"Minions: The Rise of Gru" and My Unabashed Urge to Watch These Movies

Hello friends,

You can tell I've transitioned out of parental leave and back to work by my dramatic reduction in post-writing, but also because the pace at which I've been watching movies has unsurprisingly slowed to a crawl.  I'm still somewhat remarkably on track to watch about a movie a week in May, but that's a dramatic reduction compared to the voraciousness of my movie consumption during my time away from work.

During this transitional period, I've taken a hard left turn into exclusively silly, low-stakes movies, most of which were made for kids.  We're aiming for maximum gentleness, minimum stress at the moment.  And with the most recent movie I've watched, I am pleased with my success!

Let's talk about "Minions: The Rise of Gru" (2022).

Very long-time readers of this blog may remember that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the movie that launched a thousand minions: "Despicable Me" (2010).  I knew I had written a post about that movie, but definitely did not remember that that was one of the first posts I ever wrote??

To my memory, despite enjoying the first installment in the Gru/minions universe, I haven't watched any of the other installments in this series (although we've apparently now established that my memory for what I have and haven't watched can't be totally trusted).  I think that's in part because I'm a bit put off by the existence of adults who are very into minions.  Like... I get that they're cute and funny, but surely not enough to build a whole lifestyle around?  But mostly, I just haven't really had the urge to prioritize watching them.

UNTIL NOW.

Basically: "Rise of Gru" is totally charming.  It's a pretty packed movie for its short 88 minute run-time, with plenty of amusing little twists and turns.  Instead of feeling overwrought or tedious, each little side quest, setback, and advancement in the film's over-arching aim--for the film's villainous hero to secure a magical amulet and prove his worth to the other ultra-villains he admires--is pleasantly entertaining and diverting.  

The pleasure of this film exists in part because, while it admittedly leans heavily on slapstick humor, its silliness is honestly laugh-out-loud funny on several occasions if you're willing to be receptive to it.  The animators behind this film franchise have really nailed the aesthetics and physics of their characters so that the action, which could easily feel too aggressive in less skilled hands, remains solidly on the goofy side of slapstick.  This is actually really important for keeping this movie firmly planted in a kid-friendly realm: no one is ever in real danger in this universe, so it's okay to laugh if they get bonked on the head or squished by a safe.  They'll bounce right back and be on their merry way in no time.

Setting the movie in the 1970s was also an excellent choice that pairs nicely with the animation style of these movies.  The loud colors, distinctively 70s proportions in dress and design, as well as the delicious and gently-teasing-the-era soundtrack all come together to notably enhance this film.  

The movie boasts competent, enjoyable performances by Steve Carell (who continues to play Gru), as well as other major performers like Alan Arkin, Michelle Yeoh, Taraji P. Henson, and Julie Andrews.  That the cast is rounded out not only by comedic talents like Will Arnett, Jimmy O. Yang, Russell Brand, and Steve Coogan but also legit action actors like Lucy Lawless, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, and Danny Trejo further emphasizes the surprisingly well-stocked and deep bench of talent bolstering this movie.

What really brings home this film for me, though, is its commitment to the central theme in "Despicable Me": the importance of warm, guiding paternal relationships.  Whereas Gru is the father figure in question in the first movie, we get to see him as a child seeking mentorship in the ways of wickedness in "Rise of Gru".  With Alan Arkin's Wild Knuckles at first begrudgingly, then affectionately, heeding the call to act as Gru's teacher-slash-father figure, we can see how he served as the model for Gru to ultimately act as a father to his adopted children in the first movie.  This theme lends no small amount of genuine substance and heart to these movies, which I often find either lacking or too saccharine to believe in many other children's movies.

I found this movie to be perfectly enjoyable, especially for this particular season of movie-watching.  I gave it a 4.

{Heart}