Despicable Me 3 (2017)
PG | 1h 30min | Animation, Action, Adventure | 30 June 2017 (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Gru meets his long-lost charming, cheerful, and more successful twin brother Dru who wants to team up with him for one last criminal heist.
REVIEW: The Despicable Me franchise started off smart. It made a character like Gru who adults liked and surrounded him with Minions that kids could not get enough of. It was a perfectly balanced family film. And so very funny. The second one, eh, still admirable but the shine had worn off. Then they tried the minion movie which, other than a fantastic soundtrack, offered little for adults. Now we get Despicable Me 3 and sadly it has very little to offer any age group.
Now that Gru is working for the good guys he has become sort of uninteresting. So the writers decide to give him a brother. Like most sibling rivalries this does offer a tad bit of depth but nothing in the way of legitimate humor. all the other characters fall back on their well worn personality traits but we have seen it all before. None of them have really evolved. They are relying on the same jokes, silly grins, and sight gags.
Gru (Steve Carell) is still likable and you envy his ability to be despicable and charming all at once. So that helps drag you along for the 90 minute ride. But sadly everything that is remotely funny is in the trailer. Nothing is saved for the meat of the film. Lucy (Kristen Wiig) is given her own arc in this one as she tries to win over the girls and embrace mom mode. But that too feels flimsy and never quite sincere.
The Minions are so disjointed in this one that it seems like they are in their own separate movie; the scenes added in just because they are expected and the younger viewers need it. The laughs they elicit are forced and awkward. When the story focuses on Gru and Dru at least you get the sense the writers are trying. So an E for effort there. Otherwise it is a complete flop. A reality that is sad for a franchise that has such an outstanding start.
Despicable Me 3 is rated PG for action and rude humor. It is the same tone as the ones before it so nothing surprising. The Minions are obnoxious and disrespectful as always. So don’t be surprised if your kid blows you a raspberry the next time you ask them to do their chores. I give it 2 out 5 family trees. I wanted it to floor me with humor but unfortunately it nearly dulled me to sleep.
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