Sunday, July 7, 2013
Adoption Movie Guide: Despicable Me 2 - Gru as a Surprisingly Good Adoptive Dad
The Plot (spoilers
ahead)
Former super-villain Gru has changed his colors. He has
adopted Margo, Edith and Agnes, and has begun to put their needs in front of
his own. Noting his newly-found ethics, the Anti-Villain League recruits Gru to
go undercover to stop other villains. He signs up and goes along for the ride.
Meanwhile, Margo becomes interested in boys, Edith thinks boys are gross, and
Agnes wants a mom.
How is This Relevant
to Adoption?
In the first Despicable Me film, Margo, Edith and Agnes were
adopted from a horrible orphanage; the director only cared about the girls’
ability to raise money for her program. When Gru adopted them, he was not carefully
screened, and he intended to use them to help him commit villainy. I treated DespicableMe harshly in my review. But this film has done much better. It shows a
single-parent adoptive family that has moved on with life; the girls know about
their adoption, but they’ve resumed a fairly normal life. So has Gru – at least,
his life is as normal as it can be for a Steve Carrell-voiced reformed
supervillain. Gru acknowledges that his new fatherhood requires him to modify some
parts of his life. Also, Agnes is required to recite a Mother’s Day poem for
school; as she rehearses it with Gru, she explains, “I don’t even have a mom.”
Her confusion – about not having a mom, and about being expected to participate
in a school project that isn’t sensitive to her life circumstances – will connect
with some viewers.
Strong Points
Gru
has become much less selfish, and much less self-centered. He has become a good
dad. He even dresses up as a fairy princess for his daughter’s birthday party. Not too many films feature single adoptive or foster dads. Two other good examples: Admission and Mr. Monk and the Kid.
Margo,
Edith, and Agnes all appear to be thriving, and their life seems remarkably
normal (for having Gru as their dad.)
The
movie raises an interesting situation. Gru’s oldest daughter is starting to
date. Gru is particularly overprotective. Are adoptive parents more or less
likely to be overprotective when their children start dating, or would you
expect there to be no direct connection? Weigh in with your thoughts.
Weak
Points
Gru
notes that Agnes is having difficulty rehearsing her Mother’s Day lines. She
explains, “I don’t even have a mom.” His advice is rushed, and a bit
insensitive, “Well, you don’t need one to do the show. Use your imagination.”
Agnes suggests that she can pretend she has a mom.
***SPOILER ALERT:
(agnes
does get a mom by the end of the film.)
*****
END SPOILER
Recommendation
This
film is much better than its predecessor. Despicable Me 2 is a fun and
enjoyable film that will probably appeal to kids in the same age group as Gru’s
kids – probably about 4 to 12. While adoption themes are not overt in this film
(as they were in the first), they are handled much more healthily. This one is
worth seeing.
Questions for Discussion after the movie
What
makes Gru a good dad?
How
do you think Gru is doing at letting Margo date? Is he too protective? Not
protective enough?
How
do you think Agnes felt when she was rehearsing her lines? What school projects
have felt that way for you?
What
could Gru have told Agnes when she seemed sad about not having a mom?
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I love Gru in the role as over-protective dad. He reminds me of what my husband is going to be like in about 10 years when my Poppy is old enough to start noticing boys. And dressing up like a fairy for Agnes' birthday party? Totally. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteEvery little girl needs a dad who will go to such lengths for her, adopted or not.
Hi! I think you're right about Gru - in the first film, he was so selfish - but by the sequel, he has become an excellent dad!
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