Despicable Me 2

After the surprise that was Despicable Me, it wasn’t hard to tell that there would be a sequel. Last week, fans were happy to welcome the villain Gru and his adorable minions back into their lives with Despicable Me 2. However, like most sequels, this one fell short. I found the film dragging in many parts and overall boring. One place it does stand out is including enough jokes to keep the parents entertained.

The sequel finds Gru in his new roles of father and legitimate businessman. He left behind his work of villain to care for his three girls. Like a single father, he is dealing with boys coming into his daughters’ lives and neighbors trying to set him up on dates. Since he is no longer a villain, Gru is called in to use his expertise to catch a new villain who stole a top-secret lab and its contents from the Arctic Circle. He teams up with Lucy of the Anti-Villain League to catch the mysterious offender.

All of the characters carried over from the original are voiced by the same actors. This includes Steve Carell voicing Gru’s indiscernible accent and his daughters voiced by Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Elsie Fisher. Russell Brand also returned as Gru’s lab assistant, Dr. Nefario. The sequel added the voices of Kristen Wiig as Lucy and Benjamin Bratt as Eduardo. Other actors that lent their voices to the project include: Ken Jeong, Steve Coogan, Moises Arias, and Nasim Pedrad.

Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul also returned to write the film. Other than Dispicable Me, their works include Horton Hears A Who and The Lorax. The same directing team from the first film joined them: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud.

I was happy to see the minions take a bigger role in the sequel. I think they are the best part of the movie and I am still waiting for my own army of minions. This film spent a lot of time developing the family aspect of Gru and the girls, really too much time. I felt the film was dragging on at parts, talking about him being a single father. At 98 minutes, I thought it was too long.

Overall, I thought the jokes were cheap and many rolled over from the first film. Even though the children may drag their parents to see it, it’s better to wait for it to come out on DVD. Really, the film would have been better if it was just the minions for an hour and a half.

The Heat

The Heat certainly is not a highbrow film, but it is a fun way to spend the afternoon. The Heat follows an FBI agent as she teams up with her polar opposite from the Boston police force to catch a drug lord. It’s a foul-mouthed comedy that is very enjoyable.

Sandra Bullock plays the uptight, arrogant FBI agent Ashburn who is seeking a promotion. She travels to Boston to catch a big time drug dealer where she meets street smart Detective Mullins played by Melissa McCarthy. The two are the most unlikely duo. Personally, I think the biggest test of an actor is how believable he or she is in the role. I would never have pegged Ashburn as the same person as Leigh Anne Tuohy or Mullins as Sookie St. James. This makes me appreciate the actresses even more. The two perfectly fit into their roles and play it magically. 

The women completely steal the show. The rest of the cast sat nicely in the background to give Ashburn and Mullins something to talk about. Demian Bichir plays Ashburn’s boss at the FBI, Hale, and Marlon Wayans plays FBI agent Levy helping out the duo. Tom Wilson plays Mullins’ Captain at the Boston PD. Michael Rapaport plays Mullins’ brother, Jason. Dan Bakkedahl and Taran Killam join the cast as DEA agents.

The Heat is a typical buddy comedy, featuring women. Katie Dippold, known for her work on Parks and Rec, wrote the screenplay.  The film features very, very strong language and some violence and gore. Bridesmaids director Paul Feig returns to direct The Heat.

The movie takes the style of 70s cop shows. “The Heat” is the name of the duo. Overall, it was very funny. I don’t think I stop laughing throughout the whole film. I would not nominate the film for any awards, but it was a great film to go see over the weekend. I recommend it for anyone looking for a good laugh.