In theaters now and available on digital, Despicable Me 4, the sixth installment in Illumination's animated Despicable Me franchise, is a fun film with a decent number of laughs and good stakes, but does it have that special something the first movie had (especially for families)?
What Are the Despicable Me and Minions Movies?
If you are not familiar with the Despicable Me movies, they began with villain Gru (Steve Carell) adopting three little girls as pawns in an evil scheme, only to build an actual family over time. He even gets married to an Anti-Villain League agent, Lucy (Kristen Wiig).
Voiced by Pierre Coffin, the minions -- Gru’s loyal alien-like henchmen, who remain with him even after he turns his back on villainy -- have their own spin-off movies: Minions (2015) and Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) (read more on that here), that are prequels to the main four movies.
The redeeming power of family (yes, I am counting the Minions as family) is what draws you into these films. The new movie still pushes these themes, but unfortunately, misses the mark in some ways.
What Is Despicable Me 4 About?
In the new film, Gru and his immediate family, including the newest addition, baby Gru Jr. (Tara Strong), go into witness protection, due to a vengeful escaped villain Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell).
How Does Despicable Me 4 Compare to the Other Films?
Despite the high stakes and some good jokes, the film was weaker compared its predecessors. To be honest, I don’t like any of them as much as that very first film. The theme in the original was flawlessly woven into the plot. Gru’s character arc and connection to the girls made you feel the heart of the film.
Read the script here.
This new movie has a lot of the elements that work in the first film, especially Gru's relationship with Gru Jr., who vastly prefers his mother. The strained father-son interaction is a big driving force of the story.
However, this relationship takes a back burner for the sake of fun villainous deeds. The characters are also separated, leading to multiple subplots.
Speaking of which, despite the themes of redemption and there being a good side, the film in some ways normalizes being "bad."
Not to read too much into what's supposed to be a silly and fun movie, but the morally grey aspects can be confusing for anyone, let alone children coming into the age of reason. It's just too short of a movie with too much going on to give the topic the treatment it deserves.
As a result, the film unfortunately becomes muddled at times.
What Stands Out About the Film?
Despite the film's flaws, I enjoyed it. It was family-friendly, though not without a moral complexity that parents may feel the need to discuss with their kids, especially since villain characters are so often celebrated these days.
It is a franchise that deals heavily with why people end up being villains, redemption, falling back into bad habits, etc. But it's in an often-unserious, lighthearted way. Still might be a good gateway to family talks about the real consequences of bad behavior and not judging a book by its cover.
What I enjoyed most was the cameos from past villains at the end, which weaves a perfect opportunity for them to explore and redeem other villains in future spin-offs ... but that just might be me.
Should You Watch It?
While I can’t give it the glowing recommendation of the original film, which felt exceptional despite not being the most original piece of cinema, I can say that Despicable Me 4 was a cute film about family and balancing viewpoints. It just doesn't have the same entertainment value as the first film.
Also, be aware that some of the message gets watered down, and that there is a lot of moral complexity shoved in, which doesn’t always get serious treatment.
For home viewing, Despicable Me 4 can also be rented/purchased from Amazon Prime Video and a variety of other sites.
IMAGE: Despicable Me 4/Universal Pictures
Maggie Orsinger graduated from John Paul the Great Catholic University in 2020 with a degree in Communications Media. She also holds an 2023 MFA from Pepperdine University for Screenwriting.
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