By Paul Hall
Summer at the box office has a lot of regular occurrences. There are always plenty of big-budget sequels and definitely some huge animated releases in the summer schedule. The new film Despicable Me 3 happens to check both of those boxes and we are happy to spend some time with Gru, Lucy, the girls and of course the Minions.
Gru (voice of Steve Carell) is working hard in the AVL (Anti-Villain League) to keep the bad guys at bay. With his partner Lucy (Kristen Wiig) by his side in life and in the agency, they work to thwart the evil plans that exist in the world. When one such mission ends in failure, Gru and Lucy are let go by the AVL and return to their life as mom and dad to Margo, Edith and Agnes.
Out of the blue, a man comes and proclaims that Gru has a brother who wants to meet him. His brother is Dru (also voiced by Carell) and he has many of the exact opposite traits from his brother. Dru wears white; Gru wears black. Dru has flowing blond hair; Gru’s lack of hair, period, is a calling card. Other fun differences are abundant, but the big reason Dru reached out to his brother is that he wanted to come up with an evil plan and in the past Gru always had one ready to go.
But times have changed, and since the girls entered Gru’s life, he’s decided to go straight. However, when an opportunity presents itself to become bad again, Gru just might take it.
Despicable Me 3 takes us back to familiar territory. Gru has evolved from bad guy to good guy, but is still the fun and likable character we remember. And he has the Minions, who have their own little story within the story here, something that is well-suited for them. Instead of having to carry a full film, the Minions rock in the smaller screen time in this film.
The villain here is Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), and the wit Parker brings to his character is evident from the first scene. And I love, love, love the dance fights that take place here between Bratt and Gru. Not only are the characters and surroundings drawn well, but the voice work by Parker and Carell is also spot on.
Oh, and Carell. He is perfect for the dueling roles of Gru and Dru: The brothers are brought to life despite their differences by Carell’s amazing vocal stylings.
It’s not perfect, but Despicable Me 3 is like comfort food that we are more than happy to devour in the summer movie season. Visually pleasant with a cool soundtrack, it’s the perfect film for moviegoers to be like a Minion and jump in line at the box office.
Paul’s Grade: B
Despicable Me 3
Rated PG
Voices of: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker
Directors: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin, Eric Guillon
Brought to you by the publishers of TV Guide, the ultimate TV resource packed with celebrity news and commentary on what’s new and what’s good to watch. Get TV Guide at 88% off the cover price: call 800-866-1400 or visit tvguidemagazine.com. ©TV Guide 2017.
NEW THIS WEEK
A Ghost Story
Rated R
Stars: Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, Liz Franke
Director: David Lowery
A white-sheeted ghost returns to his suburban home to try to connect with his widow in this deeper look into legacy, love and loss. The return allows the ghost to understand her more than he ever did.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Rated PG-13
Stars: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr.
Director: Jon Watts
This Spidey story takes place in the time after Captain America: Civil War, with Peter Parker back home in New York balancing his secret life as Spider-Man and his time as a high-school student. He longs to be part of the Avengers life and waits for Tony Stark to call, but is he missing out on his high-school life right before his eyes?

