Gru and the Minions return in Despicable Me 4 as the supervillain-turned-Anti-Villain League-agent faces off against his nemesis.

It’s been seven years since Gru’s (Steve Carell) last outing in the Despicable Me franchise. Not much has changed in Gru’s world except he and wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) have a new addition to the family, Gru Jr. He joins Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan) in the family. When villain Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) escapes AVL’s prison, they are forced to go to a safe house in Mayflower. None of them are really happy about this but they have to make the best of an awful situation. They soon become the odd couple on the block despite attempts to fit in. Making matters worse for Gru is that their neighbor’s kid wants to be a villain herself.

The first two films were fine. Despicable Me 3 had some laughs but they were few and far between. This time around, they are really leaning into the popularity of superheroes with the Mega Minions (Pierre Coffin). Mind you, they are the worst superheroes in the history of superheroes. It’s no surprise that they’re playing them for laughs. They’re terrible at heroics–no surprise, they are Minions–and the AVL forces them into retirement.

I have some complaints in casting but that’s it. There’s a way-too-short age gap between Patsy (Chloe Fineman) and Poppy Prescott (Joey King). Patsy is married to Perry Prescott (Stephen Colbert), owner of Prescott Motors) and based on all the blonde bad guys in 1980s movies. They really should have cast someone age-appropriate to portray Patsy but that’s my two cents. Other than that, it’s nice seeing Steve Carell reunite with both Stephen Colbert and Will Ferrell. Colbert’s late show obligations keep him busy enough so if animation is how we get the two Second City alumni working together more often, I’ll take it!

This is one of those films where it really does not matter what critics think. Families are going to go if they have young children and especially if those children like Minions. Studios do not release as many family-friendly films these days so that’s something that this film has going for it. But at the same time, movie theaters are not making it easier on families wanting to go to the movies very often. You can blame the frequently rising ticket prices for that. Trust me, I’ve heard the complaints. The thing with animation, again, is that it doesn’t matter what I think. There’s honestly nothing to add to the conversation when you know that a film–good or bad–will still make money because it’s a family-friendly product. You and I both know that they’ll continue make more Despicable Me and Minions films.

Suffice it to say that you’ll either like Despicable Me 4 or you won’t.

DIRECTOR: Chris Renaud
CO-DIRECTOR: Patrick Delage
SCREENWRITERS: Mike White and Ken Daurio
CAST: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin, Joey King, Miranda Cosgrove, Stephen Colbert, Sofía Vergara, Steve Coogan, Chris Renaud, Madison Polan, Dana Gaier, Chloe Fineman, and Will Ferrell

Universal Pictures and Illumination releases Despicable Me 4 in theaters on July 3, 2024. Grade: 3/5

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