures dressed in costumes, including a maid, a coconut bra, and the iconic Village People. Oh, and hitting each other. A lot.
Now, let’s get to the technical aspects. Despicable Me 2 features original songs from Pharrell Williams, who also contributed to the soundtrack for Despicable Me. With upbeat, feel-good tunes, such as “Happy,” which plays as Gru saunters around town after an exciting evening, the music matches the easy-going feel of the film as a whole.
3-D films often fall short of expectations, with very few noticeable (and enjoyable) 3-D moments. The 3-D elements in this film, however, are worth the increased ticket price. There are multiple scenes that cause viewers lean back in their seats and reach out in front of them as if something is actually popping off the screen—even during the credits.
Despicable Me 2 is sure to entertain little ones, while reminding adults to enjoy the simple pleasures of family life, and, you know, fighting evil.
