Despicable Me Review
By Beth McCabe
Blooper Villain
Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell) is a super-villain... well, maybe that's overstating it. More to the point, he's a mediocre-villain. And these days he just can't catch a break. Curmudgeonly and dour, he brings new meaning to the word antisocial, with his wicked antics and smug disdain of other people. He's got help, too, between the aging Dr. Nefario (voiced by Russell Brand) and his scores of little yellow minions. "Despicable Me", an animated film centered on Gru, opens with the discovery that the great pyramid of Giza has been stolen right from under the world's nose and replaced with an inflatable facsimilie. But don't get too excited, our anti-hero had nothing to do with it. No, the culprit is Vector (voiced by Jason Segel), Gru's younger, more capable nemesis. To compete, Gru hatches a plan to steal the moon - all he needs is Vector's shrink ray. When three little orphan girls come along selling cookies, opportunity knocks. Gru adopts them with the intent to use them, but they end up changing him.
The voice talent is fantastic. Will Arnett (as a banker at "The Bank of Evil (Formerly Lehman Brothers)"), Kristin Wiig (Ms Hattie, who runs the orphanage) and none other than Julie Andrews (Gru's mom) round out the cast. Steve Carrell has some one-liners that will please both children and parents alike, but Russell Brand's performance is surprisingly understated - without knowing it's him, you wouldn't even know it's him. The actors have fun with a script that, while it does have great moments, is not really that memorable. The story - by Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul - is a bit dark, but compared to Universal's last animated feature, "
9", it may as well be all sunshine and rainbows.
The orphans? Adorable, though it would be more remarkable if they hadn't been. Cute kids in animated films are not hard to come by and these kids, while a little off-beat, are no exception. The smallest, Agnes, is the real standout, with her love for unicorns and unbridled enthusiasm. But it's Gru's minions (to me they looked like yellow Dots) that really steal the show, here. Playful, chattery, full of mischief and delighting in evil, they bumble their way through Gru's plots every bit as clumsily as he does, and their own adventures are every bit as entertaining as the main story. Look for a spin-off kids' show - it's bound to follow.
3D has had its resurgence lately, and while it seems to be in fashion to keep things understated, this film enjoys playing with it. Kids will be batting things away; adults will find it nostalgic. There's a rollercoaster ride that's particularly well done: your stomach won't drop, but you'll certainly get a thrill out of it, and the closing credits have the minions climbing out into the audience. It's gimmicky, sure, but isn't that what 3D is all about?
All in all, "Despicable Me" is good old-fashioned cartoony silliness, with enough substance to keep kids of all ages entertained. It doesn't quite have the depth or finesse of a Pixar film, but when it comes to fun, it's a sure winner.
