Oh brother.
Steve Carell’s supervillain turned goodie, Gru, is back for animated comedy sequel Despicable Me 3. And, once again, it is the cutely bizarre antics of his mischievous sidekicks the Minions that steal the show.
As you will recall, Gru has turned his back on crime in favour of adoptive fatherhood, marriage and work for the Anti-Villain League. But trouble comes his way in the form of former 1980s child star Balthazar Bratt (voiced by South Park co-creator Trey Parker), who has gone bad after the onset of adolescence ruined his screen career.
And Gru has to deal with further bother when he discovers he has a long-lost twin brother, Dru (also hilariously voiced by Carrell), who is itching for his own life of crime.
The film has fun ribbing the fashion and music of Bratt’s 80s heyday – with digs at mullets and shoulder pads, and snatches of ‘Bad’, ‘Take My Breath Away’ and ’99 Luftballons’ – but it’s the spectacle of the gibberish-spouting Minions performing an inimitable version of ‘I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General’, the famous patter song from The Pirates of Penzance, that gives the greatest pleasure.
Certificate U. Runtime 90 mins. Directors Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda
Despicable Me 3 available on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from Universal Pictures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVKfJWAh8p8
