Susan Granger’s review of “Despicable Me” (Universal Pictures)
“Each film is only as good as its villain. Since the heroes and the gimmicks tend to repeat from film to film, only a great villain can transform a good try into a triumph.”
Roger Ebert
Entering the annals of dastardly animated supervillains is Gru (Steve Carrell), who’s infuriated when a rival scoundrel swipes Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza. As the banker (Will Arnett) who finances nefarious activities observes, Gru’s sinister plots often “don’t turn a profit.” But now Gru has a spectacular scheme: he’s going to steal the Moon!
While Gru’s acerbic mom (Julie Andrews) has doubts, all he needs is a shrink-ray gun. Yet as soon as he pilfers it, his nerdy nemesis, Vector (Jason Segel) takes it away. Then bald, penguinesque Gru, who dwells incognito in an odd suburban house with a dried-out lawn, decides that the key to criminal success lies in adopting three adorable orphan girls.
Bespectacled Margo (Miranda Cosgrove) is the most strong-willed of the trio, although Agnes (Elsie Fisher) and Edith (Dana Gaier) are equally adamant that their new “dad” take them on a rollercoaster, transport them to ballet class and read them bedtime stories, gradually melting his cold, evil heart.
Along with his multitude of minions (yellow miniature robots), Gru has an assistant, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), who’s like James Bond’s Q, inventing marvelous gadgets. But he has a hearing problem, so when Gru requests a dart gun, wacky Dr. Nefario supplies a weapon that makes farts. (Cue juvenile laughter.)
Visually engaging, this is the first CGI 3-D feature from Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Entertainment. Made by French special effects house Mac Guff Ligne, working from a script by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio from a story by Sergio Pablos, it’s directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin. And Steve Carrell describes Gru’s Russian-sounding accent as a cross between Bela Lugosi and Ricardo Montalban.
Filled with Pixar-like warmth and humor, on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Despicable Me” is an awesome 8, and be sure to stay for the amusing end credits.
