“Despicable Me 4” continues the animated adventures of Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and his quirky family, set in the delightfully absurd world of supervillains and their day-to-day lives. Directed by Chris Renaud, this latest installment in the franchise tries to juggle multiple storylines, resulting in a mixed bag of comedic highs and narrative lows.
The film kicks off with Gru, now a family man, and his family entering witness protection after his old high school rival, the cockroach-themed villain Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), escapes from a maximum-security prison. Gru, his wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig), and their perpetually youthful children adopt new identities as the Cunninghams, blending into an upper-middle-class suburban neighborhood. Meanwhile, Maxime, along with his aloof femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Sofía Vergara), hunts them down in a giant cockroach-themed aircraft.
One of the strengths of the Despicable Me franchise has always been its rich and imaginative world-building, where supervillains attend networking conventions and schools for aspiring evildoers exist. However, “Despicable Me 4” suffers from an overabundance of ideas. Instead of focusing on a few key threads, the filmmakers scatter their attention across numerous subplots, none of which are fully developed or meaningfully interconnected.
Among the myriad of plotlines, we see the family’s preppy preteen neighbor Poppy Prescott (Joey King), who dreams of becoming a supervillain and blackmails Gru into helping her achieve her goal. Gru and Lucy struggle to fit in with their country-club neighbors, the Minions form a superhero team, and youngest daughter Agnes (Madison Skyy Polan) faces a moral dilemma about lying about her identity. Additionally, the origin of Maxime’s grudge against Gru from their ninth-grade talent show at their villain school is touched upon but never fully explored.
Despite its narrative disarray, “Despicable Me 4” delivers on physical comedy. The film’s slapstick humor remains top-notch, with running gags and background jokes providing plenty of laughs. A particularly hilarious sequence features the Mega Minions attempting (and spectacularly failing) to save various people around the city. However, these moments often feel isolated, lacking integration into the broader story.
The Mega Minions, heavily featured in the movie’s marketing, are another example of underutilized potential. Despite their prominence in trailers, they barely have any significant screen time, appearing briefly even during the film’s climax.
“Despicable Me 4” is filled with good ideas and elements that fans love: Minion antics, Gru’s struggle between his villainous past and his family life, and over-the-top villain theatrics. Yet, these components are jumbled together, creating a disjointed narrative that feels more like a series of loosely connected sketches than a cohesive story. It’s as if the film is a chaotic orchestra, with moments of brilliance emerging amidst the cacophony.
In the end, while “Despicable Me 4” offers plenty of laughs and retains the charm that has made the series a family favorite, it falls short of delivering a satisfying and coherent narrative. Fans of the franchise will find enjoyment in the familiar antics, but the film’s scattered focus may leave some longing for a more streamlined and engaging story.
