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Despicable Me 3 (U.)


Directed by Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda, Eric Guillon



Starring Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Trey Parker and Steve Coogan. 90 mins.



Convention says the villain steals the film, but in Despicable Me the henchmen dominate. A mix of the Addams Family and Austen Powers, DM is a rejigging of the Dick Dastardly and Muttley cartoons, where a man full of harebrained criminal schemes is constantly undermined by his sniggering sidekick. Right from the start Gru (Carell), the gadget laden master villain, has seen his films being stolen away from him by his flock of Kinder egg shaped Minions. Their spin-off film is one of the most successful animations in History (at least in today's money.)



DM3 tries to give him back his centrality, largely restricting the Minions to minioning. There is just enough heart and sentiment for appearances' sake – a long lost twin brothers, a new wife (Wiig) bonding with his three children - but the film is primarily concerned with providing constant visual invention and some stunning sight gags. If you aren't surrounded by hyperactive, chair kicking brats, it is lots of fun.




All content is copyright Michael Joyce 2019.
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