Villain Therapy: GRU from Despicable Me

[@CinemaTherapyShow]

PDS Debt is offering a free debt analysis. It only takes thirty seconds. Get yours at PDSDebt.com/cinema.

[@PaigeRobins-ky4qc]

Amazing work I can tell you work hard on it.💜👍💯

[@SpaseAxolotl]

Ik this is unrelated but I like that at the end (when they say watch movies) the subtitles call them internet dads XD

[@PaigeRobins-ky4qc]

@@SpaseAxolotl indeed.💯

[@insectostrich4407]

I just thought it was a shame that this level of emotion and depth wasn’t carried on in the sequels. Not to mention, the villain bank and Vector’s dad never come back, except for a forced cameo. I really would’ve loved to see more of this subtle humour, intense emotions and this interesting world they created.

[@SpaseAxolotl]

@@insectostrich4407 so true 😔

[@Jonathan_Collins]

This is probably one of the best “villain turns good because of someone in their lives” movies up there with Megamind.

[@TheXTrunner]

funny cuz these two came up on the same year ish?

[@Lulu_Loves_Sheep]

"I can fix him." And they actually did

[@BoneheadSpectre]

​@@TheXTrunner and they both have minions of some kind

[@Binks182]

To bad rest of the despicable me franchise is terrible

[@spirec_]

​@@Binks182 Have you seen them recently? Despite Minions as a franchise being extremely obnoxious, I still think a lot of the movies are actually still pretty good. I liked both 2 and the first Minions movie a good bit honestly

[@superfanmusicmaker]

One of the best little details about the movie is how, to us as the viewer, the Minions all look exactly the same (there's only like four distinct designs and they’re all copy-pasted hundreds of times) but Gru can tell them apart, and he even knows all of their names despite there literally being thousands of them. It's not only funny in its absurdity, but it actually says so much about the characters and their dynamic without making a big deal of it. To Gru, the Minions aren't just his generic, faceless henchmen, they're his actual friends/family. It fleshes out their relationship beyond master and lackey, and before he even adopts the girls, this is the film's first real hint that Gru _isn't_ really the heartless, evil villain he's trying to be.

[@diegamerhexe]

Also that he took the time to give them a peptalk when he didn't get the money from the bank. He cares a lot about them.

[@Colopty]

And is one of the ways the writers went on to mess up the Minions in later instalments, aside from making them take up way more screentime than they needed to. Their relationship with Gru was great because of how unexpectedly personal it was, and then they're shown to be fine with just about any villain.

[@Binks182]

The minions are copy and pasted to save time and money on animation. I doubt it's a design or story choice

[@Alegriacaptions]

@@Binks182 in term of story choice it would have been pretty much the same if it was like 10 henchmen.

[@TomTriyingtothink]

I actually hard disagree with that ,in the minion movie it’s spelled out that they can’t find the right villain for them. The minion movie and despicable me 3 are both mid movies but the minion movie says that the minions relationship with Gru is something they took billions of years to find and despicable me 3 showed the minions deciding to leave gru finding a new life but still deciding to go back to him

[@trinaq]

Margo using reverse psychology against Gru to get him to take her, Edith and Agnes to their dance class was not only hilarious, but is the first time that he steps up as an adoptive parent.

[@TehAmelie]

I don't know if it's reverse psychology when they just explain, and demonstrate, that they aren't going to depend on him to get to class if he doesn't want to be dependable.

[@racheljackson4428]

Smart move from Margo.

[@kinasakuraba]

I don't think it counts as stepping up if you got manipulated into it 😅

[@samseddmedia]

@@kinasakuraba Great point.

[@Frossheary]

That first scene with Gru and the ice cream kid sets up his character so perfectly in a subtle way - this is a man petty enough to carry a balloon around literally for this bit. I don't remember the movie justifying him having a balloon for any other reason, the man literally puts a balloon and needle in his pocket with the intention of ruining a kid's day with it, and it's gold.

[@DracoMagnius]

and he waits for the perfect moment for the kid to get attached to the balloon animal before popping it. Solely to maximize the kid's sadness.

[@thestoneskipper3377]

Building on this, he knows how to make a balloon dog, so he's done it before, and, as part of that whole bit, he ruins the balloon and throws away the needle, so he has to restock at least one if not both

[@sadie1606]

I love how Margo gets to stop being a sister mom and starts getting to be able to be just sister.

[@meganrogers3571]

Margo always gets me in the feels because you know she's been disappointed and hurt so often in her life but she has to hold it together for these other two kids. She's trying so hard not to give up but she's also trying so hard to protect herself. Trusting Gru was hardest for her.

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

I love that too

[@llynxfyremusic]

​​@@meganrogers3571true. I love how she's the most protective, the most bitter when gru leaves, then the most hesitant to jump from V's ship. Its really underplayed and i only noticed it on the most recent watch.

[@emilyrln]

Margo's arc is a beautiful reflection of Gru's: she starts out very wary and afraid of making herself vulnerable, takes a chance, gets hurt (unlike him through no fault of her own), then gives it a second chance and finds what she's looking for: a family who loves her and accepts her for who she is.

[@nalublackwater9729]

My favorite scene in this movie is when Gru is literally holding the Moon in his hand, but rethinks if it's the most valuable thing when he sees the ticket for his "daughters" function floating by. I just love how they delivered the message of the entire movie without a single line of dialogue.

[@A_WeirdGrl_09]

yes

[@FrisbeeGorbeh]

As a parent, I will say everything about the book reading scene was 100% accurate. You're exhausted from a long day, you're reading a book to calm them down, help them with development, and get them to DEAR GOD JUST GO TO BED and it's the weirdest story you've ever read, then suddenly there's a line that reminds you how much you love your kid and brings you into the moment and everything wonderful about them and you're doing your best not to cry in front of them. Ah, parenthood

[@SarahRichardsGraba]

This is why I can't figure out if I like or hate that Love You Forever book

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@SarahRichardsGraba Switch to "Everybody Poops"?

