Despicable Me

An animated film that one does not expect much from, but it turns out that even an unpleasant character can be the main "hero". Of course, it is for children and everything turns out well in the end, but this movie has a quite good emotional structure and the development is quite logical and believable. The Minions are clearly a strong aspect, which is the characteristic touch that makes the film even more interesting. (03/06/2014)

The animation gets full stars, without the slightest hesitation. I was worried that the story wouldn't be clichéd. It wasn't. I was worried that the main "hero" would get too soft during the hour and a half. He didn't. I was worried about the film being too childish. It wasn't (again)! Despicable Me is an incredibly entertaining mix of a children's and adult spectacle that is full of jokes, offers several references to "slightly different" films (I was particularly taken by the "godfather" head in bed), it has excellent visuals and music, and when it comes to emotions, it doesn't emotionally shame the audience, and is instead kind and gentle with them. It’s strong competition for the experts at Pixar. "I fly to the moon.... I shrink the moon... I'll grab the moon... I sit on the toilet... What?" (02/04/2011)

When I see so many users complaining about an animation film being too childish, I believe I will complain too, but not this time. Despicable Me didn’t feel very childish; it’s cute, it’s fun, often to such extent that it made me burst out in laughter a little. The protagonist is incredibly likeable, but it’s a pity that he lets himself be “spoiled” a little by the end. If this film had the balls to remain as relatively brutal as it was in the first half hour (Box of shame in an orphanage – that’s such a childish joke, right unsatisfied users?), I would have given it five stars. Really, a very nice surprise, I liked it more than this year’s How to Train Your Dragon and Toy Story. (12/09/2010)

Apparently, I missed the cultural background of the origin of the nerds, so now I know more. Despicable Me is quite an interesting cartoon with a strange combination of adult themes and children's ideas (the scene with the reading of the concertina book with the finger puppets is very cute), which in some places works as successful family entertainment and in other places I would doubt them. (07/02/2022)

I headed out to watch Despicable Me with my kids, and I have to admit that they enjoyed it much more than I did. The emotional part of me even wanted to give the film a Boo! review. Of course, it is nonsense to criticize a children's animation for being childish, but I must point out that Despicable Me simply lacks the dimension of a family spectacle that would appeal to every age group equally. The problem is not that jokes targeted at adult audiences are completely absent, but rather that this film is not sufficiently clever or well-developed, causing the attempts at more mature humor to get lost. Despicable Me shows signs of the ongoing economic crisis and animosity toward its instigators. The film's villains go to banks to borrow for their criminal plans, and the bankers compete to support particular villains and devilish plans. Super villain Gru enters a bank through a special entrance reserved for the chosen ones, bearing the name of a failed financial institution that contributed to the banking crisis. However, all of this gets lost in the conflict-free, sweet world full of pink colors, hearts, pretense, giggles, yellow creatures called Minions, and most importantly, inhabited by three candy-loving orphan girls who effectively pacify Gru's anger. They use similar methods as child movie stars from Hollywood films of the 1930s and 1940s used to reconcile quarreling parents. Despicable Me is a highly conventional and predictable film, unlike successful family animations of recent times, such as Shrek, which cleverly parodied the very conventions and style established by Disney, which Despicable Me represents. Overall impression: 40%, with the consideration that children can safely add 2 stars. (10/27/2010)