Entertainment : From the Front Row of the Balcony: \'Despicable Me\' is a fun, smart family film

For the past several months, parents in minivans all over the U.S. have been hearing the same question from little voices in the back seat:

"Does THIS count as annoying?"

A movie that has people talking (and children quoting it) after only its preview is shown on theaters has lots of potential.

And "Despicable Me" lives up to that potential.

I was expecting a big crowd at the Palace Friday for the opening, so my two youngest daughters and I arrived at the theater at 6:30 p.m.

"We've got a few single seats left in the balcony," said Gerald Horst.

At 6:40, there were only four single seats left in the entire theater. Soon the "Sold Out" sign was put on the door.

"Despicable Me" is an animated 3D film with lots of humor for adults and children, some creative and fun-to-watch 3D cartoon action (you will love the roller coaster ride).

It's original, clever and keeps you guessing how it will end.

"It's better than Shrek," said one of my daughters.

That sentiment was also expressed on the Rotten Tomatoes web site, which gave "Despicable Me" an rating of 79-87 out of 100.

The Story

Gru is a bad guy.

He considers himself a criminal. He drives the most gas-guzzling SUV in town and parks where he wants, regardless of whose car is already parked there. He's got a dog that looks like a monster. He lives in a very large house in a very nice suburban neighborhood.

Gru is mean to his neighbors. He's mean to everyone. When three orphan girls show up at his door to sell cookies, he shoos them away.

Except, the problem is he's not as good at being bad as he has always dreamed of being. He has always aspired to pull off the perfect heist that will leave him eternally famous among the worst of Earth. He also is continually reminded of his mediocre life by his mother, who constantly reminded of his failures throughout life.

Gru is aided by an army of Minions and his technological expert, Dr. Nefario (imagine the gadget guy from the Bond movies, only with more of an accent and much worse hearing).

But despite all this manpower and technology, Gru has only managed to steal a couple of Las Vegas statues and the Jumbotron from Times Square.

A new heist has made headlines; someone has stolen one of the pyramids in Egypt.

Gru, inspired by this feat, decides it's time to steal the moon. He goes to the Bank of Evil (the adults in the audience laughed when they saw the words "Formerly Lehman Brothers" on the bank sign).

But he can't get a loan unless he can show the bank that he has possession of the shrink-ray gun he needs to make the moon small enough to carry away.

Gru begins a pursuit of the gun and the moon. Along the way, he becomes convinced that the three orphan girls — Margo, Agnes and Edith — are the secret to stealing the shrink ray. So he adopts the girls and tries to make them unwitting partners in his evil pursuit.

Soon the girls have Gru feeling more like a father than a fiend, and he begins to see his career as a criminal in a new light.

My favorite part:

The amusement park scene, where Gru took the three girls, hoping to ditch them quickly and continue his moon-stealing pursuit. Instead he is force to spend the day with them there. It becomes a bonding experience that forces Gru to have to choose between the orphans and his quest for infamy.

My least favorite part:

The beginning scene shows tourists arriving at the Pyramids in Egypt. As they get off the bus, the only sound the audience hears is a song: "Sweet Home Alabama."

Seriously?

Well, it seems that the fine folks at Universal used up all of their "originality" budget on the animation and script, leaving nothing for the soundtrack. But this is a very minor blemish on an otherwise very good movie.

Why you should go:

It's cute. It's smart. It's funny for kids and adults alike. It's as original as anything else you will see this summer. It's a great 3D experience.

What you should know before you go:

Get there early. Be careful not to smudge your 3D glasses (do not ask me how I know this; fortunately there are tissues available in the rest rooms in case this mishap occurs to you).