Four out of five stars
Despicable Me is your typical cute, heartwarming family film.
Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), an evildoer, attempts to use three orphan girls (Margo, Edith and Agnes, voiced respectively by Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Elsie Fisher) to steal an important device from a younger rival villain by the name of Vector (Jason Segel) in an attempt to steal the moon.
In the process, Gru’s priorities are inevitably changed by his interaction with the girls.
Gru is not the type of villain who will send toddlers to bed with nightmares for the remainder of the month; rather, he manages to be laughable while remaining clearly evil. This is accented through Carell’s feigned Hungarian accent and precise delivery. The movie is generally very funny and entertaining, and the Minions especially are sure to delight, though one is never certain as to what, exactly, the small yellow beings in overalls are, or how something so cute could ever be evil? It is suggested that they may be some distant relatives of the common glow stick.
The plot is easy to follow and will hold attention as several small twists unfold, but unpredictable is the last word that could describe the storyline. The viewer is never truly taken by surprise, and the ending is decidedly happy as the story comes full circle.
Gru’s change of heart reminds one of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and will grow your heart by at least two sizes. The script works well, and does not rely solely on dialogue to advance the plot. The pacing of events is just right.
While not genius, Despicable Me is worth seeing and will leave you with a smile on your face.