By Nicholas Ware
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The original Despicable Me, released in summer of 2010, was a relatively rare hit; while computer animated family films tend to do good business, Despicable Me became the best performers in the category in the US outside the juggernauts known as Pixar and Shrek. The film, at over $250 million domestic box office, was a smash and the popularity of the minion characters drove sales of ancillary products like t-shirts and dolls. Universal quickly capitalized by putting together a theme park ride for Universal Studios Florida, which many of you have likely ridden, and started production on the sequel, today's new reliably-titled release Despicable Me 2. All of this bustling capitalist activity seemed to vibe really well with Despicable Me's ostensible hero, Gru, a character who would certainly sic his minions on any scheme to take over the world (or the wallets of children's families). And the film itself, while not at quite the artistic level of Pixar, was generally well-accepted and enjoyed not only by children but parents as well, shaping up Despicable Me 2 to be another massive hit, possibly inspiring even more amusement park rides, t-shirts, toys, direct-to-DVD side films, and other assorted flotsam that your rugrats will most assuredly desire with the fervor only a child can muster. But an unfunny thing happened along the way to crowning Despicable Me 2 as another big winner: Universal forgot to craft a satisfying film.
The original Despicable Me, released in summer of 2010, was a relatively rare hit; while computer animated family films tend to do good business, Despicable Me became the best performers in the category in the US outside the juggernauts known as Pixar and Shrek. The film, at over $250 million domestic box office, was a smash and the popularity of the minion characters drove sales of ancillary products like t-shirts and dolls. Universal quickly capitalized by putting together a theme park ride for Universal Studios Florida, which many of you have likely ridden, and started production on the sequel, today's new reliably-titled release Despicable Me 2. All of this bustling capitalist activity seemed to vibe really well with Despicable Me's ostensible hero, Gru, a character who would certainly sic his minions on any scheme to take over the world (or the wallets of children's families). And the film itself, while not at quite the artistic level of Pixar, was generally well-accepted and enjoyed not only by children but parents as well, shaping up Despicable Me 2 to be another massive hit, possibly inspiring even more amusement park rides, t-shirts, toys, direct-to-DVD side films, and other assorted flotsam that your rugrats will most assuredly desire with the fervor only a child can muster. But an unfunny thing happened along the way to crowning Despicable Me 2 as another big winner: Universal forgot to craft a satisfying film.
Despicable Me was a winner from a critical standpoint for a few simple reasons: it managed to make an antihero character who was gruffly lovable and neither too smart or too stupid to accept as either a loser or winner, it featured a plot that let that character grow and become a better person, and it features a plethora of gags, action scenes, humor both sophisticated and childish, and fun visual designs to keep a wide variety of viewers engaged. Despicable Me 2 seems to have a lot of things in place to repeat this successful formula. In the original, Gru (Steve Carrell) came to love the three little girls that he originally assumed would inconvenience him. In the sequel, he comes to love his partner in his new heroic endeavor, Lucy, voiced by SNL and Bridesmaids vet Kristen Wiig. Unfortunately, the characters never gel particularly well. While Gru's girls obviously fulfill a specific longing that Gru had unsuccessfully filled with high-level crime, minions, and his partner Dr. Nefario, Lucy doesn't seem to offer Gru much of anything because there's nothing inherently romantic or even lustful about the Gru character. He's a creepy-yet-lovable neuter, much like Uncle Fester was portrayed in the Addams Family movies (which made Fester's "love story" in the sequel all the more humorous). The Gru/Lucy relationship is played straight, and simply doesn't work.
Additionally, the stakes of Gru's mission seem incredibly small and poorly built before a somewhat-personal attack--which is in no way personal, to not spoil too much-- occurs late in the second act. However the third act, now bogged down with some of the romance plot line, never really amps up the action or humor that the original film's climax delivered. The whole affair seems tame and matter-of-fact in Gru's eventual victory. Gru loses a lot in failure but gains nothing in victory; he simply returns to his regular life. Gru's not forced into being a better, or even a different person; his hero status is set in stone and the only thing to do is perfunctorily watch as he succeeds (again, not much of a spoiler).
Gru's girls' get an impossibly short shrift--subplots about Margo beginning to like boys and Agnes wanting a mom are paper-thin--and Dr. Nefario is off-stage for much of the film. Gru himself, made ordinary, boring, and bumbling by his new hero status, doesn't even seem to be having that much fun. The character lacks the verve his villain-with-a-conscience did in the original. Catching other bad guys seems hardly a substitute for improbable, convoluted thefts, and worse feels hardly a substitute for the audience.
Much of the film is laid to rest on the backs of the minion characters and their appeal, which is limited at best to someone like me. While children will no doubt roll in the aisles at their antics, their beyond-ordinary names still are the most effective joke with me, and that joke isn't new. In fact, many of the jokes aren't new (including the continued use of a fart gun). The entire Despicable Me 2 enterprise just seems devoid of the core qualities--heart and zest--that fueled the original. That is not to say there's nothing to enjoy here. The animation itself is quite wonderful in its details and there's some fun 3D gags for viewers who pay the premium to watch in that format. Even the Pharrell Williams-produced original songs have some zip. The film as a whole, though, while not bad, is this kind of unnecessary mediocre that plagues a large segment of tentpole summer movies. By virtue of its predecessor's surprise success, Despicable Me 2 is presented with an expectation hurdle that it simply fails to meet.
Despicable Me 2 opens today at all major multiplexes in the Central Florida area. Available in both 2D and 3D. Rated PG for rude humor and mild action. Run time 1 hour 38 minutes.
