Despicable Me 2

ANIMATED/COMEDY/FAMILY

Gru - When You Need a Hero?

8.0 out of 10 | Movie or DVD

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Rated: PG Rude Humor and mild action
Release Date: July 3, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes

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Director: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
Writers: Justin Haythe, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamon Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, Ken Jeong, Steve Coogan, Elsie Fisher, Dana Gaier

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SYNOPSIS:  Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal.

REVIEW: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud return as directors of the Gru-tastic follow up to Despicable Me. Written by the Despicable Me creative team of Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul (The Lorax), we find that Gru has changed his ways in order to be a good father to Edith, Margo and Agnes. But the good times will not last long!

Gru (Steve Carell, The Way, Way Back) has denounced his wicked and evil ways in favor of taking care of his three adopted daughters Edith (Dana Gaier), Margo (Miranda Cosgrove, School of Rock) , and Agnes (Elsie Fisher). Gru has even given up crime in favor of having his minions and Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand, Rock of Ages) work on a legitimate business venture with jellies and jams. When a top secret research facility in the artic circle is stolen for a even more top secret experimental serum, an agent named Lucy (Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids) from the AVL (Anti-Villain League) recruits Gru to root out the villain behind the heist, believed to be hiding out at the local mall. While undercover, Gru is sure that he has uncovered a supposedly dead super villain named el Macho (Benjamin Bratt, Snitch) but is overruled due to lack of evidence. Can Gru find out the truth before his minions and, more importantly, his precious girls are put into danger?

The return of Gru and his minions is an exciting prospect. What person with emotions did not smile during the original film or the commercials when Edith thrusts her stuffed unicorn into the air and declares 'he's so fluffy!'? A sequel was all but demanded by that simple act of a little girl and the warming of the heart of a ruthless criminal mastermind. This time around, Gru has already shed the trappings of being a criminal, focusing all his efforts on the happiness of his little girls.

Gru still has his snarky edge from his years of being a bad guy, but he has warmed up to the fact that being a father is better. The problem is that Edith wants to have a mother too. Facing a threat even greater then an archenemy, Gru shrinks back from the idea of dating. Agent Lucy Wilde, on the other hand, finds Gru enchanting and fun. It does not take a mad scientist to know that a chemical reaction will take place between Gru and his new junior agent partner.

Steve Carell brings back his Gru character just as you would expect. Kristen Wiig, as Agent Wilde, voices her character with a lighthearted romantic slant. Benjamin Bratt, as el Macho, amps up the villain with as much machismo as he can muster. The minions are funny as always, laughing, speaking of their strange language, and blowing raspberries at each other, for supreme comic effect.

The story is a little different from the original. But the main difference is that Gru already has the love of the girls and will do anything to keep them safe. It was fun to watch him in the original while he was trying to make that realization. There is something lost in the fact that Gru is not trying to peddle off the girls back to the orphanage. The action, though, is on par with the original film with a few additional flares.

The creative team does manage to change things up a little bit by adding more pop culture references. From the music group All for One, a homage to Donald Sutherland and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, to Isaac from The Love Boat, to an aerial shot not unlike the final battle in Star Wars: A Phantom Menace, there is something for everybody to enjoy – not just the kids.

While not as good as the original, Despicable Me 2 does entertain kids and adults alike. It may not do as well as the other animation out this season, namely Monsters University, but it will draw enough minions for it to be a success.

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Bridesmaids

Do You Take This Comedy? I Do!

Director: Paul Feig

Writers: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo

Stars: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd

SYNOPSIS: When her best friend gets engaged, Annie is asked to be the maid of honor. Tasked with making all of the preparations, Annie must contend with the other bridesmaids, losing her best friend to marriage and the status of her own life.

Director Paul Feig of Unaccompanied Minors semi-fame returns to the big screen after directing stints on The Office and Nurse Jackie. For Bridesmaids, written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Feig brings Wiig and Maya Rudolph from SNL, Ellie Kemper from tv's The Office, Rose Byrne from Insidious and the upcoming X-Men: First Class, Wendi McLendon-Covey from tv's Rules of Engagement, and Melissa McCarthy from tv's Mike & Molly. What does this mean? It means that Feig may be coaching the Olympic Dream Team of female comedy. Competing with them are their male counterparts Chris O'Dowd and Jon Hamm.

The opening sequence sets the tone for the entire film. Annie (Wiig) and Ted (Jon Hamm) wrestle in bed as friends with benefits, eliciting all the hilarious sexual moves and faces that all of us normal people go through. Once Annie takes the Walk of Shame the next morning, she realizes that she may have hit the rock bottom that her mother talks about. Enter her best friend, supporter and confidant Lillian (Rudolph) who springs the news that she is getting married and wants Annie to be the maid of honor, and all that the title entails. Along the way, Lillian's collection of bridesmaids consisting of co-workers and new friends make for chatter and bridal party chaos.

The film is both funny and tender, realistic in its character portrayal, dialogue and the examination of how the humor and embarrassment of real life imitates arts which imitates life. Annie and rich second-wife of the husband-to-be Doug's boss, Helen (Rose Byrne) square off, rich versus poor, childhood friends versus new friend, vying for Lillian's affection and approval. Doug's sister Megan (Melissa McCarthy) is surprisingly limber and agile with her comedy, making no apologies. Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey) also makes no apologies, but she simply wants to escape from a husband and three boys that try her patience and devotion. Finally, Lillian's office-mate Becca (Ellie Kemper) brings the doe-eyed optimism of that brand new marriage smell, soon realizing that the grass may not be greener on the other side of the fence, just something she never experienced.

