Despicable Me
I am starting to worry about myself. As I look over the last few months of theatrical releases and ponder on what could be considered solid entertainment and what should be considered trash, I can’t help but notice that a majority of the real substantial films released this year have been animated. This is disconcerting. Am I merely a sad illustration of the 21st century man-child living a stunted life, trapped in my childhood and waiting with baited breath for the newest Grand Theft Auto videogame despite the fact that I am quickly approaching middle age? Or is it that, more often than not, animated films tell well-rounded stories, attract top creative talent and give the audience their moneys worth? I will side with the latter choice because a) it makes me feel better and b) it is true.
So far, 2010 has given us fantastic family entertainment. How to Train Your Dragon featured some breathtaking flight sequences that rival James Cameron’s Avatar when it comes to transporting the audience to another world. Mary and Max is a unique film from Australia that utilizes stop motion animation to tell it’s heartbreaking story of friendship and loss and Toy Story 3 is a major achievement that might end up being the best film of the year.
Now you can add Universal’s hilarious new 3D CGI feature, Despicable Me to the list. The film is surprisingly original and crammed with gut-busting performances by many of today’s comedic heavy hitters. It features some great comedic bits and buckets of old school, Bugs Bunny level cartoon violence. At its core, however, Despicable Me is about the importance of family and how we all, even the world’s second most diabolical supervillian, needs someone to love.
The despicable one here is a scoundrel named Gru (Steve Carell) who is planning the greatest heist of all time; he is going to steal the moon! It seems that someone has recently swiped the Pyramid of Giza and this has given Gru a slight inferiority complex. The best he has been able to do so far is hijack the Jumbotron from Times Square. Soon, Gru discovers the identity of the pyramid snatcher, the evil super-geek named Vector (Jason Segal), and the two are quick to become each other’s archenemies.
After several failed attempts to try and infiltrate Vector’s lair, Gru decides to utilize a wonderfully deceptive tool to gain access, three adorable orphan girls. Once the girls are allowed into Gru’s solitary life, he begins to doubt the reasons behind his plans for complete dominance. Gru must decide weather it is more important to be the world’s greatest supervillian or make it to a dance recital and watch your little girls pirouette.
Despicable Me features an all-star cast of funny people that puts Adam Sandler’s crew of has-beens in Grownups to shame. Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett and many others join Carell and Segal in the shenanigans. The directors of the film, Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, are able to give these performers enough liberty to bring their signature comedy to the roles. Brand and Wiig sound almost unrecognizable, giving great vocal performances. They obviously relished the opportunity of being cartoons. The fan favorite will, no doubt, be the goofy Minions that serve as assistants to Gru. They are bizarre, yellow things that speak high-pitched babble and deserve their own Saturday morning show. They are gleeful creations that deliver much of the film’s laughter.
The use of orphan girls as a plot device to soften Gru seems too easy at first and a lazy choice to pull at your heartstrings, but the girls grow on you and Gru’s transformation is genuine and touching. The real attraction of Despicable Me is the film’s use of 3D technology. The filmmakers make great use of the gimmick that, with lackluster results in The Last Airbender and Alice in Wonderland, was quickly wearing out its welcome. Images here have great depth and parts and people jump off the screen. Stay through the credits for a couple of final funny bits that showcase the expert use of the extra dimension.
Despicable Me is a film that is both a throwback to old Loony Tunes sensibilities for entertainment and, with the use of eye-popping technology, a very current film that should keep even the most restless child fixated. Mark it up as another winning family film of 2010.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo9-bcbLn1Q