Director: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin, Eric Guillon (co-director)
Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Nev Scharrel, Jenny Slate, Miranda Cosgrove
Storyline: Villain-turned Anti-Villain League agent Gru, meets his twin brother Dru, who he never knew existed. They both team up for one last criminal heist to steal a diamond from the former child actor, Balthazar Bratt.
In 2010, we were welcomed aboard a madcap ride – one that promised to be nothing more than silly and filled with Looney Tunes-like humour – accompanied by the grumpy villain Gru (Steve Carell) and his absolutely addictive minions. Along the way we picked up three adorable little girls and a fiercely badass lover Lucy (Kristen Wiig). Some minions we lost on the way, gained some new. In the third edition, the makers of Despicable Me 3 acquaint us with Gru’s hidden twin Dru, amp up the physical comedy, increase the dose of pop-culture references, sprinkle cheery music by Pharrell Williams and top it up with some quirky references to the ’80s.
Despicable Me 3 begins with Gru getting fired as an Anti-Villian League agent, and discovers that he has a twin brother who lived with his father after his parents separated. His mother (Julie Andrews) kept him in the dark about it, all his life. “But you told me my father died with disappointment when I was born,” exclaims Gru, with utmost sincerity.
Thus begins a new chapter in Gru’s life. Along with his brother Dru, he sets out to execute one last heist. On the sidelines, Gru’s minions conduct a mutiny and land up in hilariously bizarre situations, lost in a trip of their own. Lucy is struggling with the sudden responsibility of being a mother. And the kids, well, they thankfully never grow up.
For Carell, the film is a playground to explore his tone, pitch, accent and imitation with this double role. He clearly has a ball doing that. Wiig flaunts her Saturday Night Live expertise of slipping into a character’s voice effortlessly. The animation is vibrant and bursting with colours. The 3D is harmless (some would say unnecessary). And the writing is all centered around one mission: to be fast-paced and crazy.
Apart from being its loony best, the first edition of Despicable Me melts your heart as you witness a burly, grumpy villain adopting three orphan girls. While the third installment lacks those moments, it’s not a complaint because not every third part can be as moving as Toy Story 3 . The appeal of Despicable Me 3 is epitomised in one particular scene, where – after a long day’s wait in the woods – Gru’s youngest daughter Agnes returns with a one-horned baby goat, and is pleased with herself for capturing a unicorn, who also loves her back. Realising that he needs to tell her the truth, Gru sits Agnes down and says,
“Life is like that, honey. You expect a unicorn but you get a one-horned goat.” Agnes looks at her father and then at the goat, and while almost about to tear up, she yelps, “But I love it!”. With Despicable Me 3, does it matter if it’s a unicorn or a one-horned goat as long as you love it?