After failing to capture Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker) for the Anti-Villain League, Gru (Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) find themselves unemployed, wondering what the future holds for their family. When little Agnes (Nev Scharrel) starts selling her toys to neighborhood kids to help supplement the family income, Gru, like any good parent, lets her know that everything will be fine. Meanwhile, the Minions, fed up with Gru’s continued good behavior, go on strike and pretty much leave the movie’s main story for their own insignificant side plot.

 

When word comes that Gru has a twin brother he never knew, the family packs up to meet Dru (also voiced by Steve Carell). Dru has done well for himself and Gru’s clan takes in Dru’s extravagant home with wide eyes. But Dru feels unfulfilled in that he never followed in his Dad’s villainous footsteps so he asks Gru to teach him how to be a villain. Gru needs the huge diamond stolen by Bratt in order to get his job back. So Gru and Dru set about stealing the diamond from Bratt.

 

Despicable Me 3 will have the kids laughing out loud at the crazy antics of Gru and Dru. Parents might well shake their heads, especially at Bratt, a washed-up child actor stuck in the ‘80’s, complete with shoulder pads, hi-tops, and mullet. There are too many story lines going on at the same time to make a cohesive film. There’s Gru and Dru doing one thing, the Minions doing another, Lucy trying her best to be a good mom to her new stepdaughters, and Agnes’s quest for a live unicorn.

 

Even though the story is fairly convoluted, it’s worth taking your kids to see. There are laughs abounding, even a version of the Pirates of Penzance song, “I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General.” And just as you conclude that the story has no more possibilities, the ending sets up a possible sequel. Even with all its imperfections, Despicable Me 3 is worth the watch as Gru and his ever-growing family try to sort out their new relationships and encounter all the funny things that go along with loving family members even with all their quirks.