“Despicable Me”: Steve Carell’s adorable supervillain

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:30:00 +0000

Presumably the under-12 target audience for "Despicable Me" -- which is likely to come away thoroughly delighted -- will not know or care that its lovably villainous hero, a long-nosed, Russian-accented ogre named Gru, is voiced by a famous comedian who just walked away from TV's most adored sitcom. But even if Steve Carell's turn in "Despicable Me" and his departure from "The Office" are linked only by coincidence, this irresistible animated surprise kicks off his career as a movie star in auspicious fashion.

An enjoyable blend of sweetness and silliness, with loads of giggles and just enough dark-edged humor to keep the adult companions interested (the Bank of Evil, where Gru seeks financing for his schemes, carries a small-print legend above its grandiose portals: "Formerly Lehman Brothers"), "Despicable Me" ranks as the second-best digital-animated family film of the summer. But when the gold medal belongs to "Toy Story 3," there's no shame in that. And unlike every other 3-D film I've seen since "Avatar," this one actually uses the technology with grace, daring and a sense of wonder. After the disgraceful gray smear of "The Last Airbender," that's wonderful to see. (Unlike that film, and "Alice in Wonderland," and 2010's other "up-converted" films, this one was actually made in 3-D, and the difference is obvious.)

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“Despicable Me”: Steve Carell’s adorable supervillain