Despicable Me 4

Rated PG • Theaters

The mostly reformed villain Gru and his minions are back in Illumination Studios’ Despicable Me 4, and they must grapple with a new enemy and a growing family.

In each installment of Despicable Me, Gru (Steve Carell) finds new family members. First he adopted three adorable little girls. Then he fell in love and got married. Then he found a lost brother. In Despicable Me 4, Gru and his wife Lucy welcome a baby boy, who’s just as cranky as his father.

But having a rambunctious baby around the house isn’t the family’s biggest problem. Maxime Le Mal (Will Farrell) is a rival from Gru’s past. When Maxime breaks out of prison swearing revenge on Gru, the Anti-Villain League sends the Gru family into hiding.

The family struggles to live normally in suburbia. Gru can’t get respect from the neighbors. Lucy fails abysmally at her new job. And the girls have trouble fitting in and making friends. In the midst of this, Gru gets conned into a heist, where we see the world’s greatest thief dust off his old villain skills. There’s also a subplot in which five minions get comic-book superpowers.

Despicable Me 4 is rated PG for some rude humor—much of it having to do with Gru Jr.’s diaper. There’s also plenty of comic action and slapstick violence.

This latest installment contains the typical madcap mayhem, but don’t expect much from the plot. The various scenes are amusing in isolation, but they don’t hang together well. Maxime is missing from two-thirds of the movie. Much of the second act contains unrelated comic bits in which the family fails at life in sub­urbia. And the subplot about mega minions with superpowers merely attempts to pad this 95-minute film.

Despite the failings of its narrative structure, kids will enjoy the movie for what it is—a silly romp full of ridiculous moments. But older viewers won’t find enough substance to warrant repeat viewings.