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"DESPICABLE ME"
(2010) (voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel) (PG)

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QUICK TAKE:
Animated Comedy: A super-villain adopts three orphan girls to help in his twisted plan to steal the moon from the sky.
PLOT:
All of his life, Gru (voice of STEVE CARELL) has dreamt of being the world's greatest bad guy. Underneath his suburban home is a secret lair from which he, his army of worker-bee minions, and the mad scientist Dr. Nefario (voice of RUSSELL BRAND) hatch their latest plot: to shrink the moon and steal it from the sky.

Gru's arch rival, Vector (voice of JASON SEGEL), also plans to swipe the moon, and he appears to have what it takes to get the job done. He's already stolen the Pyramids of Egypt and replaced them with inflatable versions. His father, Mr. Perkins (voice of WILL ARNETT), is the president of the Bank of Evil and is willing to bankroll his dastardly deeds. Unlike Gru, he doesn't have a domineering mother (voice of JULIE ANDREWS) who never gives him credit for anything. And, now, he's got his hands on a super-secret shrinking ray that Gru covets.

All of Gru's attempts to get past Vector's heavy security to steal the shrink ray prove fruitless. Then, one day, he notices three orphan girls named Margo, Edith, and Agnes (voices of MIRANDA COSGROVE, DANA GAIER, and ELSIE FISHER) who easily gain entry by selling Vector some cookies. Gru immediately heads to the orphanage, run by the shrewish Miss Hattie (voice of KRISTEN WIIG), and adopts the three girls.

Soon, though, Gru finds that being a dad is just as hard as being a super-villain. Even worse, his growing affection for the girls begins to hamper his and Dr. Nefario's plans for the lunar heist. Eventually, Gru must make a choice.

OUR TAKE: 8 out of 10
If you are looking for good, quality movie entertainment this summer, folks, don't look to live action. Animation is where the real fun is, the real risk-tasking, the real return on investment. After the success and critical acclaim of "How to Train Your Dragon" earlier this spring, "Toy Story 3" scored big time last month and is even being touted as an early Oscar favorite in a very weak field so far. While "Despicable Me" doesn't aim for or reach the kind of emotional highs the good folks at Pixar achieve almost effortlessly these days, it's still a lot of fun and certainly worth your time and money.

Steve Carell gives a Hungarian-accented voice to the main character of Gru, a loathsome man who gets his jollies by popping children's balloons and using his freeze ray on people in line at the local coffeehouse. His life's ambition is to be the world's greatest super-villain, and he has all the trappings of a Bond-style baddie. Subterranean lair beneath his suburban home? Check. An army of troll-like minions to execute his every evil plan? Check. A mad scientist (voice of Russell Brand) who invents diabolical devices for him to help in his dastardly quests? Check.

After stealing the Jumbotron from Times Square and the fake Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty from Las Vegas, Gru sets his sights on his biggest prize yet: the moon! His plan is to steal a top-secret shrink ray, render the moon the size of a common playground rock, and declare his eternal dominance over the planet Earth for all time … oh, and to gain the approval of his elderly mom (voice of Julie Andrews). One problem. His younger rival, Vector (voice of Jason Segel), also wants to steal the moon.

What begins as two bad guys dueling for worldwide supremacy surprisingly evolves into a story of heart and edgy good humor once Gru decides to enlist three innocent orphaned sisters named Margo, Edith, and Agnes (voices of Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Elsie Fisher) to appeal to Vector's big weakness … Girl Scout-style cookies! Gru determines that it's the only way to gain access to his rival's stronghold and re-steal the shrink ray that Vector stole from him.

"Despicable Me" is first and foremost...fun! It doesn't take itself too seriously, and it doesn't water down Gru or Vector or the minions' shenanigans to make them kid friendly. These characters shoot rockets at each other, exhibit bad behavior throughout, and constantly put Margo and her sisters in harm's way. Just bringing the three girls home from the orphanage is fraught with exaggerated comic danger as Gru has done nothing to child-proof the house, leaving a variety of weapons in plain view and allowing his snarling, dog-like monster pet to roam free.

In this regard, you might think the film plays like one, long, "don't-try-this-at-home" tutorial. But the situations are so cartoonishly outlandish, it's more of a throwback to the days of Wile E. Coyote and the perils he'd place himself in hunting the Road Runner. And the filmmakers really make use of the ultimate ACME product in the RealD 3-D technology to deliver some great sequences. My favorites include a roller coaster ride from the front rider's perspective and the closing credits where several of the minions literally try to figure out a way to bust out of the screen and into the real world.

Best of all, it tells a complete story. It's not some jive first part of a multi-part story a la "The Last Airbender" that may or may not ever get completed. Sure, there is room for a "Despicable Me 2." I mean everybody indeed wants to rule the world. But if this is a one-shot deal, what a good time at the movies! I rate it an 8 out of 10. (T. Durgin)




Reviewed June 30, 2010 / Posted July 9, 2010


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