Minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin), Silas (voiced by Steve Coogan), Edith (voiced by Dana Gaier), Agnes (voiced by Madison Polan), Margo (voiced by Miranda Cosgrove), Gru Jr., Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig) and Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) in “Despicable Me 4” (Image courtesy of Illumination and Universal Pictures)
Directed by Chris Renaud; co-directed by Patrick Delage
Culture Representation: Taking place mostly in the fictional U.S. city of Mayflower, the animated film “Despicable Me 4” features a group of characters portraying a spy’s family that goes into hiding, their enemies and their neighbors.
Culture Clash: After a high school reunion turns sour, Gru (a former supervillain who now works as an agent for the Anti Villain League) and his family go into hiding in Mayflower when they find out that Gru’s enemy Maxime Le Mal wants to kidnap the family’s infant son.
Culture Audience: “Despicable Me 4” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, the “Despicable Me” franchise, and animated films that have short attenion spans with their plots.
Maxime Le Mal (voiced by Will Ferrell) and Valentina (voiced by Sofía Vergara) in “Despicable Me 4” (Image courtesy of Illumination and Universal Pictures)
“Despicable Me 4” falls into a sequel trap of trying to cram too many things in a story. The results are an unfocused and occasionally amusing animated film that has several subplots that go nowhere. Children under the age of 8 and die-hard fans of the “Despicable Me” franchise might enjoy this movie more than viewers who can’t overlook the movie’s obvious flaws.
Directed by Chris Renaud and co-directed by Patrick Delage, “Despicable Me 4” was written by Ken Daurio and Mike White. The central character in the “Despicable Me” movies is a former supervillain named Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), who now works as an agent for the Anti Villain League. The “Despicable Me” movie series began with the 2010 film “Despicable Me” and continued with 2013’s “Despicable Me 2” and 2017’s “Despicable Me 3.” Like many movie franchises, the first movie in the series is still the best. Gru works with miniature yellow creatures (who don’t speak but make noises) called Minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin), which are Gru’s assistants that have their own spinoff movie series.
In “Despicable Me 4,” there’s not one but two storylines about separate abductions. There’s a story about a family that goes into hiding by relocating to another city, but the family’s patriarch and matriarch try to “fit in” with snobs in their new neighborhood. There’s a storyline about former school rivals who’ve turned into bitter enemies. There’s a subplot about five of the Minions turning into superheroes called Mega Minions. It’s just all too much going on in this overly busy plot, and not much of it comes together in a cohesive way. The movie’s plot often looks like sketches strung together.
“Despicable Me” begins with Gru attending a Class of 1985 reunion at his alma mater high school Lycee Pas Bon, a learning institution for future villains. At the reunion, Gru is miffed that his former school rival Maxime Le Mal (voiced by Will Ferrell) has received the Golden Alumni award. It leads to Maxime and Gru reigniting their feud after Gru is responsible for getting Maxime arrested. Maxime and his sultry girlfriend Valentina (voiced by Sofía Vergara) then hatch a plot to kidnap Gru’s infant son Gru Jr.
Maxime (who is obsessed with cockroaches) sends a video threat to Gru while Maxime is in jail. The Anti Villain League’s efficient leader Silas Ramsbottom (voiced by Steve Coogan) arranges for Gru and Gru’s family to go into a “witness protection” type of relocation to the city of Mayflower, where they will pose as a typical middle-class family. Gru’s family consists of his cheerful wife Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig) and their daughters Edith (voiced by Dana Gaier), Agnes (voiced by Madison Polan) and Margo (voiced by Miranda Cosgrove), along with baby Gru Jr. The family also has a white goat named Lucky that they can’t take with them to their new home.
The family members are given new names and new identities. Gru’s new name/identity is Chet Carmichael, a solar panel salesman. Lucy’s new name/identity is Blanche Carmichael, a hair stylist at an upscale salon called Mane on Maine. Various antics ensue regarding Gru/Chet and Lucy/Blanche trying to become friends with the snooty family next door: Perry Prescott (voiced by Stephen Colbert), who owns Prescott Motors, the largest auto dealership in the state; his socialite wife Patsy Prescott (voiced by Chloe Fineman); and their stuck-up teenage daughter Poppy Prescott (voiced by Joey King), who later engages in blackmail about a secret that she discovers. The movie also has time-wasting scenes showing mishaps involving Gru’s daughters in a karate class, as well as an inexperienced Lucy having a hair disaster with an obnoxious customer named Melora (voiced by Laraine Newman) at Mane on Main.
The movie’s soundtrack music is steeped in 1970s and 1980s nostalgia. The Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancing,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” The Sylvers’ “Boogie Fever,” Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana (At the Copa),” “Guns N’Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” Culture Club’s “Karma Chameleon” and Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” are some of the songs that are prominently featured in the movie. Pharrell Williams’ “Double Life,” an original song written for the “Despicable Me 4” soundtrack, is obviously trying to repeat the Oscar nomination success of Williams’ “Happy” from the “Despicable Me 2” soundtrack. “Happy” is by far a better song, while the bland “Double Life” is unlikely to get an Oscar nomination or win any major awards.
“Despicable Me 4” has adequate-to-good performances from the voice cast, but what sinks the movie is the fact that the screenplay and direction have too many distractions. There’s a flurry of action scenes that seem more manic than well-conceived. The ending will get mixed results from viewers, since it just seems like a lazy way to conclude the story. Part of the fun of the “Despicable Me” franchise is in how Gru and his allies handle the villains that are pitted against them. The ending of “Despicable Me 4” is a mushy conclusion that further muddles and diminishes the anti-hero personality of Gru.
