Movie · 2024 · Action, Animation, Comedy, Family, Science Fiction · 1h 34m · PG · English
Curator score: 1.2/10 (671.4K ratings)
Things just got a little more despicable.
Overview
Gru and Lucy and their girls—Margo, Edith and Agnes—welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad. Gru also faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina, forcing the family to go on the run.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.2/10
IMDb: 6.2/10
Letterboxd: 2.74/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 55%
Metacritic: 52
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Chris Renaud
Production
Universal Pictures, Illumination
Cast
Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell, Sofía Vergara, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Madison Polan, Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud, Steve Coogan, Stephen Colbert, Chloe Fineman, Joey King, Laraine Newman, John DiMaggio, Tara Strong, Romesh Ranganathan, Brad Ableson, Barbara Harris, Eden Boulton
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, kid-first sequel that mostly delivers the franchise’s familiar chaos, slapstick, and family dynamics, but with uneven jokes and a thin villain plot. It’s best approached as disposable summer entertainment rather than a standout animated comedy.
Best for
families with young kids
viewers who like broad slapstick and fast-paced animation
fans of the franchise who want more Minions-era silliness
casual moviegoers looking for an easy watch
Skip if
you want sharp writing or emotional depth
you’re tired of franchise repetition
you dislike hyperactive comedy and toilet humor
you expect the villain story to matter more than the gags
Overview
Despicable Me 4 is exactly the kind of sequel this franchise has trained audiences to expect: busy, brightly colored, and built around a steady stream of gags rather than narrative surprise. The family angle still gives it a little warmth, and the new baby setup adds some decent comic friction, but the movie is mostly content to recycle the series’ established rhythms.
Worth noting
The best material comes from the absurdity of the villains and the ongoing clash between Gru’s domestic life and his criminal past. When the film leans into pure cartoon escalation, it works well enough. When it pauses for plot, it feels thinner and more mechanical.
Bottom line
For kids, it’s likely to play just fine. For adults, the appeal is mostly in whether you still enjoy the franchise’s manic energy and minion-fueled nonsense. It’s not a disaster, just a very familiar machine running on fumes and charm in roughly equal measure.
Top Letterboxd reviews
James (Schaffrillas) (2.5★) · 10412 likes
Vector flosses in this one. I hope this series goes on forever
matthew (2.5★) · 10316 likes
the villain reunion in prison saved the movie.
sav (2★) · 9415 likes
franz kafka you would have loved despicable me 4
mckenna (3.5★) · 7620 likes
these non-aging children will never have to deal with taxes and i envy that
grace · 6032 likes
they got a teen girl stan twitter villain im crying