Despicable Me 2

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Thu, 07/18/2013 - 15:02 -- Bob Gibbons

By Bob Gibbons

Despicable Me 2This movie is stuffed with too many characters, jammed with too many sub-plots, but who cares?  Certainly not all the kids – and maybe not any of the adults either – who were in this at-least-half-full theatre on a Sunday night.  We were just happy when the yellow-caplet Minions kept showing up to work their magic, distract us from the foolish plot, and make this movie (for me) marginally better than the original.  And it’s just so much fun… with – here and there – an emotional moment. 

But this franchise’s great and unique advantage is the Minions. The writers use them wisely – to punctuate the action, rather than to drive it. Although the Minions only intermittently speak a word or two of English (“…bottom..” is one of the funniest lines in the movie), the kids clearly understand them – and so do we. 

In their broad gestures, slapstick, rolling eye(s), and concentration on the task at hand, they’re the descendants of Donald Duck, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and the great comedy teams of the past.  Perhaps it’s no surprise that much of this movie was made in France where they have a great respect for pantomime.  This is one of those movies where you may end up shaking your head when you think about the plot, but you won’t stop smiling when you think about the movie.  Keep those Minions coming… 

 

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