Movie Reviews: Knight and Day & Despicable Me

Movie reviews for the young and old!

Knight and Day

I really did not want to see this movie. I am not a big fan of either Tom Cruise or Cameron Diaz, but the ads really did seem promising. The movie's premise is fairly simple; Tom's character, Roy, is a spy that apparently has gone rogue. His current escapade unwittingly involves June and as she is now in danger, Roy selflessly steps in to protect her, while trying to clear his name.

Cruise and Diaz have undeniable on-screen chemistry, both comedic and romantic, and surprisingly Tom Cruise is very funny. We really enjoyed this movie, although light and a bit farfetched, it was a true popcorn flick. Due to language and other adult content, I would recommend this film for adults only.

Despicable Me

Knowing the star voice of this film is Steve Carrell, I did not believe this was a movie we would be seeing, but after reading both Commonsense Media and Plugged In Online's reviews of the movie, I was hopeful it might be a flick we could see as a family. I was not disappointed. We all loved this movie. It was sweet and engaging and had a lovely message to convey of unconditional love and redemption, even for the most evil and hardened of villains.

Gru is a super villain with an evil plan to shrink and steal the moon. It will be the crime of the century. To assist him in his despicable plan he has a lab full of evil minions, who really are not quite evil, but bumbling and comical and cute. As his plan moves forward he adopts three adorable little orphan girls who unknowingly help him. Little did Gru expect for these helpless little girls to wheedle into his heart.

If you see only one movie this summer, this is the one to see. Every one of our children enjoyed it, there was little if anything problematic in the film (fleeting instances of potty type humor), and the message was sweetly and effectively conveyed. I recommend this film for all ages.