Despicable Me
Universal Pictures | Release Date: July 9, 2010
7.6
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 712 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
574
Mixed:
106
Negative:
32
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
5
KayakMar 4, 2014
One of the worst opening theme musics I've ever heard, so that didn't set a good first impression with me. Comedy is too juvenile for my liking. Kids would no doubt love it, but there still needs to be more for the more mature for it toOne of the worst opening theme musics I've ever heard, so that didn't set a good first impression with me. Comedy is too juvenile for my liking. Kids would no doubt love it, but there still needs to be more for the more mature for it to better rounded. Story isn't great and seems to be handled a little sloppily, voice acting is meh and I didn't feel much for the emotive content. Nothing new for me really.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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6
grandpajoe6191Oct 6, 2011
The puerile movie takes its chances on the comedy and humor rather than the story and characters. As a result "Despicable Me" may sometimes be overly reactive to such preposterous comedies they create, but at least succeeds in making a markThe puerile movie takes its chances on the comedy and humor rather than the story and characters. As a result "Despicable Me" may sometimes be overly reactive to such preposterous comedies they create, but at least succeeds in making a mark in the innocent hearts of the young ones with its mellifluous tone.… Expand
5 of 7 users found this helpful52
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4
ryancarroll88Aug 26, 2010
The movie's formula might be "cute and fluffy" but plot and jokes are nothing worth remembering and Steve Carrell has never been less funny. The little girls and minions give a few good laughs, though.
3 of 5 users found this helpful32
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5
JohnLJul 12, 2010
One of the best done animated movies I have seen. It is packed with lots of humor and quick wit. As with every movie, one must ignore critic reviews and experience it.
4 of 12 users found this helpful
6
ShiiraAug 24, 2010
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A turbaned man, a Muslim in Egypt, is nearly killed by a van carrying American tourists; ugly Americans, made so by the film's use of Lynyrd Skynard's "Sweet Home Alabama" blaring over the soundtrack, signifying impropriety. And sure enough, the tourists emerge from the van like they own the place, decked out in garish excursionist regalia, oblivious to their display of cultural insensitivity. Right away, "Despicable Me" establishes the American character as being hardly heroic, despicable even, conveyed through the southern family's non-concern for the Muslim pedestrian. When the young boy falls from the pyramid's scaffolding, he falls without any interference from a superhero, because there is no such thing as a superhero(read: Americans and Muslims alike are despicable). This satirical, and boldly subversive opening, demonstrates how the film views America as being the lesser of two evils in every global conflict. America is the more congenial villain. The boy falls; the boy bounces, off from the fake pyramid, perhaps, a metaphor for the fake war, initiated by the despicable against the relatively despicable. The world of "Despicable Me" is a dystopian one, and this opening scene establishes this dystopia, by going against the grain of how America sees itself, as heroes, because there's an expectation level on the moviegoer's part that some man from the sky will swoop down from the heavens and save the boy before he hits the ground. But alas, "Despicable Me" is not that movie. There's only villains, like Dru(Steve Carrell), an aging evil mastermind, engaged in a race to steal the moon with Vector(Seth Rogen), an upstart scoundrel who wants to just like Dru. This anti-NASA notion is a contest that could easily be construed as a parody of America's fight with the Soviet Union to conquer space during the Cold War. ("Victor", Vector's "nerd name", incidentally, is the NATO name for a class of nuclear-powered Soviet attack submarines.) When Dru deploys his shrink ray at the lunar sphere, he becomes an evil Neil Armstrong of sorts: the first man to walk all over the moon. He represents the America that other countries make us out to be, a tyrannical America. But Dru has a sentimental streak, a conflicted man who believes in family values, and saves the world, even though nobody asked him to save the world in the first place, as the cause of the dilemma was of his own making. Depending on who you are, Dru's actions, taken in its entirety, makes him either a hero, an anti-hero, or a villain.… Expand
1 of 3 users found this helpful12
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4
cmccJul 10, 2010
Old jokes. I felt like I had already seen this move.
1 of 5 users found this helpful
6
ArkonBladeMar 20, 2011
well out of all theese family CGI films ive seen this one is prolly down on the bottom of my list. its not bad bujt its not great eather . i found it to be just ok and thats about it . the only decent comedy comes out of the little minions .
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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6
Sonny_OBiczJan 21, 2012
(5.5 is more accurate) This is a solid animated feature and not too much else. If you got kids you like to watch movies with, this is a suitable number. The frame-shifted world of evil villains living amongst us in our suburbs, relatively(5.5 is more accurate) This is a solid animated feature and not too much else. If you got kids you like to watch movies with, this is a suitable number. The frame-shifted world of evil villains living amongst us in our suburbs, relatively civilly half the time, is an entertaining slant to enjoy. The main villain and character is a charming enough rendition of a curmudgeon with ambition. (Although, honestly, I think Steve Carrellâ… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
lukechristianscMar 30, 2014
i seen this movie way too many times . but its okay movie and its 55 % enjoyable . but hello people its 2014 forget this animation film . this film is old . watch good and a 2014 favorite movie . Grade C
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
drlowdonJun 7, 2013
Despite its best efforts Despicable Me is never quite as funny, particularly for adults, as the very best of the computer animated genre, an honour which for me still belongs to Toy Story. Thanks to some excellent voiceover performances andDespite its best efforts Despicable Me is never quite as funny, particularly for adults, as the very best of the computer animated genre, an honour which for me still belongs to Toy Story. Thanks to some excellent voiceover performances and plenty of sight gags however it certainly entertaining enough to make for a decent watch and children will love the little green minions.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
