Reviews & Ratings for
Despicable Me More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 23:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Index

223 reviews in total

---

174 out of 253 people found the following review useful:
Despicable... Au contraire!, 17 June 2010

Author: berrorg from Canada

First of all, I am real, not one of those big studios planted minions that come to IMDb to talk wonders about their new releases. You can check my history to prove that.

Second of all, to make your time worth, let me tell you what kind of movies I like and/or dislike (you know, to see if my taste is compatible with yours).

Taking into account only what would be considered "family friendly movies", Pixar cannot be topped. From Pixar I believe that "The Incredibles" is its under appreciated best product, although I have a soft spot for "Finding Nemo" and "Up" (hey, I agree, "Toy Story" and "Monsters Inc." are awesome!). Their worst effort is without a doubt "Cars" (I almost don't even like it), but even that is above a lot of other crap from other studios.

I like the first "Shrek", "Kung-Fu Panda"; found "9" and "Coraline" a little bit boring (but interesting, both!), and totally dislike "Shark Tales", "Planet 51", "Space Monkeys", "Surf's Up", the first "Madagascar" (except for the penguins and the king lemur, lol).

In a broader sense, my all time favourite animated movie (although not CGI) is "The Nightmare Before Christmas".

Enough of that! With that very well established, let me give you my opinion of this movie.

It is amazing! It is charming without being corny; hilarious without resorting to stupid pop-culture references; exciting without being overly loud.. and the best thing: it plays like a fable.

It is absurd! ... but in a good way. The whole plan is to steal the moon, for crying out loud! How ridiculous could that be? And yet, we are led to root for the evil genius to be able to do just that. The whole thing is so tongue in cheek that you will pee in your pants laughing at the effects of having no moon for a few minutes (it is a quick flash of things, for they are so funny).

The movie is incredibly intelligent. The jokes are dead on and VERY imaginative (for example - and this is not a spoiler - pay attention to how they manage to produce light when Dr. Gru and two of his minions are in a ventilation duct at Vector's fortress - just delightful).

You will fall in love with his minions, and if you have a soft heart, with the three orphan girls.

OH, I almost forgot!! The 3D... this is the best usage of 3D I've seen (excepting "Avatar", of course) in a movie. There is a roller coaster ride scene that will literally "tickle your tummy" (like my kids said). For the first three seconds it easily compares to the effects found in "The Simpsons Ride" at Universal Studios.

The action sequences are thrillingly enhanced by the right amount of 3D, and make sure you STAY while the credits roll on. There are some OBVIOUS usage of 3D on those scenes with very funny results. Actually, here's a hint: sit down and enjoy these scenes while the people in the rows in front of you try to exit the theatre; the point of reference they offer will enhance the 3D in such a cool way that it will seem that they will bump into the staircase and the minions protruding from the screen (I suppose that was the intention of these bonus scenes, and boy they nailed it!) All in all, do yourself a favour and go WATCH it... I am sure I will do it again!

Cheers!

P.S. Be sure to learn a little, tiny bit of Spanish so you can "get" one of the jokes... my family was the only one laughing like crazies during that scene.. cheers again!

---

132 out of 171 people found the following review useful:
A LAUGH RIOT! ( Will watch it again), 10 July 2010

Author: viki from India

Despicable me is Simply Hilarious. This Movie is not just for kids, Adults are going to enjoy it even more. The youngest girl in it is sooooooo cute. Also the Small yellow minions simply adorable and so funny. The entire hall was laughing through out the movie.

The plot is very interesting to keep you engrossed throughout the movie.It is not a very original plot but has the very humorous dialogs and acts.

Steve Carell's is SIMPLY amazing, he is funny in a very different way...he is the king of the awkward embarrassing insulting type of comedy. You can't help but remember Steve carell's during some of the dialog deliveries.

One of the funniest animation movie. Definitely Worth Watching twice.

---

118 out of 149 people found the following review useful:
Despicable See, 2 July 2010

Author: Dawson from United States

Since Toy Story 3 is in theatres, it's rather knee-jerk to compare Despicable Me to the animation giant. But you shouldn't. Despicable Me doesn't have the heavy, dark tones of the final Toy Story and, therefore, is probably better suited to smaller children. As with the best family films, though, adults will love this story as much - if not more - than their little ones.

And here's why. It is incredibly rare to see a single dad portrayed in such a positive light. While Gru has an admittedly "bad" vocation, there are unbelievably sweet moments between him and the three children, probably aided by the juxtaposition of tiny girls to a large, "bad" guy.

