Skip to main content

Despicable Me 3 [2017]

MPAA (PG)  CNS/USCCB (A-II)  RogerEbert.com (1 1/2 Stars)  AVClub (C)  Fr. Dennis (0 Stars)

IMDb listing
CNS/USCCB (J. Mulderig) review
Los Angeles Times (J. Chang) review
RogerEbert.com (P. Sobczynski) review
AVClub (I. Vishnevetsky) review


Despicable Me 3 [2017] (directed by Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin, codirected Eric Guillon, written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio) like the stupidly racist DM2 [2013] and unlike the 2010 original (which I had thought was brilliant) remains a difficult movie for me to feel good about.

Yes, the Minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin) remain cute. Yes, Agnes (voiced by Elsie Fisher) the youngest adoptive daughter of heart-of-gold, reformed arch-villain, vaguely-East European Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and super-virtuous/super-ANGLO Miss Hattie (voiced by Kristen Wiig) remains adorable, BUT ... if DM2 [2013] went UTTERLY _OUT OF ITS WAY_ to racially attack Mexicans (!), the current film now GOES OUT OF ITS WAY to attack Gru's "vaguely South / East European background" ...

When Gru goes out with his family to search out his long lost twin brother Dru (voiced also by Steve Carell)... they find him on some "Greek-ish / Serbo-Croatian-like Island" where EVERYBODY seems to _raise PIGS_ (!!) and in probably the most unfortunate scene in the whole film, when a little boy from the Island seems to have fallen for Margo (the oldest of Gru's / Hattie's three adopted girls) OFFERING HER, AMONG OTHER THINGS _HIS PIG_ ... Hattie "STEPS UP" to "PROTECT" HER FROM HIM (and his utterly perplexed mother).

YES, IN THIS _ONE THING_ POPULIST RUSSIAN STRONGMAN VLADIMIR PUTIN IS _EXACTLY RIGHT_: Many Westerners (hence North Americans) seem to think that people from his country, Russia, (and _let's be honest_ from the other countries bordering his, many of whom sincerely believed that they were actually becoming OUR RESPECTED (!) FRIENDS and ALLIES...) are just ONE OR TWO GENERATIONS "FROM THE TREES."

How else to explain this film's portrayal of Gru's "homeland" as a place where people SEEM TO ONLY RAISE _PIGS_ and a local boy (and his mother) are portrayed as CATEGORICALLY UNWORTHY of somehow, again, categorically "more refined / sophisticated" Anglos ...

Yet this is an arrogance that is honestly born of ignorance as anyone who's actually been to Prague, Budapest, Moscow or even Belgrade or Athens would IMMEDIATELY recognize.  (Oh, but what about these countries' hinterlands?  Well, if one _wants to be honest_ none of these places are _categorically different_ from the hinterlands of the United States ... Alabama, Appalachia, Indiana, Kansas / Nebraska ...).

But we seem to insist on our (racial) superiority ... and more problematically, seem to insist on teaching our kids that as well.  Shame.


<< NOTE - Do you like what you've been reading here?  If you do then consider giving a small donation to this Blog (sugg. $6 _non-recurring_) _every so often_ to continue/further its operation. To donate just CLICK HERE.  Thank you! :-) >>

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS Episode 29 & 30

After Episode 29 recap (AGAIN~), Episode 30 comes in swinging!!!!!! AND HOLY SHIT. THAT WAS INTENSE. It was slow, quiet, yet incredibly ominous episode, but boy did we get a lot of action!!! Man, Ghost Girl is in deep deep trouble. I was pretty much screaming at my screen, “GET OUT OF THERE!!!” There is no way she is getting out of there “alive! If she does fall here, the fault lies in her greed and desire to play with fire. In fact it would be rather an ironic, yet fitting way for her to fall. The woman is a cocky trickster, and it was only a matter of time before she would get burned. But I will give mad props just seeing for once, a character actually recognizing the situation is too dangerous, and their best option would be to retreat. Unfortunately for Ghost Girl, Revolver knows how to make his place secured, trapping her inside where her only option left is to defeat him. Revolver ain’t gonna fall for your cutesy tricks Yet at the same time, Ghost Girl also very well ma...

'Manos Returns' Teaser #2

The good news is a new teaser for Manos Returns has been released and it looks and sounds creepy, thanks to a spooky rendition of Row Row Row Your Boat . The bad news is it doesn't look like the sequel will be ready in time for the 50th anniversary of Manos: The Hands of Fate , as originally planned. I think the new plan is for Manos Returns to premiere sometime in 2017. Don't worry though. To paraphrase Torgo, "It will be done soon."