Oh, yeah! Far out!Minions · 2015 — Chapter 5 of 14 · 6'40" · B1
The Nelsons Give the Minions a Ride, Explained: stretch one's legs
A family of villain wannabes picks the Minions up on the road to Orlando and treats them like stray pets, feeding them apple slices and letting them stretch their legs. The kindness comes with a chase: the Nelsons are being followed, so the drive turns into a running battle, with the mother still cooing encouragement to her daughter.
What happens
On the way to Orlando, the Minions are picked up by the Nelsons, a family who drive a bus and seem delighted to find three strange creatures on the road. They hand out apple slices, announce the Nelson Express, and let the passengers stretch their legs. Then a chase begins, and the family handles it like a joyride.
Listen for
What do you say westretch one's legsstart out aswe got company
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Phrase of the scene
stretch one's legs
to stand up and walk around after sitting
长途开车途中，沃尔特问孩子们谁想下车活动活动，顺便找机会加油。
We stopped at a gas station to stretch our legs.
Also in this scene
- What do you say we
a soft way to propose doing something together
- start out as
to begin as something before changing
- we got company
有人来了（多指追兵或不速之客）
Everything marked in this scene
26 notes across 80 lines
These adorable little freaks are headed to Orlando, too!elision
These adorable little freaks are headed to Orlando, too!What's happenin'?a soft way to propose doing something together
What do you say we give these fellows a ride?What do you say we give these fellows a ride?suggestion pattern
What do you say we give these fellows a ride?All aboard the Nelson Express!liaison
All aboard the Nelson Express!Glad we came along before some weirdos picked you up!to stand up and walk around after sitting
All righty! Who needs to stretch their legs?Sweet! You guys wait here, we'll be right back.It's because I tripped the alarm. I stink!It's because I tripped the alarm. I stink!Hey, we all make mistakes, sugarplum. You're still learning.He wasn't this good at being evil overnight!Reload! Your time's coming.It's jammed!Say, fellas, can we get personal for just a second?flap
Say, fellas, can we get personal for just a second?Come on. You can tell us. You're going to Villain-Con, aren't you?What a small world! Hope we're not in rival gangs.The coolest super-villain, like, ever!to begin as something before changing
She started out as your average little girl, braces, pigtails.If I was a Minion, that's who I'd want to work for!hypothetical conditional
If I was a Minion, that's who I'd want to work for!The Nelsons Give the Minions a Ride, explained
What's really going on
The scene keeps the film's running joke about villainy as a family hobby. The Nelsons are not threatening at all; they are cheerful tourists who happen to identify as villains, and they welcome the Minions with snacks and small talk. The comedy comes from the clash between what they say and what is happening: "What a small world! Hope we're not in rival gangs" lands while the car is being chased. Even the reassurance to Tina — "Hey, we all make mistakes, sugarplum. You're still learning" — treats being bad as a skill to practise. The Minions meanwhile have no idea what any of it means and simply enjoy the ride, which keeps the tone light even during the pursuit.
Theme
Dark humorA cheerful family outing doubles as a car chase, and the parents treat being evil as ordinary parenting.
Family loveThe Nelsons cheer their daughter through a mistake, showing affection and villainy in the same breath.
What you'll learn
- Use came along before some weirdos picked in a comparable exchange.
- Listen for the attitude around came along before some weirdos picked.
- Notice how the reply changes the scene.
Listen for
- headed to — elision
- All aboard — liaison
- get personal — flap
Love is the way, brother!A hippie-style slogan shouted with enthusiasm, setting up the film's 1968 setting before the plot moves on.
Hey, we all make mistakes, sugarplum. You're still learning.A parent reassuring her daughter after a mistake, treating villainy as something you simply practise until you improve.
What a small world! Hope we're not in rival gangs.A friendly line about meeting fellow villains by chance, delivered during a car chase as if it were a social occasion.
Oh, Kevin, you don't wanna work for him! He ate his last henchmen!A warning about one of the villains in the magazine, which doubles as casual dinner-table conversation for the family.
Questions about this scene
Who are the Nelsons?
A married couple of aspiring villains, driving with their son and daughter on their way to Orlando. They pick up the Minions out of friendliness and treat the whole trip like a family holiday.
Why is the family being chased?
Because one of them triggered an alarm, and their past crimes are catching up with them. The pursuit turns an ordinary road trip into an action scene, which the Nelsons seem to treat as routine.
What does "we got company" mean here?
It is a warning that someone is following them. In action films the phrase usually means unwanted visitors or pursuers, and here it announces the chase closing in.
What do the Nelsons think of the Minions?
They find them adorable and harmless, calling them little freaks and giving them snacks. The family never realises the Minions have no idea what is going on, which keeps the scene playful.
Minions · 14 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 6let's not kid ourselvesScarlet's Henchmen Tryout
Chapter 1therein lies the rubMinions Can't Keep a Boss
Chapter 2Truth be toldKevin Volunteers to Find a New Master
Chapter 3marked downMinions Wreck a Department Store
Chapter 4a new bad man in townScarlet Overkill's Villain-Con Ad
Watching · Chapter 5stretch one's legsThe Nelsons Give the Minions a Ride
Chapter 6let's not kid ourselvesScarlet's Henchmen Tryout
Chapter 7get down to businessScarlet Assigns the Crown Heist
Chapter 8Bob's your uncleBob Pulls the Sword from the Stone
Chapter 9above and beyond the call of dutyScarlet Confronts the Minions
Chapter 10take this the wrong wayScarlet Breaks Up with the Minions
Chapter 11I proclaim theeScarlet's Coronation Turns into a Chase
Chapter 12how's that working out for youScarlet Gives Kevin Until Dawn
Chapter 13so help meScarlet Taunts Kevin, Then Flees
Chapter 14from here on outThe Queen Knights KevinChapter 5 of 14 · about 48 min to go