The nepotistic supporting cast from Saturday Night Live (even Jack McBrayer works for Tina Fey) is fantastic. One pleasant surprise was from Gru's minions: they did not steal the show. Not that they should've- the little yellow guys were funny and entertaining, but one would expect from the previews they would ultimately be the best part of the film... and I'm happy to report that wasn't true.

Despicable Me is LOL funny throughout, warm, goofy, and will not disappoint. I'd say you're a despicable parent if you don't take your kids to see it immediately.

---

99 out of 131 people found the following review useful:
Lots to Love, 18 June 2010

Author: meininky from United States

Despicable Me's teasers and trailers seemed to represent a few different movies, and that's reflected by the general segregation of comedy styles that the film begins with. At the film's start, Gru (Steve Carrell) handles the dark comedy, the trio of orphans get the cutesy comedy, and the minions handle the slapstick. As the film progresses, though, these lines begin to blur, building to a strong emotional finale and a satisfyingly complete tale. (This is one of those rare non-Pixar animated films that doesn't seem destined for sequel-dom.)

The tale of rival villains isn't terribly original. Nor is the idea of a villain having his heart melted by adorable children. But the way Despicable Me blends these two ideas is just fantastic. There's humor, action, and heart -- what more could you want from an animated film?

Also notable is the way the star-studded voice cast handles their characters. While there are a ton of big names filling out the roster, most of them use accents which render them familiar but not too much so. It's a different route than many animated films take, and it's refreshing. Julie Andrews and Steve Carrell especially do well at straddling the line between their trademark voices and their characters' accents. The voice that steals the movie, however, is the adorable Elsie Fisher as Agnes. Almost every line gets either a laugh or an "Aw..." (On a related note, I love that the orphan girls are named Edith, Margo, and Agnes. I love old names for young people.)

The plot has enough twists and turns to keep things interesting, and the antics of the minions provide a nice side of fun to the proceedings. Also, their reaching contest during the credits is a fun use of 3-D that had the kids in the theater reaching for the screen.

Last year was a banner year for animation, and this year seems to be following suit. How to Train Your Dragon amazed, Toy Story 3 is one of the best animated films of all time, and Despicable Me impresses. A very pleasant surprise.

---

54 out of 80 people found the following review useful:
Hilarity and heart are a great mix for this Excellent movie!, 9 July 2010

Author: MajorFilmFan from United States

Despicable Me, the new animated from produced by Chris Melandandri, who also produced Ice Age: The Meltdown and Horton Hears A Who, is one of the summer's stand out movies. Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Miranda Cosgrove, and Russell Brand are perfect actors to lead this at times hilarious, at times tear jerking animated tale. Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, Danny R. McBride, Julie Andrews and Jermain Clement make for a worthy supporting cast.

Gru (voiced by Carell) is a evil genius who only wants to win the affection of his cold-hearted mother (voiced by Andrews), something he has NEVER had. His only friends are Dr. Nefario, a aging scientist (voiced by Brand), and his army of minions (voiced by directors Peiere Coffin and Chris Reneud, and Jermain Clement), Twinky like creatures with both one and two eyes, it varies.

When a mysterious newcomer named Vector (voiced by Segal) steals the Great Pyrimid of Giza, Gru decides to pull off the greatest heist EVER: stealing the moon! Then, three orphan girls, Margo (voiced by Cosgrove), Edith, and Agnes (both voiced by newcomers who names I don't know.) The three of them don't hit it off with Gru instantly, but they see him as the first real parent they've ever had. Gru slowly begins to warm up to the girls, and they're interactions make for some truly heartfelt, and also hilarious moments. Case in point:

Edith: Are these beds old bombs? Gru: Yes. But, they are very old and highly unlikely to blow up. Try not to toss and turn.

Despicable Me pulls off something almost unheard of: a film that is enjoyable for both parents and children that does NOT involve humor centered around bodily functions, or violence.

Final grade: A Plus infinite number of times!

---

58 out of 89 people found the following review useful:
Not an Animated Feature, 6 July 2010

Author: boblipton from New York City

DESPICABLE ME is not an animated feature. It is a flat-out feature-length cartoon, a rare bird in the field, and the first really successful one since THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE. If anything, it's better.

Animated features are typically fantasies, taking us to places and stories that cannot be filmed in live action. They can be dramatic, fantastic, inspirational, terrifying, all the range of emotions. Cartoons are different. Cartoons inhabit a universe that is a cross between Krazy Kat and the Keystone Kops. Walk off a cliff and you don't fall until you notice. Fall a thousand yards and hit the ground and you wheeze like an accordion until the next scene, when you're fine. Cartoons are silly.

