Minions get their own fun flick

Movie:   Minions

Grade:  B+

In a Nutshell:   Adorable.  Silly. Colorful.  Like eating pure sugar. Imaginative prequel to the beloved Despicable Me movie franchise. The plot isn’t deep, but their crazy antics will still make you smile.

Warning: It may be too much sugar for some people.

Uplifting Theme:

·         Don’t mess with a minion’s teddy bear?

·         Working together, you can accomplish your goal.

Things I liked:

·         I love the minions’ cute jibberish language.  Adorable.  I noticed that they include quite a bit of Spanish bits, such as “Si”, “Gracias” and “Que paso?”  (What happened?)

·         There are a lot of fun pop icon moments, like the Campbell Soup Can art by Andy Warhol. I got to see the original one a year ago at a conference! 

·         I liked Scarlett’s husband’s play on words.  For example, he called Stuart: “Stu-ART”, “Stewperman”, and “Beef Stu”.

·         It was so fun watching Kevin, Stuart, and Bo go to London, so that I can share my vacation photos with you.  I was just there last week!  Awesome pic, right?

Even the famous Tower of London guards known as “Beefeaters” are featured for a moment. When I visited there last week, I learned that "Beefeaters" actually have many years of military experience before they can even apply for the job.  They live on site and exhibit such pride for their job.  

·         Great music from the 60’s and 70’s.

·         I loved the new Buckingham Palace guards with the yellow Minion hats.  Yep, I just saw the real changing of the guards there last week too!    I got this close to them during the ceremony...

·         There is a scene that shows the House of Commons in Parliament.  I saw that too!  The chairs really are green!  The House of Lords is so much more beautiful and fancy.  Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos on the tour.

·         Cute Abbey Road Beatles moment.  Did you catch it?

·         Funny faked landing on the moon conspiracy theory moment.  Did you see it?

·         The minions visit Westminster Cathedral too.  

 ·         After spending days on the London Tube, I got a kick out of the “Mind the Gap” voice on the train.  The location scouts for the movie did a great job of including authentic images for the London scenes.  What a great excuse to share some of my vacation moments with you!       

·         Keep watching while the credits roll at the end of the movie.
-    Terrific voice talents include the lovely Sandra Bullock, the handsome Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, and a bunch of unnamed yellow blobs.
-   The movie begins with an evolution backstory of the minions.  I loved their different clothes changes as the decades passed.  Yeah, I wore jean overalls in the '60s and 70's too.
-  Did you notice that Bob has one green eye and one brown eye?

Things I didn’t like:

·         Scarlett asks “Doesn’t it feel so good to be bad?”  Um, I’m not sure I want my kids repeating that message.

·         It doesn’t have the heart of Despicable Me, although it does explain how the minions found their ultimate villain.  No tissues required.

·         It’s more fun to see in 3D.

·         Uneven pacing.
-     Despicable Me is more magical, but these cute little guys deserved their own fun flick.

Funny lines:

·         “Who are you, my knights in shining…denim?” – Scarlett

·         “Steal me the crown and all your dreams come true: respect, power, banana!” – Scarlett

·         SPOILER ALERT:   “Bob, who appears to be a bald, jaundiced child, has pulled the famed sword right from its sword and has become the new king.” – TV reporter

Tips for Parents:

·         Some characters take off their shirts and do suggestive dancing.  You also see another character’s buns.  Come on now….that’s just not necessary in a kids’ movie.

·         Parents will be amused by references to pop culture that most kids won’t catch.
-   Unlike a lot of kids' movies, this one doesn't have a ton of bodily functions, although Bob farts once.

What?  You haven't seen the Despicable movies?  Hurry and catch up!  They're AWESOME!

Let the adorable merchandising begin:




Did you know?
During opening weekend, this film’s incomprehensible yellow henchmen, took in a whopping $115.2 million at U.S. box offices this weekend—the second biggest opening of all time for an animated film. (Shrek the Third holds the record, with $121.6 million in 2007.) “They’re bigger than Spongebob. They just have that mass appeal right now and are basically a merchandiser’s dream,” a senior box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations told USA Today.