Penny Thoughts ‘13—Despicable Me (2010) ***

PG, 95 min.

Directors: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud

Writers: Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, Sergio Pablos

Voices: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Fisher, Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud, Jemaine Clement, Jack McBrayer, Danny McBride, Mindy Kaling, Rob Huebel, Ken Daurio, Ken Jeong

I don’t think I gave this movie enough credit when I saw it in theaters. I was a victim of needless 3D. It was during the release of “Despicable Me” when I’d finally had enough of the 3D movement. It’s a gimmick that rarely adds any viable artistic or entertainment value to a motion picture and I’m sick of having to see it on most event releases. I found the 2D home experience of “Despicable Me” more enjoyable.

Initially, I didn’t find much spark to the movie. It was pretty standard stuff. But there’s more buried here than meets the eye. The adoption storyline is pretty prominent, and I find adoption advocacy to be a wonderful thing. The children here are wonderfully imagined. Young Agnes is just about perfect with her unicorn obsession and total free will. “It’s so fluffy I'm gonna die!”

I also very much enjoy the topical ribbing of the banks. It’s easy to miss that the bank is much more evil than any of the evil geniuses it finances. While I don’t really have anything personal against any individual bankers, the corporate greed most of the large banks espouse has had a great impact on the country’s economic woes. I don’t feel any sympathy against their depiction here.

Mostly, the movie is sweet, even though it uses a villain as its hero. With the kids begging me to bring them to see “Despicable Me 2” this weekend, I can wait to revisit Margo, Edith, Agnes, the minions… Oh, and Gru too. Look for my review tomorrow.

Read my original review here. (Apparently, I did recognize my anti-3D feelings at the time of its theatrical release, as I did award the movie three stars at that time as well.)