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Despicable Me

movies|despicable%20me|2010-09-09

Gru is a professional baddie, eager to be the world's greatest supervillain. But his scheme to steal the moon is upstaged by nerdy Vector.

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Editorial

While many other media typescrave anything that assaults decency, movie studios are increasingly sinking dough into the attractive world of CGI family films. Wanting to be as profitable and popular as Pixar is a sensible aim, and the newest animation player keen to do just that is Illumination Entertainment (backed by Universal, headed by former Fox animation honcho Chris Meledandri, who oversaw the Ice Age films).

Illumination opens its account with Despicable Me, a polished 3D jaunt which suffers an identity crisis as it tries to marry unorthodox risks with cutesy pies. Hinging an animated outing on an ethnically challenged baddie trying to be the No. 1 supervillain is an intriguing gambit, especially as co-directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin (really? Sweet) are aiming at kids, not subversive adults.

Having to decipher vot Steve Carell ist sayink as gruff Gru doesn't help young viewers trying to understand that he's a bad egg we're meant to like. When Gru uses three sweet little orphan girls to help him defeat his dorky nemesis, this grim fairytale wobbles between gothic darkness and sugary light.

Populated by almost every US comedian on the Zeitgeist Express and spurred by distinct visuals, crowd-pleasing buffoonery and slo-mo shark punching, Despicable Me is a bold scheme so crazy it doesn't quite work.

Ben McEachen