And this one is very very silly, from Steve Carell's indecisively Eastern European-voiced Grue to Julie's Andrews who, as his mom, sounds like Beaky Buzzard's mother in Bugs Bunny shorts, to the seemingly indistinguishable minions who talk like Chip and Dale on helium -- Grue knows all their names. A modern supervillain has to have people skills.

The gags are all spot on in relevance and impeccably timed. The plot advances at a good clip and even the heartwarming aspects of the plot never descend into mawkishness -- the little girls whom Grue adopts to advance his plan to steal the Moon are endearing but frequently annoying.

I saw the 3-D version and the question arises, should you spend the extra money to see it in 3-D? I don't think so -- but then I am happy looking at stuff in black and white and even silent films. You may get a little more out of the 3-D version, particularly the credit extras. But that's up to you. See it in whatever form you like, but see it.

---

46 out of 68 people found the following review useful:
Wild Ride!, 10 July 2010

Author: cheryllynecox-1 from FLA-GA

If Warner Brothers and Disney Animation Studios had ever had a baby they might have named it Illumination. The machine behind "Despicable Me" takes the wacky bits from old school cartoons and applies 21st century animation technology to produce a hip and well articulated masterpiece. From start to finish, the film was absolutely captivating and sophisticated with an engaging narrative and imaginative characters.

All of the characters were well-voiced, but I found Jason Segal's "Victor/Vector" villain particularly inspired. The little yella fellas were uniformly charming and I expect they'll probably have their own aisle in toy stores very soon. Carell's crazy villainy was perfectly tuned, as was Julie Andrews whose new voice adds a delightful note as the Despicable mother. The juvenile vocals brought both sass and sweetness to the story, and Kristen Whiig was smarmy in a distinctly southern way.

The humor is rich, with winks at classic cinema like "Taxi Driver", "Apollo XIII", and others. The Bank of Evil is staffed by former Lehman brothers execs, and recurring motifs and jokes create a comic continuity that is sustained through the credits. "Dispicable Me" was my second choice, but now I'm very happy was running a little late this evening.

---

40 out of 58 people found the following review useful:
Very cute and adorable animated film., 9 July 2010

Author: del91 from Penang, Malaysia / Chicago, USA

As a reviewer mentioned, this year is set to be a great year of animated films, much like the previous two years. This is proved with Pixar's unmatched (touching wood) winning streak and Dreamworks' surprise turn "How To Train Your Dragon", which proceeds to continue the ever- increasing "golden years" of computer-animated films. Universal's "Despicable Me" is yet another gem in an already quite-heavy bag of diamonds.

With nice direction, the filmmakers were able to combine two quite unoriginal plots into one with ease and without force, and they managed to add wit, charm and smart humor to it as well. Not to mention heart. I have never heard of the filmmakers before, but this is a heck of a debut from two first-time animated film directors. The humor is also not too over the top, yet utterly hilarious and ingenious when they pop up. Most of the jokes had the entire audience rolling in the aisles. The three girls end up being adorable and lovable characters, as per the main character/protagonist/villain, whom you can't help but cheer on and care for, no matter what he does. Steve Carell is spot-on as Gru and he makes the role funnier than it should be, I mean his voice and humorous style is there behind the funny accent. And what Gru plots and does is beyond ridiculous and far too funny to be deemed "serious" by any cynic. Some hilarious supporting characters round out the primary cast, most notably Gru's assistant Dr. Nefarious played by Russell Brand, and I could not believe Julie Andrews was Gru's mother, I hardly recognized her voice at all! Jason Segel was hilarious as Gru's vain nemesis Vector. And let's not forget the utterly adorable and hilarious minions and their wacky antics.

Technical wise, the animation is gorgeous, bright and nicely rendered with a deft touch of simplicity to it, causing it to be not too overly glossy and polished. This makes the animation look less artificial and more fluid, and this especially shows when it comes to the practical jokes. The music score is just wonderful and suits the moods of the film as they come along. The 3D is great and used quite a number of times in the movie during many effect-driven scenes, which is very impressive considering the poor up-conversion to 3D of MANY movies of late.

Overall, this animated film is a great fun time for the kids and family to see, and even some teens will get many laughs out of it as well. This is a very adorable film, full of charm and heart, and with a funny and lighthearted storyline, and may the powers that be reward this at the box office, if the mediocre "Eclipse" isn't taking all of its viewers already. Looks like Universal's animation days are returning.