HasrionaJul 20, 2011
A colourful and enchanting animation it certainly is, but it's nowhere near the quality of animation giants like Pixar. Not only this, but it's very forgettable and nothing special. Once in the cinema, yes, it's a nice treat. Twice...no.A colourful and enchanting animation it certainly is, but it's nowhere near the quality of animation giants like Pixar. Not only this, but it's very forgettable and nothing special. Once in the cinema, yes, it's a nice treat. Twice...no. DVD... definitely no...… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
TyranianApr 7, 2019
Sometimes funny but mostly lame, the premise is not very clever and the animation nothing special.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
Jeramyd69Jun 24, 2012
Pretty interesting story with humorous jokes and nods toward popular culture that the kids wouldn't necessarily get, but the parents that are dragged in will enjoy. The story will tug at your heart strings just a little bit. Well...maybe itPretty interesting story with humorous jokes and nods toward popular culture that the kids wouldn't necessarily get, but the parents that are dragged in will enjoy. The story will tug at your heart strings just a little bit. Well...maybe it will nibble if even that much. I mean, if you're into the whole predictable plot and sappy story. It's a moderately enjoyable film to sit through; not too long, will give you a few laughs, and a better look toward your life's priorities. Give it a bit of a chance.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
python2000Sep 9, 2013
If you only watch a movie for one part or character then the rest of the film is irrelevant. Despicable Me is only enjoyed because of the minions who are quite funny but provide immature and slapstick humor.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
jeff_reviewsJul 4, 2013
Before reviewing this movie, and even though I have watched this before, I only clearly remembered Gru's voice and the minions, which left a bad impression considering that I couldn't remember most of what happened in the original movie.Before reviewing this movie, and even though I have watched this before, I only clearly remembered Gru's voice and the minions, which left a bad impression considering that I couldn't remember most of what happened in the original movie. After watching the movie, I somewhat understood why. While "Despicable Me" has some charm, funny minions, and wonder voice work from Steve Carell, it still has issues with so much visual effect that it leaves a slightly negative impression. "Despicable Me" is not refined as the best animated fare and has an interesting theme on bad guy's, but doesn't do anything to us but laugh (and that's fine). "Despicable Me" is just average, but that's fine considering it does have hilarious moments that we will probably see again in "Despicable Me 2".… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
PapeadoAug 6, 2013
Despicable Me es muy entretenida, pero no para toda la gente. Ademas es algo cerrada de ambiente, debía tener un ambiente mas abierto. Que te hiciera sentir la sensación de un mundo en una pantalla. Pero aun así contiene una cierta cantidadDespicable Me es muy entretenida, pero no para toda la gente. Ademas es algo cerrada de ambiente, debía tener un ambiente mas abierto. Que te hiciera sentir la sensación de un mundo en una pantalla. Pero aun así contiene una cierta cantidad de carcajadas con algunas sorpresas propias que en mi opinión la vuelven una película "Buena".… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
RayzorMooseNov 17, 2013
Despicable Me is despicably entertaining.
An interesting concept mixed with great dialogue, and a clever script. Despicably Me shows moments of heartwarming laughter and comic evil explosives.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
how_are_uApr 18, 2016
This is certainly a good movie, but those yellow motherf*ckers taking over the world completely ruined the franchise for me. I have not seen the minions movie nor do I ever plan to.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
ryohjiDec 31, 2014
A really average film: the story telling is quite poor, the gags are mostly visual and not all good, it's one cliche after one another, the story's pace is way too quick (the main character suddenly change from being a "bad" anti-hero to aA really average film: the story telling is quite poor, the gags are mostly visual and not all good, it's one cliche after one another, the story's pace is way too quick (the main character suddenly change from being a "bad" anti-hero to a "good" anti-hero in a matter of 5 minutes of film) and the characters aren't developed at all. Despite that it's technically well done, though very classic in choice of shots and angles (animation shouldn't be limited by that, seriously).
If you want to see a movie about the importance of family, the notion of family family and what happens when children appear in the life of an atypical family of outcasts/anti-heroes, watch Tokyo Godfathers. It does better than this with much, much less funds.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
BarneyOnMTJan 5, 2016
WHAT I LIKED: An original idea deserves credit - and when it's delivered well with buckets of laughs like this, it deserves lots. 'Dispicable me' is a lot of quirky fun where the animation style adds to the humour
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: It's aWHAT I LIKED: An original idea deserves credit - and when it's delivered well with buckets of laughs like this, it deserves lots. 'Dispicable me' is a lot of quirky fun where the animation style adds to the humour
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: It's a confusing jumble of characters who all kind of fit but feel a bit shoved in, and it wont appeal to adults like a good pixar does thanks to a lack of decent plot or sensible themes
VERDICT: A cracking animation that will appeal to kids, but it could be more interesting or exciting.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
SrPepeJul 6, 2018
Una película entretenida pero que no logró llegarme para nada, la 2 es mucho mejor.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
IAmTechJun 18, 2016
At a time when we had the likes of 'Toy Story 3' and 'How to Train Your Dragon', a time when Pixar and Dreamworks ruled supreme (Pixar winning of course), along came Illumination Entertainment and gave us this supervillain animation.

