Coming out a few months before the similarly-themed Megamind (where a supervillain discovers he just may be harboring a heart of gold), Despicable Me follows Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), who looks like a cross between Uncle Fester and Dr. Evil (or his predecessor, Bond baddie Ernst Stavro Blofeld). He lives in a nice house in a nice neighborhood, a perfect cover for his vast underground lair where his minions -- who resemble a hybrid of Twinkies and those cute little aliens from Toy Story -- and his mad scientist colleague, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), build his gizmos and weaponry.
Having fallen on hard times, Gru sets out to pull off his biggest heist yet: stealing the moon! But he's competing with a younger upstart, the nerdy Vector (Jason Segel), and finds his cold heart slowly but surely melting when three adorable orphans -- Margo, Edith and Agnes -- enter his life. Suddenly finding himself responsible for something other than his own wicked schemes, Gru may just go from bad to dad.
Despicable Me Movie Trailer - Trailer 2
Despicable Me is perfectly rote animated family entertainment, a familiar but fun little movie that owes more than a passing similarity to How The Grinch Stole Christmas, where a dastardly character out to steal something big has a change of heart after encountering an adorable little moppet (or, in this case, three of them). It's a formulaic tale whose outcome is evident from the get-go, but it should nevertheless win over its intended audience.
It's not an especially inspired film, and everything in it is calculated for maximum emotional manipulation -- and it works because, damn, if those precious little tykes and Gru's minions aren't cute and funny. But Gru and Vector feel like low-rent knock-offs of The Grinch and Syndrome from The Incredibles, respectively. Carell is simply miscast as Gru; you never believe him as a supervillain so his change of heart lacks impact. Danny DeVito or Carell's Office co-star Rainn Wilson might have worked better in the role.
Despite its paint-by-numbers nature, Despicable Me offers enough modest laughs and sweet moments to warrant a recommendation. But it's ultimately a placeholder film coming out in-between bigger and better animated fare. Also, the 3D in the film isn't particularly impressive so if you can catch it in 2D and save a few bucks go for that option.
3 out of 5 Stars, 6/10 Score