Despicable Me 2 (2013)

4/5

Despicable Me 2 is the sequel to the endearing animated family film Despicable Me. While trying to raise his three adopted daughters (Cosgrove, Fischer, Gaier), ex-supervillain Gru (Carrell) is contracted by Lucy (Wiig) to locate and eliminate a new supervillain. Along the way he unexpectedly falls in love with Lucy, but higher forces conspire to pull them apart. From a technical standpoint, this movie is better than the first. Beautiful animation and first-rate voice-acting give it a brilliant polish and shine. The movie has plenty of good jokes--I was laughing the whole way through--but they did not have the same oomph that the first one had.

Something about Despicable Me 2 just feels staid, old, and contrived instead of feeling fresh, unexpected, and new. It is more childish, or maybe just more child-oriented, than the first one was. While many animated movies have parts for kids and adults, it seems that Despicable Me 2 uses adult humor (e.g., sexual double entendres) to placate the 20+ crowd instead of delivering mature, thoughtful themes (e.g., on parenting). While there's certainly nothing wrong with making a movie focused predominantly on kids, it definitely loses something that the first one had. It loses a certain gravitas, an opportunity to stand the test of time, a chance to be a classic. It's a terrifically entertaining movie, but it's also just a little disappointing.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1690953/

Despicable Me (2010)

4.9/5

Despicable Me is an absolutely delightful film no matter how you slice it. The plot follows Gru (Carell), whose only goal in life is to become the greatest supervillain in the world. When the Great Pyramid of Giza is stolen by Vector (Segel), he steals Gru's media limelight and becomes Gru's new archenemy. So Gru decides to adopt three little orphans and use them in his master plot to steal the moon and embarrass Vector at the same time.

This movie is the first feature film for the new Illumination Animation studio and, if they keep making movies of this quality, their success is guaranteed. The directing is pitch-perfect. It deftly blends comedy with excitement, family appeal with evil intentions. The feel is a combination of Tim Burton and Pixar; the union manifests itself as a wholly realized alternate reality, but cutesy instead of scary. I absolutely adore how they play with their self-imposed rules to enthrall and surprise you (e.g., cracking and shaking up the minion to generate light). The comic timing and the editing are spectacular, resulting in an experience that is enjoyable without a single wasted second or shot. The voice-acting was impeccable. Even though they used big names, they were so well disguised that you felt as if you saw and hear each character, not the actor (everyone except Jack McBrayer, that is).

And it is not just for kids either. It has a lot of mature thematic content (and references to movies like The Godfather). It subtly delves into the reasons people act the way they do and dream the things they dream. But the heart of the movie is a compelling and uplifting story about family. Despite everything else this movie does right (and it does nearly everything right), what will imprint this movie in the memories of its viewers is its heartfelt storytelling. What more can you ask in a movie than to come out of the theater feeling rejuvenated and inspired?

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1323594/

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

4/5

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is yet another successful comedy from the Judd Apatow producing team. It's funny, it's smart, it's tender--what more could you want in a movie? Jason Segal announces his presence as a viable leading man: he's a quirky "composer" who gets dumped by his superstar girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) and goes to Hawaii to get over her. As he soon finds out, he's staying at the same resort as his ex and her new superstar musician love interest Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). He quickly pairs up with Jackie from That 70's Show (Mila Kunis), only she's less annoying and more attractive in this movie.

Now that you know the basic framework and characters, I'm sure you know how it ends. Regardless, how it gets there is a hilarious and unique romp. (And thirty minutes shorter than his other movies too!) The humor is infectious; you feel the same joy the characters feel. You also feel their sadness because there is an honesty to the actors' performances that extend past the dialogue and the simple genre of comedy. This movie, as in all of Apatow's films, contains some of the strongest and most indelible side characters of any movie in recent memory. We may have seen this trope before, but we've never experienced it alongside these people. (Especially Kenneth from 30 Rock!)

The movie has some flaws. At times, I felt the jokes fell a bit flat. The timing was a bit off too--you didn't have enough time to laugh at the jokes. Additionally, half the movie had no establishing shots, making it hard to get a feel for the setting. The flashbacks were used effectively sometimes, but was very confusing in conjunction with the lack of establishing shots. Still. If you find me talking about technical flaws like establishing shots in a comedy, you know it got at least most things right. So if you liked Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, watch this movie and have a blast.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0800039/