Despicable Me

Mummy: ‘what did you like about the film?’
Lillie: ‘the bit where it said Destipacle Me’
Mummy: ‘who did you like best in it?’
Lillie: ‘I liked ALL OF THEM!’
Daisy: ‘they were all alright I suppose.’

Every half term or school holiday there’s one movie that tops the list of the kid’s must sees. This Autumn the big one was undoubtedly Despicable Me, the cause of the endless array of little yellow alien creature based advertising for the last approximately 310 years.

So once all the smelly, badly behaved children had returned to school I took my own fragrant always well behaved child and her equally perfect friend to Kettering Odeon to join the three other people in the area yet to have watch the latest Dreamworks offering.

The story goes thus: criminal mastermind Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell) plans to steal the moon with the aid of his many tiny cute minions and his Q style accomplice Nefario (oddly, Russell Brand). Long story short he needs small children to sell cookies in order to achieve his aims. Enter three orphaned girls - cutesy Agnes, ballsy Edith and smart Margo. Mayhem predictably ensues and oh! they win his heart and turn him from evil doer to World’s Best Dad.

It’s predictable stuff with an eye rollingly schmaltzy conclusion, the ending even featuring the inevitable dance-to-a-well-known-disco-track.

While Despicable Me certainly held Daisy and Lil’s attention it was probably a little short on fairies and princesses to make their top three. At four years old apiece a fair few of the jokes probably went way over their heads, although they did make me, as we say in the business, LOL.

From a kid’s point of view - maybe a kid older than our reviewers, perhaps a kid boy-er than our reviewers - this is an ideal combination of big explosions, funny voices and fart jokes. From an adult’s point of view, well, honestly? All the best bits were in the trailer. Carrell is great as the voice of Gru with plenty of laughs however Brand proves that he’s no better as a voice actor than as a live action one. The little yellow minions have clearly been lined up to steal the show, however Lil and Daisy seemed not to be especially taken with them. Even though they did photocopy their bottoms and do karaoke.

And is it just me that feels a bit wrong about having Russell Brand in a kid’s movie? Even if it is only his voice? Yes? You go and try not to think about his too-tight leather trousers then…