Entertainment value: 10/10

Overall: 7.5/10

---

43 out of 64 people found the following review useful:
Despicable in name only, 9 July 2010

Author: simon-prometheus from Canada

What a year it has been for animated films. So far in 2010 we have had three great films from three rival studios. DreamWorks kicked things off with the surprise sleeper hit How to Train Your Dragon and animation juggernaut Pixar countered with the hotly anticipated Toy Story 3. Now Universal's Illumination Entertainment has released the audaciously titled Despicable Me and while it may be the "worst" of the trio, it is certainly the most purely entertaining.

The strengths of Despicable Me lie within veins commonly found in animated features, but his entry simply utilizes them extremely effectively. Along with jumping on the 3-D bandwagon (my theatre was screening it in normal dimensions) Despicable Me boasts an impressive voice cast, a ploy first used with Robin Williams way back in the days of traditional days of animation with Aladdin, superbly executed slapstick and what I will call the sidekick factor. Whether cute or wisecracking, you would be hard-pressed to find a film in this medium that does not employ this tactic. Even so called "art-house" animated pictures like WALL-E follow the trend (in fact, that particular film contains two such supporting characters) and Despicable Me ups the ante and adopts thousands.

The villainous central character of Gru (voiced my Steve Carell) operates his evil lair with the aid of a multitude of adorable little yellow workers, and along with their "awwwee" factor, are the subject of a healthy portion of the aforementioned slapstick. Nestled in between the easy laughs however is ample heart and if you are prone to do so, you may very well shed a tear or two. This warmth is generated by three orphan girls, Margo, Edith and the doe-eyed Agnes, but perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself.

All Gru has ever wanted is to be accepted, and what better way to achieve that goal than by resorting to supervillainy. After a fresh- faced rival villain Vector (Jason Segel) outdoes Gru by stealing a pyramid from Egypt, he devises a plan to obtain a shrink-ray from a government testing facility and use that technology to shrink, and then steal the moon. Things do not go according to plan after Vector steals the shrink-ray right out of Gru's spindly clutches. What's a supervillain to do? Devise another plan of course, this time using the three aforementioned orphans to infiltrate Vector's lair by selling cookies. It's all very complicated in writing but works very well on screen.

Steve Carell does an admirable job in the lead voice role, and his Russian accent helps us to forget it is an A-list star nestled behind the animation. Russell Brand gives an unrecognizable performance as Dr. Nefario, the brains behind Gru's operation, and Kristen Wiig is hilarious as the head of the orphanage. The most disappointing is certainly the great Jason Segel whose underwritten character fails him as does his voice. Half of the allure of Segel is his physical presence and that is neutered in a voice-only role. While the physical humour will no doubt please the kids, there is perhaps even more for adults and if a movie is able to make me double over in the isle, then it must be doing something right. With Shrek Forever After being the one misstep for this medium, I look enthusiastically forward to the remainder of the year. What I know for certain is I (and the audience I joined) had an absolute blast with this flick, that is despicable in name only.

Catch all the latest movie news and reviews at http://playeraffinity.com/movies.html

---

10 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
One of the Sweetest Villains Ever, 11 December 2010

Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

When one pyramid of Egypt is stolen, the despicable suburban villain Gru feels frustrated since he considers himself the greatest criminal mind ever. However he plans to steal the moon, in the greatest heist of history, with the support of the evil Dr. Nefario and his army of minions. Gru intends to hire a loan in the Bank of Evil (former Lehman Brothers) to build a rocket and steal the shrink weapon to reduce the size of the moon. But the banker Mr. Perkins intends to invest in the young Vector, who actually had stolen the pyramid. When Gru robs the shrink weapon, Vector steals it from him and kept the weapon in his impenetrable fortress that is protected by state of art security system. Gru sees that the orphans Margo, Edith and Agnes from Miss Hattie's Home for Girls have full access to Vector's house to sell cookies. Gru plots a scheme, adopting the three girls to use them to recover the shrink weapon from Vector. But the three little girls change the behavior of Gru and his minions.

"Despicable Me" is a sort of contemporary version of the Charles Dickens' classic novel "A Christmas Carol" and a highly entertaining animation with one of the sweetest villain ever, three adorable little girls and a group of adorable minions. The story is not corny but human, and the jokes with Bill Gates that is the source of inspiration of the nerd Vector and with the investment banking Lehman Brothers Holding Inc. that declared bankruptcy in 2008 and affected the lives of small private investors are witty. In the end, Gru is not the criminal mastermind that he supposed to be. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Meu Malvado Favorito" ("My Favorite Meanie")

---

---

Page 1 of 23:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Add another review

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Plot synopsis	Ratings
Awards	Newsgroup reviews	External reviews
Parents Guide	Official site	Plot keywords
Main details	Your user reviews	Your vote history