Despicable Me

An animated film with a villain at its centre. Gru does villainy as a profession. He asks a bank for a loan and is refused; someone else has stolen a pyramid at Giza and the rankings have changed. He makes a new plan. He will steal the Moon. For that he needs a shrink ray. The weapon is in a rival's hands and he cannot get into the house. One day he sees three orphan girls get into that house selling cookies. He adopts the girls. His purpose is one thing: send them to the door and take the weapon. From there the film is a story of adjustment. A ballet recital, a funfair, a book and bedtime. What the narrative is interested in is not villainy but attention: in his own childhood Gru's mother never looked at him, and the film gives that in a few short scenes. The minions carry the humour. The language they speak is invented and means nothing; the voices are done by one of the directors. The rival is weak and the narrative takes little interest in him; the film is really a story about a father. It was a studio's first feature and the budget was kept low compared with its rivals in the genre; the commercial success produced a series and later a spin-off. Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews and Kristen Wiig are among the voices. Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud directed. Who it is for: anyone who wants a fast, joke-filled animation to watch with children. Who it is not for: anyone looking for originality; the narrative follows a familiar road.