Enter Officer Rhodes (Chris O'Dowd), the state trooper who pulls over Annie for broken tail lights and recognizes her face and the excellent bake goods and pastries from her now-closed bakery. Flirting to get out of a tickets leads to something resembling a real relationship that Annie is ill equipped to deal with. One of the funniest moments of the film occurs on a lonely stretch of highway where Annie and Helen are trying to get Officer Rhodes help. And aside from the opening number in the sack, the "flu"-ridden bridal party dress fitting is a battle of wills and a battle of plumbing. Raunchy and gross, it may bring a laughing tear to your eyes at the same time you try to look away. But like a car accident, you can't seem to look away for long.

Tears of laughter may overcome you, which is great since those tears will mask the real tears you will send in Bridesmaids. Heartfelt and funny, you will get a kick out of all the antics that go into making a perfect day, no matter what the cost!

WORTH: Matinee and DVD

Paul

A Cute Encounter Of The Third Kind

Director: Greg Mottola

Writer: Nick Frost, Simon Pegg

Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, John Carroll Lynch

RANT: Movie-going with my housemate. Always a roll of the dice if she is going to like the movies she says she wants to go to. I was lucky this time, although she is not the reviewer here. Another interesting development... I purchased a soda and, halfway through the movie, my housemate stuck her hand in the cup to get some ice. Instead of ice, she pulled out the nozzle from the soda fountain. What a crazy day!

SYNOPSIS: Two Londoners make a trip of a lifetime, starting with the San Diego Com-Con and planning a trip to tourist alien hot spots across the American West. Their plans go out the window when they "encounter" a true alien, Paul.

Director Greg Mottola strays from raunchy and stoic comedy to beam in on an action/comedy/adventure/buddy/road-trip flick starring a wide-eyed extra-terrestrial named Paul. Gathering all of his acting pals from Arrested Development (Jason Bateman), Adventureland (Kristin Wiig, Bill Hader), the writers of Paul (Simon Pegg, Nick Frost) and Superbad (Seth Rogen).

Following Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Frost) on their American holiday from their starting point at the San Diego Comic Com with plans to visit alien hot spots across the west, they unwittingly have a close encounter with Paul, an alien on the run from the government after working with them for 60 years. When Paul pleads for help, Graeme and Clive roll the dice and strike out on an adventure they never expected. In their travels, they find the government, hill-billies and a bible-thumping shotgun-toting father all chasing after them and their RV.

Seth Rogen, voicing Paul, uses his distinct frat boy, man-child with a heart of gold style to perfection. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost look like they had come directly from Shaun of the Dead (minus Nick being a video game playing zombie), still best of friends. Kristin Wiig brings her kooky, sometimes distracting, characters from SNL and rolled them into Bible devotee Ruth Buggs.

Paul is a quick-paced road trip, complete with car chases, big guns and bigger government-issued sun glasses. Not only does Mottola take us into the Comic Com, he pays homage to a slew of comic, sci-fi and pop culture films throughout Graeme and Clive's adventures. Paul is a high-flying saucer ride - witty, funny and tender. Just be advised, Paul seems like it was made for kids, but it is rated-R for a foul-mouthed reason.

Worth: Matinee or DVD

Butter Popcorn Meter

Despicable Me

Definitely See

[Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig]

RANT: It finally happened. Remember the great little kid I enjoyed going to kids movies with? He was having a bad day and finally cracked. About two-thirds into the film he wanted to go home and let his mother know it. She shushed him as best she could and tried to refocus him to what was happening on screen. It all ended well, though, because when asked if he liked the movie, he beamed and said yeah!

SYNOPSIS: Super villain Gru gets upstaged by a young hip villain, Vector, and resorts to adopting three orphan girls in order to get access to Vector's shrinking ray gun for the crime of the century.

With the wave of 3D movies and 3D animation, I wonder when the wave will come crashing down with audience fatigue. There is the element of the additional cost and the younger age of some of the viewers unwilling to keep the glasses on the entire film. At any rate, 3D or not, this animated film carries itself... to the moon!

Steve Carell lends his vocal talents as Gru, a hungarian accented super villain bent on perpetrating amazing crimes and achieving world domination. As an middle-aged doer of evil, he has the adoration of his begoggled diminutive yellow minions and the loyalty of his weapons designer, Dr. Nefario. What he doesn't have is a serious credit to his name. Sure, he has stolen the Times Square Jumbo-Tron and the Statue of Liberty (from New York, New York in Las Vegas), but younger scoundrels are stealing his limelight (and ability to secure a loan to fund his latest world dominating scheme).

Enter three orphan girls, Margo, Edith and Agnes, trying to stay on their keeper's, Miss Hattie's, good side by selling as many mail order cookies as possible. Since Gru's nemesis, Vector, is smitten with the cookies, Gru finds it necessary to adopt the orphan girls to gain access into Vector's fortress.

As you would suspect, the hard-hearted Gru and the girls are at odds from the beginning. I do not need to tell you how it ends up for them all. But knowing the destination does not stop the enjoyment of the journey. Gru's minions are unintelligible and hilarious. The orphan girls are funny, independent and can melt your heart with a droopy stare. Even Gru's dog(?) offers up some levity.

The action is both ACME and 007. The rivalry between Vector and Gru, and their gadgets is over the top. But at the end of the day, their deep-seated issues ultimately stem from their desire to win the approval of their parents. And, I believe, "Despicable Me" will also win the approval of parents and kids alike.

Worth: Matinee and a DVD

I am also trying out a new rating system shown below based on reader reaction to my somewhat complex monetary rating scale. I will give both ratings and see what kind of reaction I muster. A movie can receive up to 5 popcorn buckets. Why popcorn buckets? Because I am a slave to the thousand + calorie delight! Enjoy!