'Despicable Me 3' Review: Carell is on point but the film isn't as good as the first!

7/10
The film is directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, co-directed by Eric Guillon, and written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio.

Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig and Trey Parker.

Despicable Me 3 is the third installment in the hit Despicable Me franchise about the reformed supervillain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and his new wife, Lucy (Kristen Wiig), who are both Anti-Villain League agents. This time around, Gru, Lucy and their three girls are invited to Freedonia to meet Gru's long-lost twin brother, Dru (also Carrell).

Predictable but fun, this third installment is an amusing, kids film with a mix of 80s humor, and irresistibly silly minion jokes. The double dose of Carell -- one dark and bald (Gru), one with a head full of blond hair and a different accent (Dru) -- is hilarious. The twin material (they try to "trade" places for a dinner, fooling absolutely no one but remaining endearing all the same) is funny and easy for even the smallest of audiences to understand. The subplot in which Lucy attempts to rise to the occasion as a mother is also quite sweet; watching her go into full on "mama bear" mode is one of the film's highlights. And Pharrell Williams' score is enhanced by '80s hits from the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Nena, as well as one showstopping minionese version of Gilbert and Sullivan's "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General."

As for the villain, Trey Parker's Balthazar Bratt is definitely way more memorable than the antagonist of the second movie, and his voice is perfectly suited to play a resentful middle-aged man who never fully come to terms with his fall from celebrity stardom. The '80s jokes and sight gags should appeal parents from that decade, and Parker's costume itself is worth several laughs. The filmmakers have toned down the extreme minion focus since the second film, which i think is for the greater good, as a little bit of minion humor goes a long way where as to much can have the opposite effect. But there's still something lacking in this film, which can't quite meet the standards set by the first. Still, while this isn't the best of the Despicable Me movies, it at least promotes positive messages about families, siblings, and loyal friends.