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About Jon
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Let’s go to the movies! I love the movie experience, study what happens on the screen and am writing about it to help you with your movie going decisions. Hopefully something in the blogging of a film’s big elements – screenwriting, cinematography, directing, acting, visual effects, sound, and editing (and sometimes automobiles) – will help movie fans discern where their entertainment dollars should go. I’ve been blogging about movies on 99x.com since April 2008 and have been listening to 99x since moving to Atlanta in 1996. I’ve worked on the Olympics and short films that have appeared at Sundance and other film festivals in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. I have a Master’s degree in film from Florida State University and regard film school as one of the best experiences of my life.
I currently live in Atlanta with my wife and two labs; love baseball, music, family and friends, good food, and of course movies. Just to blog down thoughts from an eyewitness perspective I avoid reading other movie blogs or reviews on a new release until I’ve posted my own. All references to box office results or cast and crew are culled from boxofficeguru.com, boxofficemojo.com, or IMDB.com. Wikipedia is not used in the writing of this blog. Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/jonlamoreaux for additional movie updates.
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Jon's Movie Blog
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Jul
9
Written by:
Jon Lamoreaux
7/9/2010 1:56 PM
There’s nothing despicable about Despicable Me. Actually, for Universal Pictures, a studio not known for animated films, they should be proud to have a product that can go toe to toe with DreamWorks Animation and Disney. Far better than Sony Pictures’s animated films of late, Open Season 2 (2008) and Surf’s Up (2007), and looking just as good as the Golden Globe nominated Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009), Despicable Me represents a new dawn for Universal who haven’t had an animated hit since The Land Before Time (1988). Not that they haven’t tried. Both Universal films Curious George (2007) and Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000) made a combined $84.5 million in their entire domestic runs while the gigantic Toy Story 3 made $110 million its first weekend, now sitting at $313 million since June 18th. Despicable Me is no Toy Story 3 for sure but I would almost say it goes down a bit easier, and more entertainingly than TS3. Don’t get me wrong, I think TS3 is the best film of the year so far but Despicable Me might be the summer sleeper of animated films, and I don’t mean zzzzzzzzzz.
The Story: Gru voiced by Steve Carell, an older curmudgeon of a dark hearted thief and Vector played by Jason Segal, the new kid-crook on the block, find themselves trying to outdo each other as burglars of the world’s most precious objects, such as the Eifel Tower or the Pyramids. Never to be outdone, Gru sets out to steal the moon. But first he must steal the shrink ray that will allow him to get that quarter-of-the-Earth’s-diameter sized jewel in his pocket. In his way is Vector who seems to be young enough and bright enough to outwit Gru, stealing the shrink ray from Gru. Also creating conflict for Gru are three little Girl Scout cookie selling girls Gru schemes to adopt in an attempt to get into Vector’s hideout. To his and our surprise the girls get under Gru’s skin, in a good way, causing him to be the kind of “dad” he never expected.
The Goods: Like the old Pink Panther films, or some of the darker Chuck Jones Looney Tune shorts Despicable Me seems to be elevated for an older crowd’s inner child than for the child’s child. There’s a bit of the macabre that might make some think of Tim Burton’s twisted takes on kids’ stories like The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) or James and the Giant Peach (1996). But it never goes over the oddity edge like those films do.
The Minions, who look like yellow jelly beans, or jumping beans…beans of some sort, are cute, feisty, curious, and always smiling followers of Gru. They put up with all of Gru’s mishaps and never complain, doting on his every step and every word. Dr. Nefario, voiced by Get Him to the Greek rocker Russell Brand, like James Bond’s weapon guy Q, tries his damnest to develop the latest gadget or weapon for Gru sure to exceed the others but the devices always seem to fault along the way. The minions are usually the guinea pigs for tests of such items with not a peep of malpractice charges from any of them. Even when they’ve been shrunk with the every elusive shrink ray gun.
The best by far is Gru’s past. At key moments in the present as Gru is about to make a vital decision or is inspired by something as vast as stealing the moon we get flashbacks to his childhood and the apparent disregard his mother had for the young Gru. It’s sad, and enlightening too to the why of who Gru is today. Gru’s mom, voiced by Julie Andrews might later have a change of heart though as children often have that way with older folks. But is there an apology in her for Gru? You’ll have to see to find out. This insight to an animated character though is more of a Pixar thing and I believe it’s what sets Despicable Me apart from the average cartoon.
The Flaws: Well at first I thought all of this mean spiritedness by Gru goes too far and far too long because we expect a turn of character at some point. And it never comes, until well after an hour into the film. Like most films with evil characters that turn good as the film progresses you get little glimpses of the kindness, and goodness within before the total transformation occurs deeper into the film near the movie’s most climactic moment. Here there is no hint of him getting any kinder. It was bothersome at first but then I realized that the filmmakers waited as long as they possibly could before adding that twist, when it does come it comes with much more force and emotion for Gru, and for the audience. To have him stay in character as long as they did was actually the smartest thing they could do. It makes the film unique in that way, and somewhat original-feeling as it distances itself from similar toned stories A Christmas Carol and How The Grinch Stole Christmas. So it’s not really a flaw. The PG rating, however, might be a concern as the bit of violent nature in Gru’s attitude, and home fixtures, might be off-putting to small children. If small children can be off-put.
The 3D: It means nothing that there’s a 3D option to Despicable Me because there’s nothing about the production that takes advantage of possible 3D moments. Stealing the moon should give you all the opportunity in the world to do some stunning things in 3D but there are none.
The Call: So here’s one for the small kids and the big kids alike for which I will say I think adults will enjoy it a bit more. It drags a little in the beginning and wee ones won’t get some of the James Bond references or the darkness that lurks in the torture devices of Gru’s home, but spend the ten(s) and enjoy something a little different. Just don’t buy the 3D.
Rated PG for rude humor and mild action. Running time is roughly an hour and a half. With additional voices by Kristen Wiig and Will Arnett, both Saturday Night Live alums.
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