Despicable Me (P. Coffin and C. Renaud, 2010): USA
Reviewed by Kathleen Amboy. Viewed at the Metro 4, Santa Barbara, CA.
In an otherwise normal neighborhood, lives the cantankerous supervillain Gru (Steve Carell), who’s been upstaged by his punk nemesis Vector (Jason Segel), who recently heisted the Great Pyramid. Gru sets his sights much higher and shoots for the Moon in Universal Pictures’ Despicable Me.
Seeking a loan from the Bank of Evil to bankroll his Moon heist, Gru is told he must first secure a shrink ray machine. He succeeds in stealing one, only to have it stolen by Vector, who lives in a modern but luxurious fortress nearby.
When Gru spots three orphan girls selling cookies door to door he hatches a plan to adopt the girls and use them as bait to get inside (the cookie-loving) Vector’s lair and steal the shrink ray back.
Gru’s constant companions are his nerdy scientist Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), his disapproving mom (performed deliciously by Julie Andrews), and a host of little yellow minions who do his bidding. When the orphans (Margo, Edith and Agnes) move in with Gru, they take over his home and begin to work wonders on his heart.
The girls beg Gru to take them to a local amusement park where he is forced to ride the roller coaster and later defend their honor at a target practice game. At night they plead with Gru to read them a hopelessly boring bedtime story until he agrees, and ultimately Gru warms up and begins to enjoy being a daddy.
Although slow in the beginning, with too much time spent building the story with the bank loan and at the orphanage, the film does eventually pick up and entertain. It is surprisingly funny with the usual juevenile gags, such as when the minions are spotted making xerox copies of their behinds, but it’s heartwarming as well. Gru’s character is constantly trying to impress his equally cantankerous mom, who looks the other way with each of his endeavors, until finally she informs Gru that she’s proud of him at the least expected moment. Overall a good kid flick with a catchy soundtrack by Pharrell Williams.
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