Despicable Me funnies and nothing to suggest a sequel, which is probably wise." Tasha Robinson of "The A.V. Club" gave the film a B, saying, "Until the "creep + orphans = happy family" formula starts demanding abrupt, unconvincing character mutations, "Despicable Me" is a giddy joy." Marjorie Baumgarten of "The Austin Chronicle" gave the film three out of five stars, saying, "Everyone knows that the villains are usually the most interesting characters in any movie. So the makers of "Despicable Me" were wise to cut to the chase and make the megalomaniacal Gru the central character in this animated film." Released on
Despicable Me film written and performed by Pharrell Williams, and performances by Destinee & Paris, The Sylvers, Robin Thicke and the Bee Gees. NBC (which is owned by Universal) had an extensive marketing campaign leading up to the film's release. Sneak peeks were shown in episodes of "The Biggest Loser". "Despicable Me" was also featured on "Last Comic Standing" when Gru comes in to audition. IHOP restaurants promoted the film by introducing three new menu items, a kids' breakfast meal, and a drink all having the word "minion" in them. Best Buy released a free smartphone application called "Best Buy Movie Mode",