Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Madison Polan, Will Ferrell, Sofia Vergara, Joey King, Stephen Colbert, Chloe Fineman, Pierre Coffin, Steve Coogan
OUR RATING: ★★★☆☆
Story: Illumination’s animated comedy sequel directed by Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage, and written by Mike White and Ken Daurio. Despicable Me 4 (2024) begins a new chapter as Gru (Steve Carrell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) and their girls, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Madison Polan), welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad. The family is forced to go on the run when they become targeted by a new nemesis, escaped criminal Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Sofia Vergara).
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Best Quotes from Despicable Me 4
Maxime: Kids can be so cruel, but Maxime can be even crueler!
Maxime: Look who it is. If it isn’t Gru-ser the Loser.
Gru: You look…
Maxime: Magnificent? Yes, I know. What did you think, huh? I was going to look like a bald loser with a dad bod? Oops. Looks like you beat me to it, no?
Gru: They got the almond milk, soy milk, hemp milk, oat milk, goat milk, chocolate milk, half-and-half, powdered, and of magnesia.
Lucy: What about regular milk?
Gru: They don’t make that anymore.
Gru: Behind that sourpuss, I know you love your Dada! Go on, say it. “Dada. Da-da.”
Lucy: Yes, of course he loves you! He just doesn’t show it on his face. Or with his body language. Right, Gru Jr.?
Gru: [referring to Maxime] Don’t worry, he can’t get out of there. It’s a maximum security prison.
Silas: Ah, yes. Well, he escaped yesterday.
Gru: What?!
Margo: What about all my friends?
Gru: You’ll make new friends, probably better ones.
Gru: Lot of emotions, big life change. Less talking, more walking.
Lucy: Wow, it’s so cold and uninviting. But in a homey kind of way.
Agnes: It has a vending machine! I love this place!
Silas: Lucy, you’re a hairstylist at an upscale salon.
Lucy: A hair stylist? Yes! Jackpot! Silas, did you choose that because you knew I cut my own hair? And that I would totally rock at this?
Silas: No.
Margo: My name is Bree?
Lucy: Oh, come on. There are worse names than Bree.
Margo: Yeah. Like Blanche.
Lucy: Yes, Margo! Blanche? That’s a terrible name. Imagine being named Blanche. Truly, I cannot think of a worse… My name is Blanche, isn’t it?
Margo: Yep.
Lucy: Well, I’ll get used to it.
Silas: Gru, you’re going to have to try to not be so Gru-ish.
Gru: I don’t make people awkward or uncomfortable. I’m very comforting. Like a nice meat loaf. I’m pretty delicious.
Agnes: We aren’t “stupposed” to lie.
Gru: Don’t think of it as lying. Think of it as high stakes pretending.
Gru: Agnes, as your father, I command you to lie!
Gru: Why can’t you be more like your sister, Edith? She lies all the time.
Edith: No, I don’t.
Gru: See? See? She’s lying right now. Beautifully, I might add.
Gru: Anytime you want to hang out, just hit me up with a text.
Silas: We need volunteers. We are looking for the strong, the mighty, the fearless. We need the best of the best. So, who’s it going to be?
Silas: [to the 5 remaining minions as the others step back] Yes. Nice work, gentlemen.
Silas: [to the minions] You will be the first to test our Super-serum, designed to transform you into elite agents with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal man. Or you might just explode. We don’t really know.
Hair Salon Owner: [to Lucy] Well, you are exactly what we need here. Lot of vain, demanding divas in this town.
Melora: I have a hair emergency, people!
Maxime: It’s not supposed to be cute, no! I’m going for intimidating. Terrifying, even. Now, all I have to do is find that walking bald potato, and his baby is mine.
Margo: Ugh, teenagers are the worst.
Gru: Yeah. Babies are no picnic, either.
Gru: Ever hear of respecting your elders?
Poppy Prescott: I don’t respect boomers. I just mock them.
Perry Prescott: He doesn’t seem like much of a tennis guy.
Gru: Much of a tennis guy? I am too much of a tennis guy. I’m Mr. Tennis. It’s my favorite of all the sports games. With the racket, and with the balls. So yellow and fuzzy.
Maxime: This won’t be like the ninth grade talent show.
Valentina: Ay, again with this.
Maxime: Yes, again. It was a pivotal moment. Why can’t you indulge me?
Maxime: What now?
Valentina: We’re low on fuel.
Maxime: It’s always something. Look, I can never focus on just being evil.
Maxime: [trying to pay at the gas station machine] Insert card and remove rapidly. “Card not read.” Oh, come on.
Valentina: Did you pull it out rapidly?
Maxime: Yes. Yes! Very rapidly.
Lucy: Clean up on aisle nine! I’ve always wanted to say that.
Poppy Prescott: This heist will look so great on my villain transcripts.
Gru: That is a terrible idea. Have you ever even seen a honey badger? They are vicious little monsters. They literally eat bees and cobras for breakfast. Honey badger don’t care.
Gru: No way am I helping you.
Poppy Prescott: Well, that’s the thing with blackmail. You kind of have no choice.
Old Woman: I’m sick of superheroes.
Gru: And now we cut through the glass with my… Diapers? What? You’ve got to be kidding with me.
Gru: You know, the most important part of a heist is being constantly aware of potential danger.
Gru: Please, Junior. Daddy needs to steal a honey badger.
Gru: [referring to the honey badger] I’ll hit him with this. Once he’s knocked out, we’ll open the cage. That fuzzy demon will sleep like a baby.
Gru: I tranked myself!
Agnes: Sorry. I’m not “stupposed” to talk to strangers.
Principal Ubelschlecht: Oh. I’m not a stranger.
Agnes: Well, you look strange to me.
Margo: Who is it?
Agnes: I don’t know. But she’s old and smells like pickles.
Silas: Gru’s been compromised. This is an emergency, people. Retirement is officially over. Assemble the Mega Minions.
Maxime: Ugh! Are you kidding me? You got pee-pee all over my ship.
Gru: You know something, today has been a real roller coaster of emotion.
Gru: [as they watch Agnes instruct Lucky to play dead] Ah, that was disturbing.
Lucy: Yeah, little bit.
Maxime: I could outsing you any day of the week and all day Sunday.
[we then see Gru and Maxime perform “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” for prisoners]