[@SarahRichardsGraba]

@@MonkeyJedi99 😂😂😂

[@aliyahpulido953]

There's a book called "Go the F*@& to Sleep" narrated by Samuel Jackson, it's hilarious and gives off the same vibes as that scene (just with more profanity 😂)

[@bilgeakaln6335]

Awh thats so sweet❤ My mom didnt bother tucking me so I didnt know how these things go

[@Jonathan_Collins]

The fact that Despicable Me comedy still holds up 12 years later is amazing lmao.

[@lukiwei9468]

It’s genuinely hysterical, especially compared to the unfunny crap we got from Minions and Secret Life and The Grinch.

[@abbylanerd]

12 years? im so old

[@SevenEllen]

@@abbylanerd Bet you aren't. I bet you're in your 20s. :)

[@marjolijnzuidema1475]

This movie is 12 years old already??

[@Liz66.]

What do you mean 12 years 😭

[@tylerledgerwood4327]

In this world it's "You either die a Villain or you live long enough to see yourself become the Hero".

[@bcmoore671]

i cant remember where thats from, could someone tell me?

[@JesseNightingale]

​​@@bcmoore671 Harvey Dent says it, I believe it's the Batman Dark Knight movie specifically, but in case I got the name wrong its whatever movie that had Heath Ledgar as Joker Good god I know the quote is being said backwards in the op I was just telling the person who asked who said the original quote didn't think I had to specify this when I originally posted this comment but I guess I did lol

[@koolgamzstudio]

In this world, it’s kill or be killed

[@tiffanypersaud3518]

❤❤❤

[@craftyarts7431]

@@JesseNightingalealso it’s the other way around, if that wasn’t obvious

[@scocopat457]

something I like about this movie is that they dont make the mother overtly and physically abusive like a lot of movies tend to do. Her mistreatment of Gru is a lot more realistic to me, something more people are going to relate to. And it validates that abuse/neglect/mistreatment doesn't have to be physical to leave a major impact on someone.

[@BrokensoulRider]

Most people do forget that there's more than just physical abuse because we don't see actual scars of it.

[@surferdude4487]

Gas-lighting, withholding approval and affection can be more harmful than physical beatings.

[@scocopat457]

@@surferdude4487 completely agree.

[@thethirdtime9168]

@@surferdude4487 Beatings acknowledge your existence, while neglect and dismissal leaves you invisible

[@FallenArcher-xp3vj]

Couldn't agree more. It stays with you more than sometimes even the child realizes. I was in my late twenties before it really hit me how much of what I do was basically to prove to my mom that I am worth existing.

[@pokemonacer]

Jonathan nailing the Gru impression consistently is something

[@risacooper]

Calling him Jonathan sounds like a disappointed parent

[@JonathanDecker]

Thank you for the compliment @pokemonacer! It's all good @risacooper, I go by both.

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

Ikr

[@applejayz1987]

Another thing I like about the carnival game scene is that the whole movie so far his attitude's seemed very "Everybodies been so horrible, so I dont see why I should put in any effort or care to be any better" but then when he sees someone ELSE doing the same thing to the gourls from an outsider perspective, he can recognize and empathize with his own experiences (plus, as the replies pointed out, it was his own money he was scammed out of as well anyways), and so he steps in. He feels his own personal validation from getting the upper hand, and when their approval comes in, it hits right at that spot

[@finaldusk1821]

Admittedly, I still think it was mostly selfishly motivated. Gru paid money only to realise he was swindled, the girls not getting what they wanted meant they'd likely bother him about it for ages, and then when Gru objected over this, the guy hosting the game mocked him obnoxiously for it. If anything, I think his genuine happiness in being appreciated by the girls is made more believable (and amusing) by it being accidental.

[@Alegriacaptions]

@@finaldusk1821 idk, with the grin and all, I'm pretty sure he wanted to look cool to the girls

[@MonkeyJedi99]

I am tickled that you spelled it "gourls".

[@xger21]

@@Alegriacaptions I don't think he cared if the girls thought he looked cool. He cared that the game operator was put in his place - he was smiling about his coming revenge

[@jassychanVO]

​@@xger21 Nah, he did that after Agnes gave him the sad puppy eyes. Can't tell me that he wasn't affected by that

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

Also love the depiction of an adoptive father who learns how to nurture and open up to emotional communication, so often it's displayed that only mothers can have nurturing instincts.

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

I love that too

[@llynxfyremusic]

And i love how to get there he doesn’t look like a complete buffoon. Its a realistic level of overwhelm. Not sure if i've explained that well

[@Hetalia_iscool]

Both fathers and mothers can be equally nurturing, it's just that they tend to show it in different ways. I agree with you, I like the depiction.

[@AnonJuggerbot]

I'd really like to see a Villain Therapy for Tai Lung. He's kind of the opposite of Gru- A child who was coddled and was over-promised things he couldn't have, and was furious when he didn't get all of the things he was told he'd get.

[@ahsokatano6727]

So a spoiled brat getting a reality check?

[@AnonJuggerbot]

@@ahsokatano6727 Kind of. Its more like, Shifu promised him that if he trained really hard and excelled, Oogway would give him the Dragon Scroll. The problem is, Shifu's overpromising of things he didn't have the authority to give, as well as his constant propping up of Tai Lung, poisoned Tai Lung's training and turned him arrogant and entitled- And Oogway wasn't going to give the scroll to him because of it. It ties into the movie's themes of trying to control destiny, and how it often backfires. Tai Lung has a lot more going on than just being a spoiled brat getting his comeuppance.

[@tell-me-a-story-]

Oh yeah they should!

[@nint357]

​@@ahsokatano6727 Well Tai Lung wasn't spoiled in the sense that we might think. He was definitely entitled but he himself said that he trained till his bones cracked. You don't just say that (taking his words face value since it was never negated and Sifu himself didn't object to any of his statements about how he was raised). He was trained as this promised savior which boosted his ego and harnessed the darkest parts within him. And when Oogway refused he lost his sense of self completely bc ego aside, if he's not meant to be the dragon warrior then why was his entire life devoted to training? We're left to assume that he didn't have anything else going for him, which is very realistic given how many kids and teens will make one thing their entire personality if they're pushed to it or not geared towards other interests. Also I'm reaching here to fill in the gaps but I'd say the fact that he was abandoned as a baby could also play a part in the fact why he snapped like that. Like, it's ok that I'm an orphan, at least I have a glorious purpose, except wait- no nvm I guess I'm just unwanted🤷‍♀️

[@tigerlilykitty3281]

⁠@@nint357I agree. Tai Lung was taught that all of his hard work and genuine suffering would pay off, only to be denied that pay off-it means that Shifu pushed him to “train until his bones cracked” for NOTHING.

