Gru and his brood are back in Despicable Me 2, a sequel to 2010’s Despicable Me. Despicable Me 2 will warm your heart and make you cry because the film is funnier than its predecessor.
Gru (Steve Carell) is still a loving and doting father. For Agnes’s birthday, Gru gives his youngest the party of her dreams: knights, unicorns, and princesses. He even dresses like a fairy princess because the one booked for the party cancels, and he doesn’t want to disappoint his daughter. Nothing is more important than his girls, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher), which is why he has stopped being evil and is trying his hand at being a legitimate businessman by starting a line a jams and jellies.
Gru and his girls, Margo, Agnes (on couch) and Edith (pink hat)
A secret lab in the Arctic Circle was stolen by an unknown villain. The lab contained a secret formula that transforms people and creatures into rampaging monsters. Having a difficult time finding the culprit is the Anti-Villain League (AVL). The AVL sends Agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) to get Gru. Instead of asking him, she ends up taking him by force. Wiig plays Lucy as someone who loves her job, and she is very gung-ho, likely to use her martial arts skills before evaluating the situation. At first, Gru turns the AVL down, but after Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) leaves for a better job because he misses being evil, Gru accepts the AVL’s offer.
Lucy volunteers to be Gru’s partner, and their methods of investigation are hilarious. Gru bumbles about in a trash can, and they run into a pesky chicken while checking out a restaurant. Lucy and Gru are adorably awkward, and Gru has to wrestle with his feelings for her. Gru also has to deal with Margo as she starts to become interested in boys. Feelings of blossoming love are dealt with humor, so the situations don’t delve deep into serious waters, keeping the focus of the film on comedy stemming from who the characters are and how they handle changes and stresses in their lives.
Gru and Lucy
The stars of the film are the Minions. Dressing in a French maid’s outfits, playing knights at Agnes’s birthday party, and gorging on ice cream are just a few examples of how sidesplitting hysterically funny the little yellow creatures are. Their antics culminate in not one, but two uproarious moments at the end of the film. To tell you anything about those moments would ruin the surprise.
Some of the Minions
Despicable Me 2 avoids the sin many sequels commit: it is not a rehash of the story from the first film. The story tackles love and what it means to be a family without forgetting it is a comedy first. The jokes and emotions are beautifully blended in this gorgeous animated film directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, the directors of Despicable Me. Despicable Me 2 had the entire audience, kids and adults, laughing loudly, as all excellent comedies should.
