Despicable Me Review

Not every supervillain can be, well, super at their job. They aspire to greatness, but may learn they aren't cut out for their ignoble profession. Maybe it's because they're not as bad as they'd like to think. That's the gist of Universal's new 3D toon, Despicable Me.

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.