“Despicable Me” was about villain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell, of “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone,” “Hope Springs,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love.,” “Despicable Me,” and “Date Night”), who decided to shrink the moon because his mother never encouraged his aspirations to be an astronaut. But when Gru met three little girl orphans—the older, slightly nerdy Margo (voiced by Miranda Cosgrove, of “Despicable Me”); the tomboy, middle girl Edith (voiced by Dana Gaier, of “Despicable Me”); and young, romantic Agnes (voiced by Elsie Kate Fisher, of “Despicable Me”)—they changed his life, inspiring him to be a father rather than an evildoer. And so “Despicable Me 2” (which brings back directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud) starts with Gru giving up the baddie life, devoting himself to his daughters, settling down in suburbia, and starting a line of jams and jellies. Even dressing up as a fairy princess for his daughters’ party isn’t a problem—he just wants to make them happy.
But Gru’s new life isn’t cutting it for sidekick Dr. Nefario (voiced by Russell Brand, of “Rock of Ages,” “Arthur,” “Hop,” “Despicable Me,” and “Get Him to the Greek”), who decides to leave and pursue a career back in the villain world. And soon Gru’s Minions start disappearing. And then the Anti-Villain League shows up in the form of Agent Lucy Wilde (voiced by Kristen Wiig, of “Bridesmaids,” “Paul,” “Despicable Me,” “Date Night,” and “How to Train Your Dragon”), who asks Gru to help them track down the bad guy responsible for stealing an entire research lab from the Arctic Circle, where scientists were working on PX-41, a transmutation serum. With that serum, the bad guy can turn any living being into a growling purple monster, so hungry it will eat anything—from police cars to people. Won’t Gru help them find the guy? Won’t Gru help save the world?
The identity-crisis aspect of Gru’s personality was explored already in “Despicable Me,” so “Despicable Me 2” wisely doesn’t linger on whether Gru should go back to that life. Instead, it focuses on his relationship with women and his desire to create a strong family structure for his girls; a flashback to his childhood reveals him as a raven-hared, portly young boy nursing a crush on a classmate who crushed him with her mocking rejection. And so while Gru is nervous about Agnes’s desire to have a mother, the film nicely sets up a friendship (and, of course, eventual romantic relationship) with Lucy; first she’s smashing cupcakes over his head but then they’re sneaking into hideouts together, watching each other’s backs, and realizing they feel something a little more. The relationship is an effortless one, and its growth from companionship to romance is a nice one for both children and parents to see.
Of course, Carell still sounds enjoyably ridiculous, and the way he pronounces “girls”—like a bullfrog with a flu climbed down his throat—is a definite highlight. Although Wiig is a very familiar voice by now, she still brings life and energy to Lucy, a zealous agent who is equally comfortable using a lipstick Taser or interacting with Gru’s daughters. And the Minions are, obviously, the highlight of the film, whether they’re gorging on ice cream or working on the jam-and-jelly conveyor belt or vacationing on the beach. Their weird, kind-of-French-sounding language (which makes sense, since they are voiced by the film’s French co-director Coffin) will be humorous for younger viewers, and their later nods to pop culture (like recreating a Boyz II Men music video) are a nice touch for adults. Plus, the 3-D is well-warranted; a point-of-view sequence from a mutated Minion eating everything in his path is quite engaging, as is a volcanic explosion at the end that blows lava out of the screen.
Much like “Despicable Me” did, “Despicable Me 2” has problems; the story this time around is too simplistic, and the villain Gru has to battle never seems that threatening or powerful, so the tension of whether Gru will succeed is somewhat lacking. But the return of the Minions, a nicely developed love story, and the adorableness of Agnes are well done, making “Despicable Me 2” better than its predecessor and a nice choice for families this Fourth of July weekend.
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