CASEY PHILLIPS: I used to think it was impossible for an animated character to be as endearing and heart-wrenchingly cute as Boo from "Monsters, Inc." Then I saw "Despicable Me's" wide-eyed orphan, Agnes.
Nevermind the hideously exaggerated Russian accent of Gru (Steve Carell), this little ball of adorable (voiced by Elsie Fisher) and her fellow orphans, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove) and Edith (Dana Gaier), are the real show stealers. They manage to be cute but not saccharine, which is quite an accomplishment.
Were it not for these orphans and Gru's army of babbling, slapstick "minions," the film's otherwise vanilla, predictable plot wouldn't have stood out in this summer's crowd of animated flicks. As it is, they keep Gru off-balance, turning a potential snoozer into a hilarious, surprisingly touching film.
HOLLY LEBER: Yes, little Agnes and her cohorts will make that biological clock tick even louder. If only human women could gestate cherubic cartoon babes. I want an Agnes even more than I wanted a baby ogre after seeing "Shrek Forever After." She certainly gives classic cartoon cherubs like Pebbles Flintstone and Cindy Lou Who a run for their money. A scene where she expresses her overwhelming glee at a fluffy stuffed unicorn is one of the funniest, cutest moments of the film. And mildly disturbing. But she's so darling.
Oops, reviewing the movie, putting aside my estrogen frenzy.
It takes awhile for the juices to start flowing with this one. An opening scene, seemingly significant for context, really could have been removed with some none-too-clever editing. The movie really kicks off once the kids are introduced, and they're worth the wait, but really, why should we have to?
CASEY: Holly, I'd love to get through at least one review in which you didn't mention your biological clock. But I digress.
Carell is funny, but Gru's Eastern European dastardly antics are only amusing in a "Looney Tunes did this first" way. As evidence that the film doesn't put too much stock in traditional conflict, Gru's rival, Vector, is an unthreatening Bill Gates look-alike voiced by Jason Segel. He's a goofy throwaway, but that's OK because it gives the girls more time to make Gru uncomfortable, which is the movie's real charm.
HOLLY: Please. I heard yours clanging like a fire alarm.
The truth is, Gru's despicable actions are barely relevant to the film. It's his desire to be despicable and his struggle to do so after his world is shaken up by the trio of adorable that propels the film forward.
CASEY: Clang, Holly? Your attempts at proper verb usage are despicable.
HOLLY: Ooh, zing. Your attempts at humor are despicable.
CASEY: What? Someone had to go for the pun.