Despicable Me (Single-Disc Edition)

So many of the recent animated films are formulaic, even if they are somewhat entertaining and the kids like them, and they've all got to see them because their friends have seen them, blah blah blah. I did not see this in the theater, as I was expecting it to be as dull as the others that have come out this year. It didn't help that it was (imho) over-advertised, and the image of the strange little yellow creatures, plus the title, made me suspect it was a reworked Mike Meyers show. Then I saw a few reviews that made me think there could be something more to it and it would be worth watching. I took a chance on it as a Christmas gift for my 8-year-old. I was so pleasantly surprised and amused. The yellow characters (the "minions") have just the right amount of personality and coherence in their strange, chipmunk-inspired silly language, combined with impeccable timing and just the merest hint of the word you think they'll be saying (e.g., when they are sitting on the copying machine giggling together, they are saying something that sounds much funnier yet not QUITE recognizable as "Butt! hahahahahaha!") Gru, the "evil" guy, is a little Mike-Meyerish, and he's predictably "evil-looking," with the predictable (for my generation, anyway) Boris-and-Natasha Russian accent--and, as with many CGI movies out these days, I had a vague sense that I'd seen these characters and scenes before (The Incredibles? Bolt? Who knows? They're all the same!) but the three kids actually seemed relatively real--at least the oldest, Morgan, who seems like a sensible, spunky kid. (With real-looking hair!) They actually make use of the animation in this moview, instead of just doing things in animation that you could probably do in a non-animated film. And, while they do have the obligatory roller-coaster ride (to satisfy the crowd who paid the extra bucks to see it in 3D? Future Universal theme park tie-in?), it is blissfully short-lived. Not like a lot of current movies that waste 10 minutes flying around just because they can induce nausea in those prone to motion sickness, with no corresponding plot support, or any reason at all to be included in the 90-120 minutes of any movie (e.g., Jim Carrey's A Christmas Carol, or How to Train Your Dragon, Avatar, TRON). They have made a couple of new animation advances here, my favorite being the smoke, and the goofiness of Gru's life-long attempts to make something of himself. He's just not that good at his aim to be the world's worst villain. But he's nasty and self-centered, and he's got some really cool toys. With great smoke.The plot is not just a relief. It actually has substance and surprise, plus a few truly unexpected touches! It veers AWAY from the predictable at almost every turn, only heading back in to the predictable in order to poke fun of the standard plot lines, then twist them around again. Steve Carrell and Russell Brandt, who can be irritatingly, stereotypically juvenile/dumb in most of their roles, are exquisitely cast as Gru and his inventor/manager. I felt like they'd finally found their medium! Gru is just cold enough so that the tug-at-your-heartstrings aspect is surprising and sweet rather than cheesy, and the kids just seem kind of normal, which is saying something for the CGI-generated cute-kid thing. Julie Andrews pulls off a believable and ironic Mom to Gru. My 8-yr-old was losing herself in giggles at some of the pranks, and I was torn between laughing out loud and marvelling at what a good job the filmmakers had done, and how much fun they must have had developing the plot and characters. The characters and some fun plot points and minor details will make my obligatory 3rd or 4th viewing of it still enjoyable. Plus, the ending is -- dare I say it without sounding cliche -- heartwarming. But still real and quirky and not too perfect or "awwww"-inspiring. Just sweet enough to put an appreciative smile on any parent's face. It is ultimately about family. I swear. And the imperfections of family.This is NOT a scary movie for most kids, even most of the little ones, because the characters, such as the duplicative minions, the shark-mouthed dog, and even the actual shark, are more ironic than real. And ultimately nothing bad happens. Even the explosions are kind of harmless. I'm not exactly sure why this is rated PG, whereas the much more frightening "Toy Story 3" is rated G. (I confess I enjoyed that movie too, but it's cloyingly sweet and a calculated heartwarmer relative to this movie... plus, even though I love Tom Hanks and his acting abilities, his voice generally doesn't do it for me in any of his animated features. It's just annoying.) Get this movie for your kids. Get it for you and say it's for your kids. Get it for you and plug your kids and their friends in so you can get something done around the house or shut them up on that long drive. Get it if you are obligated to watch movies over and over and over with your young kids. Get it if you are a sarcastic teenager. Or a nerd/geek. Or someone who likes to complain about nerd/geeks (Vector, who for some reason made me think of Steve Jobs, I don't know). Get it if you are tired of the same old, same old, and want to watch asomething a little more inventive. Get it if you love Steve Carell & Russell Brandt, or if you hate them. And of course get it just to hear Julie Andrews. Get it if you don't mind a little potty humor (it's funny, not really vulgar). Get it if you have kids, and know how annoying they can be. Oh, and all the minor characters are fun as well.

