Rise of the Super-Minion
Steve Carell’s Gru and his family flee a gigantic cockroach in ‘Despicable Me 4’
“Despicable me 4” is actually the sixth movie to feature those obnoxious yellow creatures, the minions, and the fifth movie to star their creator, gru (Steve carell). these characters have been cash cows for Universal since they first appeared in the original “Despicable me” back in 2010. i am sure this movie will continue that trend of boffo box office this summer.
A lot has happened since gru first met the trio of orphans who would become his beloved “leetle gurls.” margo (miranda cosgrove), Edith (Dana gaier), and Agnes (madison Skyy polan) now have a toddler brother, gru Jr., the son of gru and his wife, Lucy (kristen wiig). their household even has Lucky, a one-horned goat pet who is clearly not housebroken.
They share a nice house in the suburbs with the minions, who continue to wear denim, perform slapstick, and speak in the minionese dialect provided by the director of four of these movies, pierre coffin.
Additionally, gru has given up his villainous ways and joined Lucy’s villain chasing organization, the AVI. After all, the AVI is how the two of them met way back in “Despicable me 2.” As luck would have it, that was the first movie in the series i reviewed. i got a kick out of “Despicable me,” and i proudly declared my love for those minions in my review of the sequel.
That adoration is why i also got to review “minions” and “minions: the rise of gru.” my colleagues were happy to give those assignments to me, too! the minions may slay at the box office, but they annoy the hell out of most critics i know.
I, on the other hand, really dig the minions. they speak to my inner 6year-old. the franchise has scored an impressive four for five in terms of positive reviews from me (the unwieldy “Despicable me 3” is the outlier). So, it’s no surprise i enjoyed this installment, which has the nerve to give the minions superpowers.
I suppose I should not be trusted on all things minion-related. then again, you don’t need my opinion here. if you hate the minions, you’ll stay home. if you hate the minions, and you have kids, you’ll have to see their movie anyway — multiple times. god laughs. And so do i. but enough about me — let’s talk about gru. he’s joined the good guys, much to the chagrin of his alma mater, Lycee pas bon. the premiere school for doctorates in villainy is hosting a gala event/class of ’85 reunion. gru and Lucy roll up in their fancy car. they’re joined by a few minions in their own pocket-size vehicle.
The guest of honor at Lycee pas bon is maxime Le mal (a goofy will ferrell), gru’s former classmate. on Le mal’s arm is his partner in crime, Valentina (Sofia Vergara), who was once the “captain of the femme fatale cheerleading squad.” During his award speech, Le mal reveals that he’s become an extremely dangerous (and very gross looking) giant human-cockroach hybrid.
After a brief battle, Gru and Lucy capture Le mal and sentence him to the maximum-security prison overseen by their AVI boss Silas ramsbottom (Steve coogan). As you’d expect, Le mal escapes from jail and seeks revenge, forcing gru and his family to enter witness protection.
Gru — I mean “chet cunningham” — moves to mayflower, a ritzy town filled with luxury mansions and snobby neighbors like the preadolescent poppy (Joey king) and her snobby dad, perry (Stephen colbert). while their daughters acclimate to a new house and school, gru and Lucy try to fit in at the country club.
Unfortunately, when you’re the star of a billion-dollar franchise, somebody’s going to recognize you. poppy threatens to blow gru’s cover unless he assists her in a criminal scheme involving honey badgers. if you predicted that someone would utter the meme “honey badger don’t care,” you’ve seen a “Despicable me” movie.
And what about those minions? Since they are associated with gru, he can’t bring them to mayflower. instead, they become Avi’s property, with Silas performing experiments on them. the result is a group of superhero minions with powers cribbed from “the fantastic four,” “X-men,” and the Stretch Armstrong doll. with great power comes great responsibility, as the Spider-man saying goes. of course, minions are beyond irresponsible, so bedlam ensues.
“Despicable me 4” is more of the same — questionable needle drops (gru Jr.’s diapers are repeatedly changed to the strains of Van halen’s “hot for teacher”), chaotic chase scenes, and minion madness. what’s missing is the emotional bond between gru and his family that stabilized the first two entries. i missed the gentleness of those family scenes where margo, Edith, and Agnes bonded with their imperfect father.
writers mike white and ken Daurio replace these moments with Easter eggs and callbacks to prior installments. there’s even a scene featuring every vanquished villain in the franchise. it’s cheap pandering to fans, but i really couldn’t stay mad at a movie that uses culture club’s “karma chameleon” as a point of contention and has two shout-outs to one of the best movies of 1985, “real genius.”
As much as i enjoyed “Despicable me 4,” i must concede that it’s time for the minions to retire. but if we still have an inhabitable world in 2025, there will very likely be a “Despicable me 5.”