 Sara Stewart of the New York Post gave the film three out of four stars , saying " Sure , it 's not as novel as the first time we were here , but 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 stars , saying " The animation is beguiling , particularly when Lucy drives her car into the ocean , transforming it into a submarine that <unk> around sharks and fish . " Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a positive review , saying " While not quite as charming or unique as the original , Despicable Me 2 comes awfully close , extending co @-@ directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin 's delightfully silly sensibility to a bit larger universe . " Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film three out of four stars , saying " It 's a credit that the writing can be so funny in the moment , that it takes time to realize there 's no cohesive story , zero dramatic tension and nary a practical lesson for either the characters in the film or the people watching in the theater . " 