[@BigBastion623]

I like how each of the three girls represent a diff aspect of Gru himself: Margo represents his sarcastic nature and cynicism towards people Edith represents his insanity and love for mayhem and chaos Anges represents his soft and sweet inside hidden underneath his touch exterior

[@FRPWR]

"We all need love and acceptance, the thing we don't realize, is we're already deserving of it, we just need to find the people who see it." REAL AS FUCK

[@scipocelah6677]

That was my life before I met my wife. I just accepted that I wasn't good enough for my family figured I wasn't good enough for anyone. So, I started to put very little effort into relationships and friendships, and if they decided they didn't want to continue the "relationship" anymore, then I was fine with it because no one else has wanted a relationship with me either. Then I met my wife, she saw through the trauma to the real me and accepted me for who I was, supported me in my interests, and said she was proud of me when I succeeded at something. I've had promotions before, and heard the "congratulations" from family, but it always felt shallow. But when I got a promotion and she told me how proud of me she was, I genuinely broke down into tears because I had never felt that before. I found the person who saw I was deserving of love and acceptance, and I've begun to heal from the years of thinking I wasn't.

[@Widdekuu91]

I am going to partypoop this, by saying that I once naïvely met a guy who felt unloved by the world,. His parents didn't love him, school did not, he did not love himself, nobody did, according to him. He hád had an exgirlfriend, but he kissed someone else and they broke up, so that wasn't going to happen anymore. And I was determined to give him this love he was missing, becuse I felt he deserved it, which led from us being friends to a relationship. Now, shortly said, he did not know how to deal with this love, he did not trust it whatsoever. So he started self-sabotaging, he started picking fights over little things (I would agree with him, usually, which made him annoyed further) and sometimes he would verbally belittle me, until I was fully humiliated and torn down, until he finally felt 'safe' again to show hís feelings. What I am trying to say is... sometimes they need therapy, before they can accept the love and reciprocate it. Otherwise you are putting people at risk. The 'villains to lovers'-trope is sometimes doomed to fail if the person does not fundamentally change who they were and how they have been brought up.

[@FRPWR]

@@Widdekuu91 idk, but it sounds like you met a manipulator. No matter how trashy their life is, that's no reason to sabotage a good thing. They did it just to be a victim. The worst is a narcissist, addicted to being a victim. Been around WAYYYY too many of them. Hope your doing better, cause you deserve, and are better.

[@Widdekuu91]

@@FRPWR Haihai, thankyou. Well I m in therapy, that makes me feel better. :) And I certainly enjoy spending all effort on making art for myself now, instead of him :) Have a good day!

[@MorningDusk7734]

Whoever made the “she craves chaos” edit with Agnes deserves a raise

[@DoofenSpyroDragon16]

It wasn’t chaos, it was *MAYHEM*

[@Asgardian30]

She's surrounded by DOOM demons. I thought I saw every kind of edit they could have for Cinema Therapy. That was a new one.

[@jordanread5829]

What I love about Gru's arc is that he starts in the shadow of his mother. Whom was a renowned super villain. And yet he managed to pull himself out of that by being the one thing she never was.... a loving parent.

[@Rosie06x]

It's a shame this movie got overshadowed by the "minioness" of the sequels because I genuinely believe this movie is so well written when discussing trauma caused from an emotionally detached mother

[@PredictedCyborg]

To be fair to Gru, he didn't WANT to give them up, he was pushed into it by his scientist friend who called the orphanage to come pick them up. Gru was just persuaded to go along with it because it was delaying his moon plan.

[@Lesbean_Burrito]

He still CHOSE to do it, regardless. He holds himself accountable, and doesn't even give excuses for why he did it. That's a true apology.

[@hearmeout1767]

​@@Lesbean_Burrito Yeah, he could have refused

[@anecro]

None of this matters. He's the boss. He got the kids to begin with. By the time they left his custody from within, it can only be his fault, the moon was the narrative device that out-contested the kids.

[@ViraIshnia]

I'd kind of like to see one done on Margo. Throughout the movie, particularly near the beginning, you see her having to be the adult for her sisters. Then they go to the amusement park and she starts to let herself be a kid, trusting an actual adult to make sure that her sisters are safe

[@Lesbean_Burrito]

Such a great point!

[@jestphoenix]

i would LOVE to see them touch upon the parentification of other sisters and how it affects them psychologically, especially since it's such a common phenomenon

[@littlesongbird1]

And she shows the most hesitation in jumping. I also love how throughout the movie series you see that she is very close to Gru and he respects that she is a child but also that she was once parentified and he talks to her like an adult while encouraging her to be a kid.

[@Blackjack1317]

What I also love about this movie is that it's a single father, learing to take care of his adoptive daughters and once he got a hang of it, and actually starts caring, he's a great parent. Just everyone around him tell him he can't be a father for this or that reason but ultimatly, being a father is what makes him happy and that convinces everyone. It's just such a shame that the second movie ruined that entirely, by perpetuating the idea that a single dad can't ever be enough...

[@Ami-jc2oo]

I suppose that's true....but remember, he has 3 girls. A mother figure is still important to a degree.

[@hameley12]

My uncle's bestfriend, collegue years, Carl studied and met a girl whom he loved very much. After graduating they planned to buy a home and have children. They had two daughters and two sons. By the time their oldest daughter was 11, their mom was diagnosed with ocular tumor, after years of going through treatments she passed away. Carl raised and taught his two daughters and two young sons to be good, fun, honest and hardworking humans. As soon as the twins turned 17 and almost off to college, Carl went to the university tour with his sons and there met a woman his own age. Today Carl is married to Sophie, his oldest daughters are married by now. And his youngest is still in college, James Carl is tudying to become an oncologist, and Liam is tudying art, he wants to showcase how healthy cells deveplop into cancerous cells and make peole aware through visuals. So, yes, overall it is possible to raise three or even four children as a single father or mother. And the end reward is greater later on. I also did not enjoy the second Despicable Me movie. But some jokes and scenes were okay. 😄

[@anecro]

@@Ami-jc2oo That's what I would call "watering it down". Realism in an animated movie matters WAY less than the message, and the reality of it is the message in the first was watered down by the second, just because they felt like they had to introduce a mother. That's not a good look when it comes to the message of the second movie, however charming it may be (Gru finding romantic love and starting a fully formed family). It's like stabbing the first one in the back and back-pedaling on their decision to have Gru be a good dad.

