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 2 directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud stay true to the clever, slapstick vibe." James Berardinelli of "ReelViews" gave the film three out of four stars, saying ""Despicable Me 2" feels like an opportunity to get together with some old friends, hang out, and discover what they've been up to." Tom Russo of "The Boston Globe" gave the film a positive review, saying "The scope of the 'toon espionage-adventure goings-on is surprisingly limited. But the filmmakers so clearly love working on these characters, their creative joy is infectious." Stephanie Merry of "The Washington Post" gave the film three out of four