Despicable Me is the kind of kiddie flick that has enough fart jokes to keep the small fries giggling, and just enough heart to keep their parents smiling. And to the credit of the filmmakers, they maintain that equilibrium fairly well. The early scenes, focusing on ambitious master criminal Gru's bumbling efforts to outsmart a rising star in the super-villain community, are inventive and funny; the later scenes, in which our diabolical antihero discovers his inner softie, are convincingly affectionate and endearing. Add to that some playful action set pieces and hilarious voice performances, and the result is an animated treat with a little something for everyone.
A mysterious criminal mastermind has stolen one of the pyramids in Egypt, sparking a fit of jealous envy in evil genius Gru (Steve Carell), who hasn't managed to make headlines since he and his minions swiped the Times Square JumboTron years back. Ever since he was a little boy, Gru dreamed of going to the moon. Now, if he can just build a rocket and get his hands on a powerful shrink-ray, he can cement his reputation as the greatest thief who ever lived by stealing the Earth's satellite right out of the sky. But immediately after Gru heists the shrink-ray, the cunning super-nerd Vector (Jason Segel) swoops in and snatches it right out of his hands. Now, in order to claim the moon, Gru must first reacquire the weapon from Vector. Armed with the knowledge that his nemesis has a mean sweet tooth, Gru adopts cookie-selling orphans Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Agnes (Elsie Fisher), and Edith (Dana Gaier) and commissions a new line of cookie robots from the evil Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), his personal weapons specialist. But as Gru and his diminutive yellow minions prepare to swipe the moon from the sky, something strange happens. Gru discovers that the three little girls who have come into his life are much more than simple pawns. They actually seem to care about Gru, and it turns out the scheming evildoer makes a pretty good father. When Gru realizes that his upcoming moon mission clashes with a ballet performance by the girls, he must decide what's more important -- being a present parent or cementing his nefarious reputation once and for all.
The only thing moviegoers love more than a great hero is a great villain. Thanks to screenwriters Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul, we get both iconic archetypes rolled into one. When we first meet Gru, he's the kind of wretch who gets great joy from making others miserable -- a high-tech scoundrel who will make a balloon animal for a little boy, just to savor the child's tears when he pops it with a pin. Later, as the icy coating around his heart begins to melt away, playful flashbacks offer comical insight into his formative years, gradually revealing the neglected, wide-eyed boy behind the chrome-domed baddie. It's this simple but effective character arc that makes Despicable Me more than just a rollicking series of sight gags, and offers Carell the opportunity to instill the character of Gru with genuine personality. And while virtually every other character in the film is essentially one-dimensional, Segel, Brand, Kristen Wiig, and Julie Andrews all get their moments to shine.
The animation in Despicable Me is nothing groundbreaking, though the crew does deserve credit for creative use of light during an early scene in which Gru attempts to inspire his minions, and the format does allow the filmmakers the freedom to indulge their every outrageous super-villain whim. Action set pieces throughout the film are exciting and inspired, making particularly good use of the 3D format for a wild roller-coaster ride and a climactic airborne chase.
The only things in Despicable Me that come off as entirely stale are the pop dance numbers, which seem to have become a virtual requirement for animated children's movies in the past decade. One needn't be an icy-hearted super-villain to observe that it's time to call for a moratorium on cutesy animated beasties bopping to Top 40 hits. The trend has run its course -- now let's get back to having some real fun on the big screen.