By Melissa Antoinette Garza
I had never seen the original so I wasn’t really looking forward to seeing this one. Despite the great reviews, I had thought the first one looked dull. I was much more intrigued with Megamind and that ended up being one of my favorite animated films of all time.
So, Despicable Me 2 was not on my list of movies to see, but my husband and I were taking my nephew out today. We had talked about it for a while, but different things kept coming up. Our initial plan was to go to The Rainforest Café at the West Farms Mall in Connecticut. Sadly, that closed down.
Therefore we left the day up to G. I offered suggestions. I suggested Friendly’s, Monsters U, and Game Stop. He agreed to Game Stop but couldn’t find anything. We ended up picking him up a videogame at Target and a Dora doll for his sister. He opted for McDonalds over Friendly’s because McDs gave toys for the film. Lastly, he opted for Despicable Me 2 over Monsters U. Now, he had never seen the first either which made me a little apprehensive about bringing him, but he had seen a preview with a ‘fart gun’ and just had to see it. Sadly, there are a few family members in their 30s that would most likely go see it for the same reason.
Anyways, I expected to be annoyed for an hour and a half. The first twenty minutes were a struggle to get through. There were cute scenes like when the lead character Gru (Steve Carell) dresses up like a fairy princess for his daughter’s birthday party but it was slow moving.
It was still better than watching the 30 something blonde woman to my left standing with her muscle bound boyfriend. They arrived late and the theater was pretty much filled except the first three rows. She kept yelling “I’m NOT sitting up front!” As if someone was going to get out of their seats and say, “please take mine. Your unnecessary bitching and complaining has warmed my heart. He kept responding, “I’m sorry baby. I’m sorry.” Idiots! She was such a flamboyant bitch. She wanted the world to know it. She was so loud and so annoying. After about 10 minutes, she folded her arms and stomped to her seat. Their young daughter who was maybe 6 said, “Don’t be mad.” I felt so bad for that kid.
In the movie, we are soon introduced to Lucy (Kristen Wiig) who works for the Anti-Villian League. She enlists Gru’s help to take down a mystery madman who created a serum which turns nice things into purple evil creatures. It actually reminded me a great deal of the Smurfs tale The Black Smurfs later renamed to The Purple Smurfs in fear people would read racism into it. Essentially, it was the same story except here the Smurfs were bitten by a fly that turned them into zombies who bit each other. They would walk around saying “GNAP! GNAP!” It’s one of my favorite childhood stories. It’s like a Zombie Smurf episode. How cool is that?
I will say that I thought Despicable Me 2 built the story really well. A romance develops between Gru and Lucy and it’s certainly easy to find yourself cheering for the duo to end up together. I will admit it was difficult to not envision Lola Bunny from The Looney Tunes Show when she spoke. Lucy like Lola is a little bit ditzy and crazy. Her tone, inflection, and personality mirrors Lola’s quite a bit.
I really like Kristen Wiig. I’m known as somewhat a sexist when it comes to women. I don’t like too many female comedians. It just seems that for stand-up the go-to jokes for women surround hating their husbands/ex-husbands, enjoying sex, and gross out humor that is supposed to be ?shocking? because it is coming out of a girl’s mouth. I don’t get it. Then again, there are a lot of male comedians I loathe. Jeff Dunham is at the top of my list. He’s not funny! Dane Cook is another one I can’t stand. I hate when I am forced to be near someone for long periods of time and you can just tell that they’re a Dane Cook fan. I’ve had more people tell me about his stand-up routine despite my pleas of “I hate that guy. He sucks!” Adam Sandler has a very punch-able face. I love how he typically pairs himself with a 20 something hottie. I remember in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007) they made him a complete lady’s man. He has a huge undeserved ego. What sucks, is that there’s an Australian movie that came out before I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry called Strange Bedfellows (2004). Strange Bedfellows is a fantastic film which Sandler’s film copied completely. It has the same premise. It follows two straight men who pretend to be gay to save on taxes. The difference is that I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is a homophobic piece of garbage masked as something liberal. It uses every stereotype they can all the way down to having a young son who likes dancing being viewed as gay.
Strange Bedfellows on the other hand is a hilarious comedy which really examines stereotypes and dispels them rather than regurgitating them to stroke Sandler’s ego. Of course, he had to screw twenty women in a night so that no one would think for a moment while watching the movie that he was gay. What a joke!
Anyways, I guess with women I’m a little more targeted whereas it’s difficult for me to name female comedians that I enjoy. I can count them on two hands. They are Carol Burnett, June Diane Raphael, Lucille Ball, Christina Applegate, Kristen Wiig, Betty White, Jean Stapleton, Katey Segal, and Samantha Bee. Those are the only female comedians that I can think of, off the top of my head that I really consistently enjoy.
As for the rest of famous female comedians, I don’t get it. I always hated Paula Poundstone. I never found Rosie O’Donnell funny. I hate Sarah Silverman’s voice and her jokes are just Jenny McCarthy-redux. “I’m gross and like sex just like guys” is her whole shtick. Margaret Cho has NEVER made me laugh. Ellen Degenerous’s dance angers me beyond belief. Every time I see her it pisses me off. It’s like she’s saying, “Look at me …I’m funny!” And she’s not! She sucks! Amy Schumer is a one trick pony whose only trick sucks. Kathy Griffin and Wanda Sykes confuse controversy for comedy.
I just don’t like the brand of humor – and it’s not that I’m easily offended. My favorite comedians of all time are George Carlin and Richard Pryor with Mitch Hedberg coming in a far third as a guilty pleasure. British comedian Charles Brooker is really funny. In fact, there are a lot of British comedians that are absolutely awesome. With few exceptions, the cast and guests on QI are great. Simon Pegg is outstanding. Spaced stands the test of time as one of the greatest shows.
Lately as I’ve voiced in the recent past, I’ve enjoyed the works of Brad Jones, Douglas Walker and James Rolfe. Their entire supporting casts for the work they put out is always on top of their game as well. I think Jillian Zurawski, who I first saw through Jones’s videos, definitely has a lot of promise and I enjoy her work immensely.
I really don’t think that I’m sexist but I’m called it by so many of my female friends. They have a point in one respect. I don’t typically get as hostile towards a man who is cracking jokes about a common topic. I get seriously angry when I’m watching a female comedian who thinks she’s hilarious when discussing how disgusting she is. I don’t find it funny when men fart, why would I find it funny when a woman does it?
Wow! I always go on a tangent! Back to the film…. Despicable Me 2 had a lot of really good moments. I liked it enough where I am curious to go back and watch the original.
Though I’m 50/50 on Steve Carrell (loved him in Little Miss Sunshine (2006)/couldn’t even bring myself to watch Dinner for Shmucks(2010) and I still prefer the British version of The Office) , I think he did well in this part. Gru is likable and kind. He protects his daughters with everything in him even if it comes down to freezing a boy who broke his little girl’s heart.
I would certainly recommend this for kids and adults. At the end, the minions do a rendition of YMCA while dressed like The Village People which genuinely made me laugh. I’m a fan of The Village People. Not as much as Geno, who actually enjoys the song Sex over the Phone. I have had to hear that song, way too many times in my lifetime!
Anyways, little G had a wonderful time. On the way out of the cinemas, I looked at him and said, “I’m really sorry about the Rainforest Café” and he said, “Don’t worry. I had more fun doing this! I love you!” And that made it all worth it. Even if Despicable Me 2 sucked, knowing that G enjoyed it would have made it worth it. The fact that it was actually watchable and somewhat enjoyable is just a bonus!
Scared Stiff Rating: 6.5/10
