Despicable Me 2 parents guide

Despicable Me 2 Parent Guide

Although Gru isn't the kind of parent most of us would want to know, there is still something entertaining about a father who takes a different -- although still loving -- approach.

Overall B+

In this sequel, Gru's (voice of Steve Carell) efforts to give up his former despicable life and stick to his new parental duties are challenged when he is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help them capture a super criminal.

Release date July 3, 2013

Violence C+
Sexual Content B+
Profanity A-
Substance Use B

Why is Despicable Me 2 rated PG? The MPAA rated Despicable Me 2 PG for rude humor and mild action.

Run Time: 99 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

After attempting a lunar heist in Despicable Me, Gru (voice of Steve Carell), the bald villain with a prickly personality, has mellowed considerably thanks to his three adopted daughters. And while transforming his evil lab into a jelly factory hasn’t gone quite as expected, you have to give the man points for trying to reform. After all, leaving behind a life of villainy and miscreant behavior takes a certain amount of discipline.

However Gru can’t refuse a chance to get back in the game when Silas Ramsbottom (voice of Steve Coogan) of the Anti-Villain League recruits him to find out who stole an entire Arctic lab and a powerful new toxin. Luckily Gru’s girls, Margo (voice of Miranda Cosgrove), Agnes (voice of Elsie Kate Fisher) and Edith (voice of Dana Gaier) are supportive of their dad’s new job opportunity. But Gru isn’t tackling the mission on his own. The league has assigned him a partner. While Gru doesn’t see Lucy (voice of Kristen Wiig) as an asset in his undercover endeavor, Agnes is smitten with the redheaded spy.

Meanwhile Gru’s lab assistant Dr. Nefario (voice of Russell Brand) makes a career move of his own leaving the legion of Gru’s minions to party in the lab. Like the original movie, the little yellow underlings have a way of getting into trouble when unsupervised. This time they turn the jelly making facilities into a nightclub with drinks and dancing. But Gru is so preoccupied with his mission that he doesn’t notice his minions’ antics, or that they are slowly disappearing.

Some scary cartoon characters and frequent slapstick violence aren’t the only reasons Despicable Me 2 is better suited for an older audience. (Many of the scenes involving chain saws, an apparent impaling and the repeated use of an electrical shock gun may frighten younger viewers.) While the minions and their poop jokes are meant to entertain the kids, this script is full of jokes only adults will appreciate. Like many single men, the grumpy Gru has to deal with an overly enthusiastic neighbor who is determined to set him up on a date, even if she has to camp outside his door to do it. Gru also finds himself playing the new role of protective father when his oldest daughter falls in love with someone he considers completely incompatible.

Although Gru isn’t the kind of parent most of us would want to host our child’s birthday party, there is still something entertaining about a father who takes a different—although still loving—approach to childrearing in this era of hypersensitive parenting.

Directed by Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud. Starring Steve Carell, Al Pacino, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove. Running time: 99 minutes. Theatrical release July 3, 2013. Updated

Despicable Me 2
Rating & Content Info

Why is Despicable Me 2 rated PG? Despicable Me 2 is rated PG by the MPAA for rude humor and mild action.

Violence: Children at a birthday play with dangerous items. A man sends his dog to pee on the neighbor’s plants. Characters exchange firepower and a man is shot with an electric shock gun. A driver hits a character (and an animal) with her car and later swerves wildly through a crowd. A man is kidnapped. Guns, knives and other weapons are used. A character is kicked in the crotch. Characters are injected with a serum that turns them into monsters. A character appears to be impaled with long needles. A man is hit in the head with a bat. Other characters are shot with a freeze gun that covers them in ice. One character is shot in the buttocks with a tranquilizer dart. A man threatens to launch a woman strapped onto a rocket into a live volcano.

Sexual Content: A man is seen sitting on a toilet. A minion is shown in his underwear. Later we see one minion’s bare buttocks when he strips to go swimming. Brief hugging and kissing are shown. Several rude jokes involving bodily functions are used in the script. A man makes a suggestive movie in a nonsexual situation. A man is shown in a tiny swimsuit.

Language: The script includes some brief rude comments and bathroom jokes.

Alcohol / Drug Use: Characters drink in social settings including a nightclub-looking facility.

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Despicable Me 2 Parents' Guide

How do family responsibilities change Gru? How does his parenting style differ from many other moms or dads? Why does he feel so protective of Margo when she falls in love with a young man? Can it be hard for dads to let their daughters go? Why is Agnes so eager to have a mother?

Why is Gru nervous around women? How can childhood experiences continue to affect us as adults?

What is Cinco de Mayo? How do people celebrate it?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Despicable Me 2 movie is December 10, 2013. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Illumination Presents: 3-Movie Collection (Despicable Me / Despicable Me 2 / Despicable Me 3)
Release Date: 5 December 2017
Universal is releasing the Illumination Presents: 3-Movie Collection featuring Despicable Me / Despicable Me 2 / Despicable Me 3 to home video (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital or DVD/Digital).

Home Video Notes: Despicable Me 2

Release Date: 10 December 2013

Despicable Me 2 releases to home video (Blu-ray/DVD/Ultraviolet Digital Copy or Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Ultraviolet Digital Copy) with the following extras:

- Deleted Scenes

- Three all-new mini-movies featuring the mischievous but lovable Minions

- A closer Look at the Evil Minions

Related home video titles:

This movie was preceded by Despicable Me. Another villain is forced to reinvent himself in Megamind. Other characters are changed when they unexpectedly become responsible for children in Fly Away Home, Saving Sarah Cain and Raising Helen.

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