[@Ami-jc2oo]

@@hameley12 That's great that he was able to do that and maybe fathers can raise daughters. But I still stand by my opinion.

[@KlearlyIMme]

@@anecroI never saw the second one but I feel like it could’ve worked if the girls were well adjusted older teens/adults and the only reason he wanted a relationship was for himself and not for a mother figure. And then at the end they don’t get married but they take it easy and maybe in the next we see them married

[@LittleHobbit13]

The dead look in Alan's eyes as he says he needs therapy because of the minions is honestly a mood.

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

Oh yeah definitely

[@catdragon2584]

Funny story: I had a guy friend in college whose then girlfriend (now wife) collected stuffed animals as a hobby. He and I and two mutual friends of ours went to Universal Studios several years ago, and while walking around one day we found a vendor selling the exact same stuffed unicorn. He was going back and forth in his mind about buying it for his girlfriend, but in the end we talked him into it. And later that night, he took a picture of the unicorn and texted it to his girlfriend. She sent back exclamation points, quoted the little girl verbatim, and according to her older sister she actually squawked as soon as she saw the unicorn photo.

[@giovannamoretti4001]

Thank you, this made me smile 🥹

[@catdragon2584]

@@giovannamoretti4001you’re welcome! 😊

[@localvega688]

This is so wholesome 🦄

[@JuliannaGallo-x2v]

ITS SO FLUFFYYYYYY!!!!!!

[@thejaded]

Aw tf, I want one

[@almasplushbin]

"why...why are you so old?" is my favorite quote from the whole movie me and my dad quote it all the time 😂

[@caitbarry9617]

Mine is: "Edith, you're never going to get adopted" "I know" I just love her self awareness and that she's kind of ok with it, the excellent voice acting just makes it.

[@sweetness9356]

The boogie robots are really cool though, but rather tacky looking.

[@kokowheeli6053]

One thing you have to give Gru credit for though right from the start is that, no matter how evil he is, he always recognises and knows the names of every single one of his minions. Which proves early how caring he can be

[@crystalfajman3732]

Even as a full-on villain, he treats his employees/minions better than most good guys

[@NoName-j4r5n]

Of course, they aren’t black

[@beingbeckeroni]

The scene with Gru making the girls jump from the plane always gets me. Especially with Margot, I think because she’s the eldest and on the cusp of being a teenager and him insisting “he’ll catch her and never let her go again…” I’m literally crying as I type this. I think it’s the sincerity that gets me.

[@WaywardAce420]

I think this is the one time Julie Andrews played a “villain“ and I absolutely adore her. She’s a horrible person, a horrible mother, but it’s Julie Andrews, I can’t hate her!

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

I know what you mean

[@leighmartin9187]

Oh, Julie Andrews has so much fun with the character because she is so awful

[@zainabjilani3701]

I actually met a foreign exchange student in my undergrad who had Gru’s exact accent and he even said people told him so all the time……poor guy.😂

[@aliyahpulido953]

Oh, if you can remember, PLEASE tell us where he was from?! Steve Carell says he just made up the accent and when attending a convention in-character as Gru, he was asked where the accent was from and he jokingly said "Albuquerque, New Mexico." I think he only said that bc that name is funny when said in Gru's voice. He's said it wasn't based on any real accent from any specific region. I've been trying to find out if that's really true.

[@SmallBlogV8]

@@aliyahpulido953 It sounds Eastern-European, but I couldn't make a more specific guess than that.

[@aliyahpulido953]

@@SmallBlogV8 Thank you anyway!

[@batmanvsjoker7725]

Glad you guys didn't listen to the haters and actually gave Despicable Me a video

[@silversleeper1193]

There were haters? I’ll admit I’m a minion hater, but I can’t see why anyone would hate this movie and not want it to be covered.

[@yb9964]

@@silversleeper1193why do people hate minions other than the fact that it suffered the Facebook mom / happy by Pharrell Williams effect? I love them 😭

[@silversleeper1193]

@@yb9964 I dislike them because A. They have absolutely no substance. Just because they’re for kids doesn’t mean they need to only have one personality trait. B. They are way too oversaturated for as simplistic as they are. C. I personally find their humour obnoxious. Again, I know it’s for kids, but there are tons of children’s cartoon characters (in this very movie in fact), that make actual real jokes.

[@Kreepie11]

@@silversleeper1193 I'd still take a group of minions over 'Olaf the Snowman' any day of the week.

[@jpuc5568]

@@silversleeper1193but funny yellow men banana

[@exodud5016]

The thing about Gru in this movie is that he is evil, but never a bad guy. He had no qualms about hurting others but he would never try to make it seem as if his behavior was good or rightful. He's evil and he owns it, yet he would never hurt the people he cares about like his mother or the minions. When it comes to the girls, he didn't become good so much as realize "I care about them", and from that point onward stopped being mean to them.

[@oldgamer7891]

Margo's whole "What about the floor?" bit was so me as a child, and then I ended up living with a young family in college after a tornado destroyed my dorm and they did it to me and I immediately wanted to call my parents and apologize. Trying to give instructions to a child is asking to play CinemaSins: rules edition.

