Movie Review: Despicable Me

Review by Rachel Friedlander



Following a wave of computer-animated children’s movies, Despicable Me asks audiences to put on their 3D glasses and forget about Toy Story 3. Although they only achieve one of these requests, witty one-liners and a heartwarming theme keep audiences in their seats.

Despicable Me tells the story of aging super-villain Gru, with an accent of an Eastern European and a wardrobe of an emo teenager. In his master plan to be the master of evil, Gru and his Lego-head minions battle his nemesis to pull off the most impressive heist in history: stealing the moon. But when he adopts three orphan girls to unknowingly aid in his strategy, parenthood comes knocking at his mansion of malevolence.

The plot is a tame version of familiar stories and the characters’ faces are seemingly recognizable (wasn’t Agnes in Monsters, Inc.?). But aside from the predictable storyline and often-bland characters, Despicable Me sparkles in unsuspecting ways. The soundtrack, which includes “Sweet Home Alabama” and several songs by rap artist Pharrell Williams, is unlike that of any of its computer-animated peers. And with a cast that includes such names as Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Jermaine Clement, and Kristen Wiig, one wonders whether the movie would have been more entertaining without the computer animation.

Despite the fuzzy feel-good nature of the film, this computer animation also poses danger. Just as this generation tires of the weighty scripts and lengthy scenes of old films, generations to come may tire of releases like Despicable Me. If directors are too dependent on the latest technology (whether it’s Technicolor or 3D) to create success, the interest in the movie will fade as soon as the fad.

In order to last beyond the trend, films must provide us with something more lasting than effects— they must send audiences home with leftovers. Despite the tiresome preparation, the main course of Despicable Me provides enough meat to savor well after we leave the table.

There is a reason this transformation from Villain of the Year to Dad of the Year is a familiar, sugary sweet recipe. We may not steal the moon, use freeze guns on unsuspecting citizens, or cut people off in our steel tanks, but each of us has a despicable nature that needs transforming.

2 Corinthians 5:17 states: “Anyone who belongs to Messiah is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.” Instead of adopting three, doe-eyed orphans, why not think of ourselves as orphans with a heavenly Father who wants to adopt us? Only he can change us from Masters of Evil to Servants of Good.