When you get an invitation from Universal Pictures to be a part of a press junket that includes such amazing talent as Julie Andrews and Steve Carell, you don’t hesitate to say ABSOLUTELY, YES, I WANT TO DO THIS!

I had some reservations, mostly because I knew I’d have to write a review of the film and, well, let me just say… there is a reason I don’t do that for a living.

However, I couldn’t pass up the chance to be a part of something so incredibly fun and exciting. (Julie! Andrews! Y’all!)

I had a chance to preview the movie before the junket.  Me and my 3 children braved the L.A. traffic and headed to the Mann’s Chinese theater in Hollywood to see the film.

The story revolves around a super villain named Gru (played by Steve Carell) who makes plans to commit the greatest theft of all time—steal the moon.  When a kink is put into his plans thanks to a rival villain named Vector (Jason Segel) he comes up with a plan: adopt 3 orphan girls- Margo, Edith, and Agnes.

All 3 of my children loved the movie and with kids ranging from 17 to 5, that’s almost a miracle. My teenage boys appreciated the dark comedy and the Nerdalicious antics of Vector. My 5 year old daughter appreciated the adorableness of the 3 girls and all the laughter and tenderness they brought to the story. And of course, all 3 of them LOVED The Minions, who provided the perfect blend of slapstick with just a teeny tiny dose of potty humor. (It’s been 2 weeks since we saw the movie and my daughter is STILL begging me to buy a copy machine so she can take just *one* picture of her butt.)

Despicable Me is fresh, clever and filled with laughs for both adults and children.  It was visually stunning and worth the extra $ for the 3d experience.  But what I loved most was the strength and originality of the character’s voices.  The star-studded cast is mostly unrecognizable due to the unique perspective and accent that each actor brings to their character. It was refreshing and brilliantly done. The most memorable voice was that of Agnes (voiced by Elsie Fisher) 


Please come back tomorrow to read about my interview with the cast of Despicable Me, which I have tentatively titled “That’s What Steve Said.” (Because I am kind of brilliant.)