Despicable Me – The Review

Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig.
Rated PG for Suggestive Themes

Story: Dr. Gru, a nefarious villain, has hit hard times trying to fund his latest evil plot of trying to steal the moon.  He’s between a rock and a hard place until three little orphan girls come into his neighborhood; and it doesn’t help that he has an archrival also attempting the same devious plot. 

Acting/Dialogue: Don’t expect anything deep or super silly from Carrell when he’s playing Gru, he deadpans it most of the time.  Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t put him off to the side when the supporting characters are brought in, but it doesn’t make him a little more plain than the usual silliness we’re all used to from his improvisational skills and time on the Daily Show and The Office.  Don’t expect that and you’re good.  I didn’t expect Russell Brand to be the voice of Gru’s assistant, Dr. Nefario, which was kind-of welcome into this cast of crazies.

Most of the humor comes from the subtle dialogue and other forms of hilarity on screen, more than just what you’ve seen in the previews and commercials.

Visuals/CGI: It is a very cartoony look and feel, breaking away from anything Disney Pixar has put out in the field.  It doesn’t feel second best, however, when you see it for the first time. 

Surprisingly enough, the minions, little yellow big-eyed and mouthy two-foot-tall things that help the doctor from time-to-time, DIDN’T steal the show… in fact, it was the girls that did it.  The contrast in size between this big bad guy (Gru) and the tiny size of the little girls (Margo, Edith and Agnes) made for a surprisingly brilliant bit of chemistry and mischief.  If you don’t instantly fall for the girls, it’s understandable.  The minions, however, you can’t help but love and laugh at all the time. 

Audio/Soundtrack: I was surprised when I learned that Pharell Williams [N.E.R.D., The Neptunes] did the original score and soundtrack for the film; but only because this was just something that would seem better suited for someone like Danny Elfman or something goofy.  The thing is, it worked so well!  The opening track “Despicable Me” is quite fitting to Gru’s mantra; “The Unicorn Song” and “The Prettiest Girls” are two standouts in my opinion.  Each track sounds like a hip hop lullaby or a walk through central park.  

Toy Story 3? You know, I could see this becoming a show; but I highly doubt it.

So anyways, people ask if it’s better than Toy Story 3.  Where Toy Story 3 shoots for nostalgia, filling and finishing, reaching out to our inner child while entertaining the new generation; Despicable Me is just shooting for the children while throwing nods to other popular flicks.  You aren’t seeing something try to out-do a giant blockbuster like that; you’re getting something different and fresh, even though it’s something straight out of Dexter’s Laboratory.

Overall: It is a charming flick that doesn’t try to take too many risks, sticks to a formula but goes about the execution in a very peculiar fashion.  If anything, it’s a short feature film that has a few pleasant surprises, mentions of pop culture and its own little gags that all work for it.  Spot Mandark for me, will ya? 

RATING

8.9/10