Despicable Me

Let us take time away from the grind of writing, deadlines, vampires, angst, romance, and anything else one can think of. Let us escape. Let us embrace the wonder that is DESPICABLE ME.

Not me... Despicable Me. I went to see this with Ahmed this weekend as a complete indulgent escape, and have not been as charmed and swept-away since Aladdin blew me off my theater seat. Steve Carell is that good as Gru.

Despicable Me is old-school animated fun, relying not on 3-D nonsense and trickery, but on great voice work and incredibly good writing. It's gothic, riddled with homage moments (Gru seems to be a combination of Peter Sellers and Boris Karloff with a dash of Boris Bedanof from Rocky and Bullwinkle). It's got a dash of Lemony Snicket without the severity, a bit of Willy Wonka without the absurdity, and touch of Beetlejuice without the esoterica. Roll it all together with Carell's absolutely perfect timing and we're off to the races.

Gru is, of course, the man who aspires to be the greatest villain of all time. He just keeps losing out to another super-nerd villain. In his quest to steal the moon (no kidding), Gru comes up with a diabolical plan to manipulate three little orphans. Intending to use them in his evil plot, he isn't expecting them to sneak up on his heart when he's busy planning dark deeds.

I just LOVED this movie. It was about family, and the true nature of fatherhood, and the power of the human heart. That it's set against a backdrop of not-so-evil super-villainy is brilliant. The Minions-- an army of weenie one and two-eyed critters with an infectiously elusive language of their own-- provide some of the most giggly comic relief ever. They will be the new Gremlins come Christmas-time.

Go see it. Now. Or I shall banish you to the box of shame!