[@mrslundy1535]

What feels right about Gru's relationship with the girls is that they're actually kids. If the characters in his circle were all adults, they would probably get away from him because he has attachment issues or is just an annoying person. Children, however, don't stop loving you for a while. Especially after when he became a parental figure for them, they were bonded to him and got disappointed when he had problematic behaviour, but never actually stopped loving him. I think that's what makes the climax of the film so impactful and heartwarming, the goodnight kiss scene and the scene he saves the kids. Ahh this is one of my favourites of all time

[@richardchisenhall387]

I gotta say something that didn't get mentioned about the turn around at the carnival, I think what really made difference was, gru stood up to a bully on their behalf. He saw that guy cheating the rules and he decided to put it right. Maybe gru just wanted to take the smug guy down a peg, but it accomplished more than that incidentally

[@nadiaolson4316]

I love how Gru also resembles Steve Carell’s acting expressions, as if he’s playing gru in person. It’s cool to see how well the animators put him into animation

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

I love it too

[@thispincer8404]

"We are going to steal...!" "(Pause for effect)" *"THE **_MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!"_*

[@MicahMader]

Zeeee Moon*

[@thejaded]

Steve put his soul into that 😂😂

[@kareningram6093]

I've tried to get help from more than a dozen psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists throughout my whole life. This channel has helped me more than all of them combined. I'm not kidding. Thank you for doing these videos.

[@CinemaTherapyShow]

We're so happy to help. ❤️ Thanks for watching!

[@MissPickles1980]

15:30 the contagious yawning thing - it works because of empathy. Which extends to pets (part of the family after all). It's mirroring behaviour. As to why we yawn when we hear (or read) the word yawn is a bit more complicated.

[@elliehuebner9475]

I yawned while reading this comment 🤔😅

[@localvega688]

@@elliehuebner9475 Same 🥱

[@a_921]

We should all write YAWN on a huge piece of paper, put it up somewhere public, and check out the result

[@localvega688]

@@a_921 This would be a great social experiment.

[@greenlightning2539]

Fun fact: Grus full name is actually "Felonius Gru." Because of course it is.

[@TacComControl]

Can confirm that I too directed my ex's kid around by the top of her head sometimes while raising her. She didn't even make the connection until she was rewatching the movie at one point, and was like "YOU DO THE HEAD THING!" "... Context?" "YOU DO THE HEAD THING THAT GRU DOES YOU'RE EVIL!" "I thought I was batman?" (long story) "YOU'RE EVIL BATMAN" "Only on tuesdays." "Oh. (walks off into other room) WAIT TODAY IS TUESDAY YOU'RE EVIL BATMAN TODAY" Me, through wall: "MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

[@aliyahpulido953]

I LOVE the amount of sheer CHAOS and niche references in this story! It sounds a lot like a day at my job at a kindergarten 😂

[@joy4210]

evil batman 😂😂😂 sounds like an interesting kid!!

[@finaldusk1821]

This story and the way you ended it with evil laughter immediately had me thinking of "The Batman Who Laughs", who is indeed an evil Batman.

[@madisonwolanyk]

Oh my gosh! 😂😅

[@thunderflare59]

"That book was accidentally destroyed maliciously" is the most Gru line ever.

[@madeleinereads]

I love at the end when Gru's mom says, "I'm so proud of you, son. You turned out to be a great parent. Just like me. Maybe even better." And then she smiles. There, she's genuinely proud of Gru. I love it.

[@ImBarelyMe]

Even as a kid when this film came out, I cried heavy at that ending, having Gru admit that he was wrong and change. He apologised, and changed the wrong. As someone who’s never had a father figure that was loving in any way… seeing gru take the time to read them a story, to give them a kiss goodnight, to hug them, to say I love you… I wish, I wish I had that.. the closest to an I love you was always a quick “love ya night”.. I can’t even remember the last time I had a hug from a father figure, and I’m only 20 in a few weeks

[@DoofenSpyroDragon16]

Dang…

[@KittehCannibal]

Its tough. Haven't gotten a hug from my parents in over 10 years and I most likely never will. Its kinda hard to forget abandonment but it tears my life up in all aspects so I really gotta get over it. Wishing and longing and dreaming of something impossible will just prolong suffering.

[@kanderson-oo7us]

I'm sorry that you've never gotten that - please know that you can still learn to have these relationships by being that loving, caring person for others in your life.

[@charlottewilson-longpre7779]

It is genuinely odd occurrence, getting a hug off my dad as he's heading home. Yup cannot recall more than one or two in 30 yrs yet we will hug other people ?

[@NoCryinRyan]

Gru is fantastic; the transition from archetypical villain to loving father makes him such a great character.

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

I know right

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

I know right?

[@Terrik240]

The little clip of Agnes with the unicorn and doom music after Alan says "She wants mayhem" got an audible laugh from me, i loved it.

[@michaeljebbett160]

You played a clip from The Great Mouse Detective. You are now obligated to make an episode on Basil and/or Rattigan.

[@matityaloran9157]

Good idea

[@alpacasalazar2708]

YESSSSS

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

Yassss

[@Boundwithflame23]

So much this

[@maskedmallard537]

Yes yes yes!

[@blackwingred3473]

Damn. One Giant Unicorn always gets me. Steve Carell's voice crack just brings a tear to my eyes.

[@Perdix64]

It’s always so sweet when he does that, even giving them a small kiss on their head.

[@jju00]

Fun fact: In the Latin Spanish dub, Gru is voiced by the same actor as Mike Wazowsky. Snd they sound VERY alike

[@aliyahpulido953]

OMG NO WONDER they sounded the same to me growing up! I watched movies in multiple different languages so I remember vaguely thinking they sounded similar. One is all nose and has a dark palette, the other is all eye and is bright green; Both are round and supposedly "evil" despite being good, goofy guys.🤣 The reason I watched movies in various languages was because I grew up bilingual, Spanish and English, and then I learned French at school. My mom wanted me to get more immersion and practice with Spanish and French, so most of my movies were played in those languages.

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

That’s interesting

[@M4TCH3SM4L0N3]

I know that there are so many things in this movie that have been sold like crazy, but as a parent, I am so angry that I cannot find a 3 Little Kittens book ANYWHERE. It's such a great idea for a children's bedtime book.

[@DoofenSpyroDragon16]

Yeah!! Why haven’t they thought of THAT?? Good point!! Hey, any fans of despicable me reading this, can you please make a fan recreation of the three little kittens book and one big unicorn??

[@localvega688]

@@DoofenSpyroDragon16 We need this! I would read Three Little Kittens to my little ones 🐱🐱🐱

[@kathleenfullin6098]

I believe they actually sold the book as it looked in the movie at Target stores across the US a few years after the release (maybe around the release date of the sequel?). Unfortunately I have no idea if they're still being sold somewhere today or not 😅

[@ariesearthdragon]

It looks like the book is sold on Amazon, but it doesn't have the holes to slide the puppets through. Also, some reviews say it does not come with the brush, and the puppets feel stiff. ETA: It's called Sleepy Kittens.

