Sometimes, I think Hollywood executives decide to green-light movies just for the sake of companies trying desperately to remain relevant and for profit of course.
I think that “Despicable Me 4” (DM4) falls into that category only because the storyline is so weak and serves up endless slapstick grabs for laughs.
Sure, it’s great for kids and families during the summer, but I didn’t find it nearly as hilarious as I was hoping.
But, it is loaded with plenty of jokes for adults, too – so it isn’t a complete loss!
Despicable Me 4 is an animated comedy film produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination, and distributed by Universal.
It serves as the sequel to Despicable Me 3 (2017), the fourth main installment, and the sixth overall installment in the Despicable Me franchise.
The film was directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Patrick Delage - in his feature directorial debut - and is produced by Chris Meledandri and Brett Hoffman, and written by Mike White and Ken Daurio.
It stars the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin, Joey King, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan, Sofía Vergara, Stephen Colbert, Renaud, Madison Polan, Dana Gaier, Chloe Fineman, and Will Ferrell.
The movie is rated PG for action and rude humor and is 95 minutes long.
Anti-Villain League (AVL) agent Gru (Carell) attends a reunion at his school Lycée Pas Bon where he runs into his rival Maxime Le Mal (Ferrell), who has a long-standing feud with Gru for stealing his talent show act when they were younger.
Maxime is touted as Lycée Pas Bon Principal Übelschlecht’s (Renaud) favorite student and wins an award for his villainy.
Maxime then reveals he has enhanced himself with cockroach parts to make himself overpowered so he can conquer the world, but Gru has him arrested with the help of the AVL.
Maxime escapes prison with the help of his girlfriend Valentina (Vergara) and reveals his invention that turns people into human-roach hybrids, which he plans to use specifically on Gru’s biological infant son Gru Jr.
Silas Ramsbottom (Coogan) visits the Gru household to inform them of Maxime’s escape, and the AVL will have to relocate the Gru family to a house in another town named Mayflower under new identities until Maxime is captured.
Most of the Minions are taken in by the AVL, where Silas selects five of them—Dave, Mel, Gus, Tim and Jerry - to be augmented with powers under an initiative called the Megaminions.
Unfortunately, the initiative is called off after the group causes an insane amount of collateral damage in a city.
In their new well-off residential town, Gru and his family meet their neighbors the Prescotts, and their teenage daughter Poppy (King).
Poppy, an aspiring villainess, recognizes Gru from his former career as a villain and threatens to blow his cover unless he helps her pull a heist to steal Lycée Pas Bon’s mascot - a honey badger named Lenny.
Poppy aims for the heist to help her application to be enrolled there.
The pair, with the help of two Minions and Gru Jr., successfully steal Lenny from the school.
Sadly, Gru’s help for Poppy’s heist puts his family in more danger as the movie rolls onward.
Overall, it seems that DM4 tries to capitalize on children’s laughs and entertainment more than adults, but there are a few worthwhile moments that most adults can sympathize with.
If you aren’t too fond of the Minions and Despicable Me franchise you can totally skip seeing this.
