Like Cars 3, Despicable Me 3 is somewhat proving that there’s not much gas left in its tank either. It isn’t a bad movie, but there isn’t much in this entry that is as much fun or memorable as its predecessors. Although I will say it doesn’t have the annoyance factor that Minions did.
Steve Carell once again returns as the voice of Gru, still working as an agent for the Anti-Villain League and is now married to Lucy (Kristen Wiig) and raising their three daughters: Margo, Edith, and Agnes. That is until they’re both fired for letting a villain get away with a dastardly crime.
That villain is Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker of South Park fame), a washed up child star from the ’80s who played a bad guy as a kid and once his show got canceled, he started to take on the persona that he was a real bad guy. Bratt is easily the funniest aspect of this third film with making so many references to ’80s pop hits and just enough of them work even if they do feel dated and forgettable real quick.
If all this wasn’t bad enough, how about when Gru learns that he has a twin brother named Dru (also voiced by Carell) who carries on the family business of villainy and tries to get Gru to return to his old tricks.
Oh, and let’s not forget about those Minions. They get into a lot of trouble as per usual when they sneak onto an American Idol-like talent show and land in prison. Soon they become the boss of their holding cells. Minions in prison; this should be a riot (no pun intended), but the movie doesn’t deliver anything clever or crazy for them to do.
That’s how I felt about a lot of Despicable Me 3. The first two movies were nifty surprises that were really funny and charming. This threequel doesn’t really justify its existence other than getting little kids in the theaters one more time for all the zany antics caused by the Minions and some other colorful sights that will distract them.
I have a feeling that everyone else that is not a fan of this series or parents dragging their kids to see it will probably go in not having much else to do.
Grade: B-
(Rated PG for action and rude humor)
This review is dedicated to the memory of Tonya Hodges.
