Despicable Me

Despicable Me


Directed By: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud
Reviewed by: Felicity T., 16
Rating: It was alright...


The much-celebrated and (I think) significantly over-advertised animated film, Despicable Me, has finally arrived! This film is the story of supervillain Gru, voiced with Russian flare by Steve Carell. One day, Gru wakes up to find himself outdone by the evil pyramid-thief Vector. As Gru seeks to out-burgle Vector, he concocts a plan to shrink and steal the moon, a crime that will leave the world speechless! Moving forward with his plan to vanquish Vector has its prices, though. Gru desperately needs funding for his plan from the, er, skeptical Bank of Evil, and after he adopts three girls who can get him access into Vector's fortress as innocent cookie-sellers, Gru finds himself falling into the role of a delighted father. The ultimate conflict comes when Gru is forced to choose between stealing the moon and going to his three daughters' dance recital.

I'm going to be honest. Despicable Me was a little bit disappointing. After some truly awesome trailers and advertising, I was looking forward to something of PIXAR/Madagascar magnitude. It turns out that Despicable Me is not so much about Gru's rivalry with Vector as it is about his becoming a father. I can't really explain it, but Don't get me wrong--the movie was really cute, and it had a great premise, and some hilarious lines. But I found myself longing for something more when the credits started rolling. I've thought about it quite a bit since the first time I saw it (once at a drive-in and once at the Sierra Vista theater), and I'm not positive, but what I think Despicable Me is missing lies in the story. And it's a matter of extents. I think that maybe the makers of this film tried to stretch the characters in too many directions. It seems to me that there isn't enough duality (or maybe too much) in Gru's character. At times he isn't bad enough to be evil, but not good enough to be good, so he ends up having moments where he's just the world's biggest loser instead of a supervillain/father. I also felt that he was too compliant to his bad-guy (I thought he was a bad guy, at any rate) sidekick/resident mad scientist, Dr. Nefario, especially when the time came for him to choose between the girls and the moon. What frustrated me the most in Gru's relationship with Dr. Nefario is that they never end up truly consolidated to their sides, so to speak. One moment, Dr. Nefario is a bad guy, and Gru goes along with his compromising plans, and the next, Nefario is a good guy coming to Gru's rescue! For a children's movie, I found that element very irritating, and it left me unsatisfied. In some ways, the redeemed-by-becoming-an-adoptive-father act that ultimately makes Gru a good guy slips away, truly making Gru a despicable character in a way that isn't cute. But maybe I'm overanalyzing. I'll move on.

On a lighter note, Despicable Me is hilarious because of the little yellow minions that work for Gru. These guys are a total source of laughs, and my dad predicts that one day, there may be a minion-themed TV show to entertain the world!

To conclude this grossly overthought review, I'd have to say that out of ten points, I would give Despicable Me seven. It's one of those movies you should rent at home to save yourself some money, but still get a few laughs. I actually really liked Despicable Me, but every time I start to think about why it made me feel a little unfulfilled, I go a little crazier. Please, watch it, with my blessing. Also, there's no objectionable content that I can recall.


Recommended to: Children 12-, Really Goofy People...