[@localvega688]

@@ariesearthdragon I am glad this exists but it needs an improved version that is more comfortable and includes the brush

[@trinaq]

I love Gru's entire development. Even his mum seems to understand that he's not really cut out for the life of a supervillain. She knows him better than anyone, and belittles him in an attempt to get him to utilise his talents into something more constructive.

[@ashleycordova9183]

I love the voice actor for Grus mother but not necessarily the character herself. She continued to be critical after he stopped being a supervillain. She was a bit of a toxic mom in my opinion

[@moviemelody2210]

@@ashleycordova9183absolutely…but I LOVE Julie Andrews

[@AnonJuggerbot]

I wouldn't call that effective parenting.

[@zagqueenofchaos8352]

not really, heck if she had been supportive from the start it seems to suggest that gru might have become a astronaut or a engineer

[@AnonJuggerbot]

@@zagqueenofchaos8352 I mean lil bro built a functioning rocket at the age of what appears to be 10-ish. I know that's the joke, that he did something incredibly impressive and her reaction is ambivalence, but all the same.

[@divin3mind]

god margo hugging gru and saying i love you to him made me cry LOL man i forgot how good this movie was

[@wiidasander9626]

1:19 the editing on that clip of Alan's chemical imbalance is BRILLIANT!

[@brandonbuchner1771]

I quote so many lines from this series to my girls in my Gru voice it's ridiculous: "I AM pretty fun" "Gorls!!!" "I'm sorry...i didn't see you there.........or there." "Ok Mr. Sheeps BUTT" "That was weird." "OK TIME FOR CAKE"

[@DoofenSpyroDragon16]

I like the pancake scene. “Ooh, mine’s shaped like a dead guy” 😆 😂 never fails to make me laugh 🤣 and of course other iconic lines like “HES SO FLUFFY” and “Knocked overrr!!” Classic movie. 😁

[@carlacarpenter7341]

This movie is so highly quotable. ❤

[@The_Phantasm]

I'd really love to see you guys talk about the psychology of a hero for Daredevil from the series.

[@PascallionXIII]

I love Gru's character arc. I like how, in the movie, it felt like his entire life was shouting at him, "You'll never be good enough" and he overcomes it and even becomes a pretty good father in the end. Quick question: Would you ever consider doing a Video Game Therapy? I think it would be kinda neat to see some things like that.

[@SinHurr]

Incoming six hour Kratos episode because _boy is he a lot of unpack._ And also possibly the greatest character transformation in gaming history.

[@abigailaceves9230]

Recommendations (if possible) - Hero psychology of Gwen Stacy: Across the Spiderverse - Character psychology of Marie: Unbelievable (8 episode miniseries) - Psychology of an antihero of Joel: HBO The Last of Us (possible Troy Baker guest star) - Nimona - Dreamworks Abominable - Psychology of a Villain: Snow from Hunger Games (both prequel & original trilogy) - As They Made Us (w/ Mayim Bialik guest star) - Psychology of a Hero; Tulip from Infinity Train -Psychology of Magneto from X-Men 97 Season 1 - Psychology of an actors: Jim Parson, Daryl Hannah, Anthony Hopkins/Hawkins?

[@sonbulan1425]

Oh I would eat up a Nimona episode

[@Aghul]

HECK YES, NIMONA!

[@xger21]

I like how you don't say whether Magneto is a hero or villian

[@SinHurr]

As cool as Nimona was I can't ever see the name and not break into a Michael Jackson sound box routine. _Hee hee_

[@tallyp.7643]

What I always found funny after watching it the 2nd time is that it wasn't just Gru who was "despicable." EVERY ADULT in the film was actually despicable (scheming, falsely-nice, judgmental, hateful, etc.). The kids were just optimistic and generally pleasant to everyone, even when they didn't have to be.

[@Mrnotpib]

As weird as Illumination can be as a studio, Despicable Me (the first one) is a genuinely great movie. And, from what I hear, illumination itself is a great place to work? That’s weird in this industry. And it sucks to say that.

[@Ami-jc2oo]

I wonder where you heard that?

[@Living_In_Paradise]

Also, Illumination made fun of nft's and ai generated stuff

[@fatfetus5544]

​@@Living_In_Paradiseand now recently the MCU by making made up future movies to watch that connect together

[@lilyblossom9438]

Sounds like if they just put a little more effort into the writing in their movies (and potentially animation as well) they could have some of the highest public opinion of any animation studio today

[@crisptomato9495]

I imagine it would be great to work there as a board artist because they do boards before scripts which is super weird, but it must give the storyboarders tons of freedom.

[@goodgollymissmolly7624]

Fun fact, the minions were canonically trapped during a specific time in history because they naturally follow the most evil person in the world at the time. They were trapped around 1933-1945. Any idea why the writers chose to have them trapped during that particular time?

[@aliyahpulido953]

WWII? And they didn't want the Minions associated with one of the world's biggest tyrants and leaders of mass genocide we've ever known?

[@gavinshirley]

Who knows, but i feel like its a guy with a moustache idk why.

[@aliyahpulido953]

Maybe it's because they didn't want their lovable sweet chaotic Minions to be associated with the worst tyrant the world has ever known, who committed the worst crimes against humanity we have on record... IDK, just a hunch.

[@g.g.3794]

Specifically, the Minions went into hiding in a cave in the Artic after they screwed up working with Napoleon (Most likely in the invasion of Russia in 1812) and they didn't return to human civilization to find a new master until 1968. Obviously, it was a deliberate part on the writers to avoid the implications of the Minions working for a certain Austrian man if they serve the most evil being they can find.

[@Baldwin-iv445]

Honestly, it was a pretty clever decision despite all the strange ones in that movie.

[@KMXC17]

I had really bad anxiety about going to bed when I was little, and I would think about this movie when I got scared at night. It always made me feel better.

[@jocelynfisher3174]

Jono's imitation of Gru made my day!

