[MOVIE -- Despicable Me]
Despicable me follows Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell) as he attempts to re-instate himself as the world's best villain.
Gru, a vaguely eastern-european looking hulk of a man, is a villain. His home, with it's stuffed monsters, various weapons, and villainous underground lair full of minnions, is a testament to this fact. So when a new, hotshot villain strolls into town and takes his title, Gru must find a way to remain the world's greatest villain. His plan: steal the moon, and sabotage his rival in the process. In order to do so, Gru takes in three young charges, believing their cookie-selling ways will give him a way in. It's only a matter of time, though, before this super-villain falls in love with these three little girls, and finds his heart.

Despicable Me is the classic tale of the villain with the heart of gold. The story itself isn't all that original, but it's done in such a way, and with such clever plot twists, that it feels as though it is. Adopting three little girls so they can sell super-engineered girl scout cookies to your nemesis is pretty ingenious. Although the movie uses the obvious device of an adorable, sweet, lisping little girl with huge eyes to melt the villain's heart, the story feels real enough, and somehow makes you care enough about the characters, that such things are overlooked. It's also quite funny, especially the minions (one of the best scenes is when Gru cracks a minion like a glo-stick, shakes him, and lets him light the way out of an air-duct). All things considered, it is a fun, light, good-looking movie with a heart. I would recommend this movie for children ages 5 and up, and I am fairly certain even their parents will enjoy it. ( )