Raise your hand if you and your family have extra time, recently, for movies? We have adoption movies reviewed!
Despicable Me – Movie Review
By Brynne Adamson
Movie: Despicable Me
Directors: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Published: 2010
Rating: PG
Movie Summary: “Ever since Gru was a little boy, he dreamed of going to the moon. Now, if Gru can just build a rocket and get his hands on a powerful shrink-ray, he can cement his reputation as the greatest thief who ever lived by stealing the Earth’s satellite right out of the sky” from rottentomatoes.com.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
What this movie did excellently
In “Despicable Me,” the story’s protagonist, Felonius Gru, grows as a character and learns to love his three adopted children: Margo, Agnes and Edith. Watching Gru change for the better and learn the meaning of family is a treat. The jokes are mostly enjoyable and fresh, and the animation style of the film is loosely unique. Overall, the movie is cute and great for the family.
What this movie could tweak
The way this movie portrays adoption is inaccurate and negative. This can be seen when Gru dresses like a dentist and visits with Miss Hattie, the woman who runs Miss Hattie’s Home for Girls. The background check for Gru runs far too quickly to be normal, and his living circumstances are never investigated by anyone at the orphanage. “Despicable Me” could’ve done a better job at portraying how adoption works while still containing the humor found in the movie.
Additionally, Gru never meets with the children until after the adoption process is finished. While this movie could be portraying a closed adoption, the children are usually involved or at least informed of the adoption process.
By misleading the audience about adoption, children may see this process in a negative light or think they will only get cold strangers like Gru to adopt them, which is why this is a problem. To learn about more positive portrayals of adoption, check out the Adoption Choices website.
Who should watch this movie
This movie is a sturdy film for children and parents alike. The characters are quirky and unforgettable. The minions, although now overly popular, are hilarious and make the movie what it is. While adoption isn’t portrayed very accurately in this story, perhaps this movie will spark curiosity in the minds of children who don’t know much about adoption.