[@CBMOA]

That is quite genius Most villains wanted to take over the world, destroy the world yet no one had an idea of stealing the moon because the truth is that we need the moon Sure it can cause waves yet we need it for a reason

[@33pandagamer]

You say that, but I know at least one villain who blew up a part of the moon just to make a point.

[@localvega688]

@@33pandagamer Koro Sensei? :

[@seeYaByTheMarina]

I remember a ttg ep where starfire did that​@@33pandagamer

[@lastchanc3stars]

​@@33pandagamer"But I'm not gonna go for the Earth, I'm gonna go higher, I'M PISSING ON THE MOON, YOU IDIOTS! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, OBAMA?!"

[@milo_thatch_incarnate]

To this day I adore Despicable Me, even though I don’t really like a single other movie that Illumination has made, sadly. It’s the only movie they’ve made where all the villainous characters, from the carnival game guy, to Gru, to his mom, to the orphanage lady, are _genuinely despicable._ And it’s so funny! The rest of them are just so tame. I so often don’t think to consider the attachment styles of film characters, but it’s so helpful for understanding how those behaviors look in real life! Great job guys.

[@lordhades8025]

23:02 Just realised that the macaroni spaceship is sitting on the shelf in the girls' room.

[@mattlombardi7358]

*gets notification* TONIGHT! WE FEAST!

[@dionettaeon]

This franchise could've been better if the corporations weren't so focused on selling the pill-shaped yellow gremlins to kids. Another point worth mentioning is that Gru didn't _want_ to give the girls up after he bonded with them. Dr. Nefario berated him after he suggested postponing the plan in order to see their dance recital, then _he_ called the orphanage behind his back. Also, suggestion for another Villain Therapy: Darla Dimple from Cats Don't Dance, or even just the usual Therapist Reacts to the movie. I'm sure you guys will get a kick out of her; she isn't called the anti-Shirley Temple for nothing.

[@TheUltimateMachineGod]

This is true. However another point of contention is peer pressure. Gru still willingly went along with it when the lady from the orphanage went to his doorstep. There is still a level of accountability.

[@Hetalia_iscool]

Agnes reminds me a lot of my young cousin. Just like Agnes, she's very small, adorable, and sweet. She's filled with so much personality and it just hits me in the heart when I saw those clips of her just being a sweetie.

[@Kate-mj2qs]

Idk if it was intentional, but I'm certain that Gru has Narcissistic Personality Disorder and that's why I love this film so damn much. He grows and he's still himself (at least in this film) and it all comes from a desperate need to be loved while also appearing completely infallible and invulnerable. The kids completely accepted him as he is, but still held him accountable whereas the minions just worshipped him. The mother just constantly dismissed him because he wasn't impressive enough, instilling this idea since childhood that in order to be accepted, he must be extraordinary and unique. And if he's not, he must be dismissed and disregarded, something he "deserves." I love this so fucking much. You have no idea. I love that he realizes in the end that he doesn't need to be the best villain ever or even the best whatever. He just needs to be Gru, flaws and all, and needs to do his best to be kind. This video and arc really parallels the LEGO Batman movie and the review y'all have done on it. I fucking- I can't. I have to sit down. This is amazing. An NPD coded character being and becoming good while still remaining true to themself.

[@moonbeamsun9066]

I love how Gru’s front yard and house transform throughout the films. The dead grass becoming green and filling up with children’s toys, even the pitch black house looks brighter and lively. It shows how much brightness and life the girls (and later, Lucy and his son) have brought joy and love into his life.

[@Rileyfourfiveseven]

6:58 i cant unsee the the Alan gru 😂

[@askmeagain43]

That Wilhelm scream at 5:27 is perfect

[@liamphibia]

I wish more of Illumination's films had the same heart and effective writing as their first film.

[@TheUltimateMachineGod]

I KNOW I'VE BEEN PISSED ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS! They went from making an artistic work that is remembered by so many people and then after that they made cheap slop.

[@liamphibia]

@@TheUltimateMachineGod Tell me about it.

[@monriatitans]

"accidentally destroyed maliciously"! LOL I've always wanted to adopt kids, and this movie only solidified the desire. Too bad the economy sucks...

[@catherine7818]

Jonathan excels in making accents. I was listening rather than watching and I genuinely couldn't tell if it was Grue speaking or Jono

[@ronja7790]

this video came online just in time for me to keep procrastinating! YAY!

[@CinemaTherapyShow]

Glad we could help 😆

[@DoofenSpyroDragon16]

I love and relate to this comment 😆

[@ChandlerKids-gt8zd]

@@DoofenSpyroDragon16 Yes

[@AishwiiRafiq]

The first movie I ever saw in theaters because of a primary school field trip. 7 year old me was stunned. And also began hating the minions XD

[@greekgeek8284]

Currently at roughly 3:30, the second of those two opening bits is especially important. He freezes the person who isn’t even in his way, just because he can…but he could have frozen the barista too after taking the food and drink, but what he did instead was leave a tip. Was it just a coin? Yeah. He didn’t pay anything at all though, it’s not like he’s cheating on the percentage. Leaving the barista completely unharmed immediately after freezing someone else just because he could is already a significant gesture in and of itself, leaving what appears to be a quarter, and at the very least definitely wasn’t as little as a penny or something like that, that also means something. He’s an asshole who will go out of his way to be a jerk to a literal child who was already sad, he’ll freeze someone who’s just off to the side reading, but everyone he hurts unprovoked in those two scenes was on their downtime, someone who wasn’t likely to be dependent on being there in order to make rent. To the person who was on the clock, under obligation, probably overworked and underpaid? He is perfectly polite and respectful. He has standards, he has a code of ethics, he has decency and compassion for others to at least some degree already, even if it’s buried

[@greekgeek8284]

At roughly 8:15 ish now, hard agree, if I were to do a story like this I would be aiming for consistent and balanced salty/sweet throughout rather than balanced at first and then increasingly saccharine

[@greekgeek8284]

Now at 11:20, this is why I specified “Unprovoked” in my first comment, I remembered this little shit and Gru let HIM off pretty easy too in my opinion. It’s one thing to clock in and do what you gotta do. It’s another to take pleasure in the predatory practices you’re participating in and be a condescending jerk to children acting in earnest and the parents who stand up for them. Almost all of my jobs so far have had a customer facing component to them, I know some of them are terrible and sometimes you REALLY want to condescend the shit out of someone who’s being aggressive, BUT GRU ACTUALLY WASN’T AGGRESSIVE UNTIL AFTER BULLSHIT OCCURRED

[@lyndseystrait1513]

One of my favorite Cinema Therapy videos yet! The editing was hilarious, there was lots of fantastic phycological insight, lots of great playful commentary, & great footage chosen from the original movie. Loved this!

