MOVIE OF THE WEEK (7/9/10): DESPICABLE ME
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Dana Gaier, Elsie Fisher, Miranda Cosgrove, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Jack McBrayer and Julie Andrews
WRITERS: Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio; based on a story by Sergio Pablos
DIRECTOR: Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin
WEB SITE: http://www.despicable.me/
THE PLOT: A film that beats the upcoming Will Ferrell-helmed Megamind into theathers in the "let's focus on the animated supervillian" genre, Despicable Me stars Steve Carell as the voice of Gru. A supervillian by trade, Gru, his mad scientist assistant Dr. Nefario (a very well camoflauged Russell Brand) and his army of little yellow one and two-eyed minions (all voiced by Pierre Coffin except for two voiced by co-director Chris Renaud and Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords fame) have a plan that they are sure will push them to the top of the underworld: Stealing the moon.
There's just two little problems standing in their way: [1] Mr. Perkins (voiced by Will Arnett), the head of The Bank of Evil (formerly Lehman Brothers) that funds all his projects won't give him a loan and [2] is deciding to back Gru's new, younger rival criminal Vector (voiced by Jason Segel).
Seemingly down and out trying to find a way to inflitrate Vector's compound, Gru gets an idea when he sees Agnes (Elsie Fisher), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Margo (Miranda Cosgrove) - three little orphan girls from whom his rival is buying cookies. Adopting the girls from Ms. Hattie (voiced by Kristen Wiig), Gru devises a scheme to use the girls as a distraction to get the coveted shrink ray he needs from Vector to complete his plan. If Gru is lucky, he might just finally impress his mother (voiced by Julie Andrews), too.
But what happens when Gru finds out that being a parent - evil or otherwise - isn't what he expected? You'll have to see the movie to find out!
THE TAKE: If nothing else, I can say this about Despicable Me: I want a minion in real life so bad after seeing this movie - and given how entertaining, dare I say "cute" the film is as a whole, I suspect I will not be alone in that sentiment. To use another analogy, if Toy Story 3 is the Mercedes of this summer's animated offerings thus far as it offers a complete fit, finish and overall experience, Despicable Me is a Mini Cooper - compact, quirky and fun to drive around even if it doesn't have the overall horsepower or quality of its larger, more established rival.
Other than the minions (which are really the best thing about the movie by far), the other thing that makes Despicable Me not desipcable to watch is its overall light-hearted nature. From whimisical little jokes to good-natured characters and a fine voice performance as a whole by the cast, the film - while not mindless entertainment - is effective in accomplishing on what it sets out to deliver: Engaging, entertaining entertainment that is not so juvenile or sappy that adults can't enjoy it and not so complex that children can't, either. The story takes enough twists and turns to keep it from being totally predictable and the performances help breathe life into each character, giving them their own needed nuances effectively.
Viewers will also be pleasantly surprised to discover that Despicable Me, unlike a lot of films trying to make extra $$$ by capitalizing on the current trend, actually benefits from the use of RealD 3D. Co-directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin do a good job of mixing in the 3D so it actually adds to the experience rather than trying to be the experience of the film itself. (The credits also play with the notion of 3D that is as entertaining as the film and definitely worth sticking around for.)
I hate to stress/abuse the word "cute," but it really does sum up the film quite well - and since when has being cute been a bad thing? It's certainly not despicable ... But Despicable Me truly is.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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