TheAt a time when we had the likes of 'Toy Story 3' and 'How to Train Your Dragon', a time when Pixar and Dreamworks ruled supreme (Pixar winning of course), along came Illumination Entertainment and gave us this supervillain animation.

The plot is pretty unoriginal really, jumping on the over used superhero theme. A supervillain is getting old and rusty, losing his flare for evil, at the same time a younger new supervillain threatens his status. So he devises a plan to steal the moon, the greatest feat of supervillainy he can come up with. But in order to carry out this plan he must enlist (adopt) the help of three very young little girls.

The whole superhero concept has been popular now for quite some time and in CGI animation its no different. Along with other similar flicks such as 'The Incredibles' and 'Megamind' the whole idea is beginning to feel a little swamped I can't deny. This film mainly centres on the supervillains point of view, how he lives, his daily habits, his job being an evil mastermind etc...a nice angle that was original until later in the year when 'Megamind' came out.

At his side are an army of little yellow minions that look like old 8-bit video game characters not too dissimilar from Pac-Man. Now at first these little guys are quite amusing with their pratfalls, face slapping and general simple minded tomfoolery, but it wears thin fast. Their whole routine is the same all the way through the film and I'm sure even kids may tire of it. I'm not even sure what the hell they are suppose to be seeing as all other characters in this film are human.

I really liked the initial idea of this film and the start, I loved Gru's big Gothic house squeezed in between a line of regular houses. I liked his outrageously over sized supervillain vehicle, his little demon-like dog and the interior of his lair which was like a cross between James Bond and Hammer horror. Lots of ingenious gadgets, secret doors/trap doors etc...in a thick Gothic German expressionist-like design.

Unfortunately the film becomes way too sickly and sweet for me (yes I know its for kids mainly). After he adopts the three little girls and starts to realise he enjoys them being around, losing sight of his evilness, it just becomes quite lame frankly. The film isn't sure what it wants to be or where its going, even the humour begins to lag.

In the end all we're left with is a semi decent animated film which does look glorious no doubt, but with a plot that can't decide which route to go down. None of the characters are particularly interesting or fun, Steve Carell doesn't help make the evil Gru any more memorable and the old scientist character that works with him is dreadful!. He's actually quite scary looking I think, plus with that awful cockney accent from Brand...utter fail.

Very wishy washy kids film that struggles to keep you interested and in no way competes with the big guns. Clearly trying to be zany and full of fresh ideas but you can see its not really worked out, its not a bad film, its just rather flat and anti climatic. How on earth this film was popular I don't know, the sequel was no surprise but I just don't see the hype over this.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
Dragonfly44Jan 21, 2019
It’s humorous and suprisingly heartwarming with great characters, but in the end it still feels off

Rating - 64%
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
tamcwlmmJan 25, 2018
Beautiful, Original story of a bad-guy that turns good i guess. On paper it's guarenteed to score, and it did with a lot of people, but not so much with me. I missed something essential, i can't describe it with words, but i felt like itBeautiful, Original story of a bad-guy that turns good i guess. On paper it's guarenteed to score, and it did with a lot of people, but not so much with me. I missed something essential, i can't describe it with words, but i felt like it could've been a lot better. Not so much happened for me. Great voice acting.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
sebastianaliJan 9, 2020
Mi villano favorito 1 esta un poquitin sobrevalorada, teniendo como únicos personajes interesantes a los minions. Estos tienen una personalidad bastante innovadora, que desgraciadamente no se puede aprovechar al máximo, debido al resto deMi villano favorito 1 esta un poquitin sobrevalorada, teniendo como únicos personajes interesantes a los minions. Estos tienen una personalidad bastante innovadora, que desgraciadamente no se puede aprovechar al máximo, debido al resto de personajes y a la trama que son en mi opinión bastante genéricos y mediocres. Megamente si bien salio después, hace un trabajo mejor en este apartado, teniendo personajes mas interesantes, y combinando bien la trama seria con el humor EN TODO MOMENTO. No me malinterpreten. Mi villano favorito es una buena película y la puedo recomendar. Un 6 no es una mala nota. Pero hay películas cómicas mucho mas interesantes. Y tengo que decir por ultimo que Gru y las niñas no son grandes personajes que digamos. Son incluso irritantes! Esta película se salva gracias a los minions que me encantaron, pero nada mas.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
Experiment626Apr 6, 2022
Fun family movie. Story is fun and there is plenty for adults to enjoy as well as the kids. I think the sequel holds up better than the original but still a fun watch.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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