[@CinemaTherapyShow]

So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!

[@acethememelorde4377]

The thing with the minions is that their presence was completely benign in the first movie. They became malignant in the second movie, then that cancer metastasized once they had their own movie (and their influence started spilling over into different movies made by Illumination, one good example are the fish in The Lorax)

[@doublelightangel]

This is my "good dad to little goils" go to therapy movie. I need good dad role models, even they are ex-villains, at least he loves them. Also , I love Agnes and unicorns so much xx I'm looking forward to this ❤❤😊 edit. I started crying where he says to Margo that he will catch her and never let her go😢

[@guitarfan01]

Good lord, every time Jono just looks straight down the barrel of the camera and says something sincerely encouraging hits me right in my heart. That's got to be so awkward to do on set and he really nails it each time. I don't know how Jono is as a personal therapist, but he's got the same gift of making you feel that he's talking directly to you through the screen that Fred Rogers had. I've been watching since the Aragorn video. Thanks, Jono.

[@932ForeverLove]

Sees Title of Video: oooooo! Sees Great Mouse Detective Clip about Alan: 🤣🤣🤣! My compliments and kudos to your editor(s).

[@kkinner2762]

Jono's impression is spot on! 😂 I cry every time Gru says, "I will never let you go again."

[@Mothman_In_a_T-Pose]

The editor on this episode went above and beyond. I haven't giggled this hard at the asides in a minute.

[@wokedog1799]

This movie series started off so strong, how did it go so wrong

[@dionettaeon]

Corporations not understanding what actually made it successful, and not properly understanding that kids aren't the only demographic in family entertainment.

[@Kreepie11]

@@dionettaeon Same reason as to why we're about to get a million 'based-off-a-toy-franchise' movies thanks to Barbie's success. They just don't get it. Which is sad, because exactly how much money are they paid to 'get it'?

[@arokh72]

I know a child who would literally say "let's go destroy another game", and she'd help me to do it. Though she is not my own (I don't have children), she's a friend’s child and I love her dearly :)

[@Walls2008]

I watched this movie SO many times because of maternity leave. The whole issue of size, (Vector and his shrink ray, Gru shrinks the moon), the idea of great things becoming small, and also, the performative masculinity Gru performs for his mad scientist, the movie was stuffed with things to think about.

[@Sammy-34079]

Gru from Despicable Me is a joke. He's a wannabe evil mastermind with a bunch of annoying little yellow sidekicks. Judy Hopps, on the other hand, is a badass bunny cop from Zootopia. She's confident, smart, and knows how to kick some butt. No contest. Judy Hopps > Gru.

[@jadee.c4636]

The minion nation clip was hilarious 😂😂 truly a masterpiece

[@Moraenil]

I was singing along! Great Beach Boys song!

[@colleenmueller7556]

I've seen that Mark Rober video on Carnival game scams. It's absolutely brilliant!

[@Paola_LILAC]

"IT'S SO FLUFFY!!!" One of my favourite lines even my inner Agnes surfaces when I find something extremely aggressively cute or that I love and I love every Despicable Me AND Minions movie, another favourite scene is where the minion that says "Bee Woo Bee Woo" the first time I watched it, it nearly killed me of laughter 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣I am a minions fan but they are freaks so don't worry I won't come after you at least not me😂😂😂😂Cheers for another great and favourite episode😊😊😊😊👏👏👏

[@TyrantOfNerds]

My brother and I quote this movie all the time. It was our all time favorite growing up. It's such a beautiful story

[@bellar2230]

everyone wake up! cinema therapy posted ❤️ i love this channel so much. Jonathan your insight on the characters personalities and experience has been so healing and i hope once i finish college i will good of a therapist/psychologist as you. Alan, i love your love for film and filmmaking and it has taught me so much about cinema. Thank you so much guys!

[@CinemaTherapyShow]

Thank you! ❤️ And good luck on your college/therapist/psychologist journey!

[@bellar2230]

hate that i realized i made a spelling error hours after i posted 😖

[@donw183]

Did anybody else notice that the foster/adoption system was forcing Margo to undergo adultification because once she aged out she knew she'd have to immediately start taking care of herself, and that once she proved she could she would then be asked to take on the care of her now-teenaged sisters? And it was only through her own machinations were they able to both find an adoptive family AND make it into a home? Or is this just me...

[@MonkeyJedi99]

The bit about movie reviewer hating anything that was made "for the masses" reminds of an arts & entertainment reporter we had at one of the Boston MA news channels (WBZ), Joyce Kulhawik. The only things that seemed to get her approval were physical art and esoteric performance pieces. We used to joke that if Joyce hated a movie, we HAD to go see it, because it would be fun.

[@fleurkeizer5075]

Guys, I think you would really like "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron". Not only is the animation insane, the storyline, soundtrack, use of colours and characters as well as political value are on point too! It tells such a strong story, with so many lessons with the use of so many artistic outlets and a unique way of storytelling (instead of letting the main character talk we explore his thoughts through narration and soundtracks), which allows for more facial expressions and physical interactions. On top of "oeh horseys" it's a political story about responsibility, war, collonisation, trust and willpower. Jonathan; you would definitely love the portrayal of characters and their dynamics and choices. Alan; you, for sure, would go crazy on the way they play around with the potential the environment provides and how they can set the mood with both visuals and soundtrack!

[@Ben-Jamin11]

The editors did such a good job 😂

[@EE-Shepherd]

My dad laughed so hard at the “eh” when he watched the movie for the first time, This makes me want to rewatch the first movie again, I watched #4 and there is so much heart missing there that #1 had although

[@shidderalpha2293]

12:25 the doom fan that edits your videos just made me blow my water out of my nose.