

Predictable but fun, this "threequel" is an amusing, kid-friendly mix of sibling interaction, '80s humor, and irresistibly silly minion jokes. Gru uses Dru and his secret lair full of high-tech weapons and vehicles to stop Balthazar, while Dru believes they're on a twin mission to become villains. But then they discover that he's secretly hoping to be a villain like his late father and twin brother. Gru, Lucy, and the girls set off for Freedonia, where they believe Dru to be the country's richest pig farmer. All but two of his minions leave Gru's side when he won't go back to being a villain, and then he's informed of something unthinkable: He has a long-lost identical twin, Dru (also Carell), who was brought up by their father (Gru thought he had died) in the foreign country of Freedonia. So the new head of the AVL fires them, leaving Gru restless and jobless. Gru and Lucy successfully capture the diamond Balthazar was after, but they aren't able to arrest him. Emotionally stuck in the '80s, Bratt ( Trey Parker) wants to make Hollywood pay for cancelling his show and turning him into a has-been.

They team up to take down the latest supervillain to pose a worldwide threat: Balthazar Bratt, former child star of a short-lived 1980s TV show called Evil Bratt. In DESPICABLE ME 3, Anti-Villain League agents Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and Lucy ( Kristen Wiig) are now married. Lucy is a positive female role model, but the cast isn't particularly diverse otherwise. As with all the Despicable Me films, you can expect strong messages about the power of family and friendship, as well as teamwork and communication. Language is mild ("loser," "failure," and "screw up," plus "boobs" in Minion-ese), but the minions occasionally look partially nude (buttocks, etc.), as do Gru and the movie's villain after a weapon blows off their clothes, leaving them strategically covered in pink bubble gum. There are plenty of chases and explosions, and generally it feels a bit heavier on action than the previous movies. While the violence is mostly cartoonish and silly (think super-sized, sticky chewing gum violent action figures, and dart guns), it does include high-tech weapons and a destructive super-sized robot with lasers. This time around, Gru, Lucy and their three girls are invited to Freedonia to meet Gru's long-lost twin brother, Dru (also Carrell).

Parents need to know that Despicable Me 3 is the third installment in the hit Despicable Me franchise about reformed supervillain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and his new wife, Lucy ( Kristen Wiig), who are both Anti-Villain League agents.
