Movie Review: "Despicable Me"

Well, what do you know? I seem to be a on a roll with seeing movies this year. I wasn't planning on seeing this movie originally but my sister offered to take me to the movies for my birthday. She also wouldn't let me see Toy Story 3 again (I've already seen it THREE times!!!) so this was the only other movie we could agree on. Well, I'm glad she talked me into it because I loved it!

First off, this is actually the first 3-D feature length movie I've seen while wearing 3-D glasses. I've been to IMAX movies to see the short 3-D films but I've never actually seen a movie in 3-D. This is mainly because I don't want to pay the extra money for it but since my sister was paying for it, why not? Was the 3-D worth it? I would have to say yes for this movie. There were several scenes where the scenes jumped at you and the roller coaster scene was especially worth it. Interestingly, what got me was that there was a preview for the upcoming Smurf movie, which I have scene several times already but only in 2-D. Seeing in 3-D was quite a different experience.

The movie was FAB. The story is hilariously funny as well as quite emotional. I will say that I probably got a different experience from most people while watching it. My sister is studying clinical psychology with a focus on studying children. Almost everything in this movie she has touched on in her studies and work for school. For example, the reason why Gru is the way he is, is due to how his mother treated him. And same with how the youngest girl is so easily attached to Gru when she first meets him. Pretty the entire time, she kept analyzing the movie because it was a classic case of child development for her. We both found this hilarious though and we were still able to enjoy the movie.

What is it with animated films making me cry this year???? Am I getting older or are the writers actually realizing that they can appeal to both audiences with good writing? The last 10 minutes of the movie had me and my sister in tears. Not as much as Toy Story 3 (sorry that is the standard for all animated movies I see this year) but a good amount that we had to both take off our 3-D glasses to wipe away tears. To me that was the main appeal of the movie, to see this evil bad guy become a loving father. It's something totally unexpected (well unless you saw the previews) and ultimately totally awesome. It also helps that the kids aren't brats are both cute, smart, friendly and mostly polite.

Overall, the movie is super cute. The minions are adorable and I would love to have one for myself. I'm really impressed with the writing (for the most part) and the animation is very well done. If Toy Story 3 hadn't come out this year, this would probably have been my sure fire bet for Best Animated film of the year, but since TS3 did, then this is a close second. If you're in the mood for a great family film that both kids AND adults will enjoy, be sure to watch this one. You might find yourself both howling with laughter and sniffing back a few tears.