Review:  Despicable Me 4  

Ex-supervillain Gru (Steve Carell) has traded in his nefarious ways to become an Anti-Villain League agent. A mission to stop a top super-villain, Maxime Le Mal (Will Farrel), puts his wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig), their girls, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Madison Polan), and their new baby in harm’s way. They are now forced to assume new identities until Maxime is back behind bars.

Through four of these films and a few spin-offs, we have seen Gru go from wanting to steal the moon to becoming a proper father to three young girls. There have been insane situations, over-the-top villains, charming moments, and, of course, Minions. I think it’s safe to say we have witnessed Gru’s character growth come to a close, but hey, why not add one more movie to the mix?

Don’t get me wrong—Despicable Me 4 is not a failure. It still has jokes that land, charming moments, and Minions (who are always a delight). Kids will still enjoy this movie because of all those things, and parents will be entertained. That being said, those qualities don’t hide the fact that something is missing—and that something is despicable.

Unfortunately, because this character has now become fully developed, Despicable Me 4 feels like a last-ditch effort to make some money off of a tired franchise. Despicable Me was at its best when Gru was, well, despicable. And that’s where the plot falls short in this latest installment. It’s ok to paint Gru as the “good guy” because he’s always been an anti-hero. But we still need to see those villainous qualities throughout the film. Because we don’t, it feels like we’re in a completely different movie.

The highlight is seeing Gru try to bond with his new baby, a baby who really doesn’t like him. Because of the new bundle of joy, the other children feel sidelined and underdeveloped. Instead of building on their stories, a random neighbor child is thrown into the mix. Granted, that subplot was the best subplot of the film, but it felt out of place.

Speaking of subplots, there are now super-minions. I would love to tell you more about that, but that’s really it. A few Minions get superpowers, there are a few jokes and gags, and that’s the end of it. This is an obvious set-up for another Minion movie; frankly, I’m ok with that. The minions are the biggest draw to this franchise and continue to be a delight, no matter how absurd they are.

Despicable Me 4 is a funny and entertaining movie with charming moments to steal your heart. Unfortunately, the plot falls short, and most of the side characters are underdeveloped despite a plethora of subplots within the film. The animation improves with each new movie, and the Minions are always crowd-pleasers.