My brother likes this movie very fun too watch an funny movie

I can't believe I loved this movie. I anticipated hating it. I thought that people that were super into Despicable Me were weird. I thought that the mumbling minions were dumb. I thought their association with Burger King was strange at best. But when my 4-year-old twins wanted desperately to watch it, I finally succumbed. And I lol'ed. It was actually good. Kudos, Steve Carell. Turns out you're not the worst after all. And Jason Segel was pretty funny as well. Not "This is the End" funny, but funny nonetheless.Here's Ebert's review. I can't give you anything more in-depth than that."Despicable Me” begins with the truth that villains are often more fascinating than heroes and creates a villain named Gru, who freeze-dries the people ahead of him in line at Starbucks and pops children's balloons. Although he's inspired by many a James Bond bad guy, two things set him apart: (1) His vast mad scientist lair is located not in the desert or on the moon, but in the basement of his suburban home, and (2) He dreams not of world control so much as merely dominating the cable news ratings as the Greatest Villain of All Time.Gru is voiced by Steve Carell, who gives him an accent halfway between a Russian mafioso and a crazed Nazi. His life is made more difficult because his mother (Julie Andrews) sometimes gets on his case. Memories stir of Rupert Pupkin in his basement, yanked from his fantasies by his mother's voice. Gru's most useful weapon is the Insta-Freeze Gun, but now, with the help of his genius staff inventor Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), he can employ a Shrink Ray.Just as global-scale villainy is looking promising, Gru is upstaged by his archrival Vector (Jason Segel), who steals the Great Pyramid. Since that pyramid was previously pounded to pieces by the Transformers, the Egyptians should establish a CGI-free zone around it.Gru is cheered ever onward by his faithful minions, who are, in fact, called the Minions, and look like yellow exercise balls with one or two eyes apiece. The principal responsibility of the Minions is to cheer for Gru, who addresses them as if he's running for office. He hatches a plan to use the Shrink Ray and steal no less than the moon itself, and explains it to the Minions with a plan that reminded me of nothing so much as the guy in the joke who plans to get the gorilla down out of the tree using only a broomstick, a pair of handcuffs and a savage Dalmatian dog.To make a villain into the hero of an animated comedy is daring, but the filmmakers bring in three cute kids to restore good feelings. They are Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Elsie Fisher). Gru finds them at his friendly neighborhood orphanage, run by the suspicious Miss Hattie (Kristen Wiig). His plan is to keep them at his home until his moon scheme is ready to hatch, and then use them to infiltrate Vector's home by subterfuge — pretending to sell cookies, say. It follows as the night does the day that the orphans will work their little girl magic on Gru and gradually force the revelation that the big lug has a heart, after all.“Despicable Me” lacks a franchise to ride into town on, but it may establish one. I'm not sure how Gru can think up anything more sensational than stealing the moon, but I'm sure Dr. Nefario is working on that as we speak. The film is funny, energetic, teeth-gnashingly venomous and animated with an eye to exploiting the 3-D process with such sure-fire techniques as a visit to an amusement park.The sad thing, I am forced to report, is that the 3-D process produces a picture more dim than it should be. “Despicable Me” is technically competent and nowhere near the visual disaster that is “The Last Airbender,” but take my word for it: Try to find it in 2-D. Or, if you see it in 3-D, check out the trailers online to see how bright and cheery it would look in 2-D. How can people deceive themselves that 3-D is worth paying extra for?

This movie is a classic and my kids and I own a few of the more recent movies. Most of the time one of our many subscriptions will have at least a few of the movies available but this original hasn't been one we could find to watch without paying for it. My 3 years had a no school day last Friday and I had to work. I let him choose a movie and he saw this one and wanted to watch it. To rent, it was 4.99. To buy, it was on sale for 7.99, so I thought, what the heck it's a good price! It's been a while since I've seen this OG despicable me and it's cute story of the origins of Grus adult family, highlighting how the girls come to live with him. Super cute and worth a watch for minions fans

Such a fun movie

Good movie, not my favorite though. It’s good for like little kids.

great movie for grandchildren

Good kid’s movie. No overt political agenda like a lot of kids movies in recent years. It’s a fun little story with humor adults can enjoy