Movie Review: Despicable Me

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Funny; heart warming; all around fun

Cons: Predictable

The Bottom Line: 

Despicable?  Nope!

Instead it's a funny film

That leaves you smiling

"Assemble the Minions!"

I was not impressed with the previews for Despicable Me.  I found them downright annoying, so I made a point of not seeing the movie this summer.  But all I heard about it was how funny people found it.  When a friend offered to show me his Blu-Ray copy, I decided it was time to see this movie for myself.  I now have a major regret - I didn't see this movie sooner.

Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) has made a living as a villain.  But now there's a new villain on the scene who has stolen the Great Pyramid and replaced it with an inflatable version.  The idea that Gru might be surpassed in villainy doesn't sit well with him, so he sets off to put his master plan into action - he's going to steal the moon.

But in order to steal the moon he needs a shrink ray, a rocket, and funding.  That's where three orphan girls come into play.  How do Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher) factor in?  I'll leave that for you to discover.

The preview I saw most of the time involved the discovery that the Great Pyramid was stolen.  That's the opening credits scene in the movie, so pretty much the rest of the film was a surprise.  Now that isn't to say that the movie covers new ground.  I had the basics of the plot figured out early and it was just seeing how specific things would play out.

I didn't care in the least that it was predictable, however.  This movie is a riot.  It's got dark comedy, cutesy comedy, and slapstick comedy.  It takes super villainy and spoofs parts of it quite nicely.  Gru has a selection of minions working for him, and those little yellow guys are a riot all by themselves.  And a lot of the laughs came from completely surprising things.

While the outcome wasn't surprising in the least, what did surprise me is just how much it touched me.  No, I didn't find myself crying, but I was smiling and perfectly content.

The computer animation is stylize and looks nice.  The result doesn't provide any breathtaking shots but it works for this movie and provides a few gags of its own.

The voice cast features the likes of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, and Kristen Wiig.  I often get worried when that many names I recognize are in the cast of an animated film because I am afraid the celebrity factor will keep me from enjoying it.  That didn't happen here.  In fact, outside of Steve Carell and Julie Andrews, I didn't recognize any voices, and those two had a fun accent that felt natural for this movie.

The only thing despicable about Despicable Me would be not seeing it.  This is a great movie that I can't wait to add to my collection.