Universal Pictures will release “Despicable Me 4” in U.S. cinemas on July 3, 2024.
The following is a press release from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences:
Michael Douglas at the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 6, 2019. (Photo by Paul Drinkwater/NBC)
Viola Davis at the 90th annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 4, 2018. (Photo Craig Sjodin/ABC)
Jimmy Kimmel at the 90th annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 4, 2018. (Photo by Craig Sjodin/ABC)
The Television Academy and Emmy Awards telecast producers Don Mischer Productions and Done+Dusted announced the first group of talent set to present the iconic Emmy statuettes at the 71st Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 22.
The presenters include:
Angela Bassett* (9-1-1 and The Flood)
Stephen Colbert* (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert)
Viola Davis* (How to Get Away with Murder)
Michael Douglas* (The Kominsky Method)
Taraji P. Henson (Empire)
Terrence Howard (Empire)
Jimmy Kimmel* (Jimmy Kimmel Live)
Peter Krause (9-1-1)
Seth Meyers* (Late Night With Seth Meyers and Documentary Now!)
Billy Porter* (Pose)
Naomi Watts (The Loudest Voice)
Zendaya (Euphoria)
The cast of Game of Thrones: Alfie Allen*, Gwendoline Christie*, Emilia Clarke*, Peter Dinklage*, Kit Harington*, Lena Headey*, Sophie Turner*, Carice van Houten*, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau*, and Maisie Williams*
September 17, 2019 UPDATE:
More presenters have been announced for the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards:
Anthony Anderson* (black-ish)
Ike Barinholtz (Bless the Harts)
Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood)
Max Greenfield (The Neighborhood)
Bill Hader* (Barry)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus* (VEEP)
Cast of VEEP: Anna Chlumsky, Gary Cole, Kevin Dunn, Clea DuVall, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Sarah Sutherland, Matt Walsh
Gwyneth Paltrow (The Politician)
Amy Poehler* (Duncanville and Russian Doll)
Maya Rudolph (Bless the Harts and The Good Place)
RuPaul* (RuPaul’s Drag Race)
Lilly Singh (A Little Late with Lilly Singh)
Ben Stiller* (Escape at Dannemora)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge* (Fleabag)
Cast of Keeping Up with the Kardashians: Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner
The 71st Emmy Awards will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 22, (8:00-11:00 PM ET/5:00-8:00 PM PT) on FOX.
For more information, please visit Emmys.com. Find out Where to Watch.
Oprah Winfrey and “The Handmaid’s Tale” Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Veep,” “Big Little Lies,” “Atlanta,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Black Mirror: San Junipero” and “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” were among the shows that won multiple awards in major categories at the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles September 17, 2017. “The Handmaid’s Tale” won five awards, including Outstanding Drama Series. “Big Little Lies” won five awards, including Outstanding Limited Series or Movie. “Saturday Night Live” won four prizes, including Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. “Atlanta” won two prizes, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for show creator/star Donald Glover. “Veep” received two Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Julia Louis-Dreyfus. It was her sixth consecutive win of this award, making her the record for the most wins by an actor or actress for the same TV show. Meanwhile, “Black Mirror: San Junipero” won two Emmys, including Outstanding Television Movie.
“Westworld” and “Saturday Night Live” went into the ceremony with the most nominations (22 each), but “Westworld” was ultimately snubbed and did not win in the major categories. However, “Westworld” was one of the top winners (taking five awards) at the 69th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which were presented on September 9 and September 10.
CBS had the live U.S. telecast of the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, which was hosted by Stephen Colbert who spent much of his on-stage time making jokes about President Donald Trump. Eligible shows were those that had first-run prime-time or late-night (8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Eastern Time) airings on U.S. television or U.S. streaming services from June 1, 2016 to May 31, 2017.
Highlights of the show included former White House press secretary Sean Spicer making a surprise appearance on stage to poke fun at his widely mocked claim that Trump’s inauguration was the most-attended presidential inauguration in U.S. history. Colbert later addressed Spice as Melissa McCarthy, who won an Emmy for the first time she her parody of Spicer on “Saturday Night Live.” Other highlights included the reunion of “9 to 5” stars Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda, as well as TV comedy legends Norman Lear and Carol Burnett presenting an award together.
The following are the winners and nominees for the 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards:
*=winner
Drama Series
“Better Call Saul” (AMC)
“The Crown” (Netflix) “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)*
“House of Cards” (Netflix)
“Stranger Things” (Netflix)
“This Is Us” (NBC)
“Westworld” (HBO)
Drama Actress
Viola Davis (“How to Get Away with Murder”)
Claire Foy (“The Crown”) Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)*
Keri Russell (“The Americans”)
Evan Rachel Wood (“Westworld”)
Robin Wright (“House of Cards”)
Drama Actor Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”)*
Anthony Hopkins (“Westworld”)
Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)
Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”)
Liev Schreiber (“Ray Donovan”)
Kevin Spacey (“House of Cards”)
Milo Ventimiglia (“This Is Us”)
Comedy Actor
Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”)
Aziz Ansari (“Master of None”)
Zach Galifianakis (“Baskets”) Donald Glover (“Atlanta”)*
William H. Macy (“Shameless”)
Jeffrey Tambor (“Transparent”)
Comedy Actress
Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”)
Tracee Ellis-Ross (“black-ish”)
Jane Fonda (“Grace and Frankie”)
Allison Janney (“Mom”)
Ellie Kemper (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”) Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”)*
Lily Tomlin (“Grace and Frankie”)
Limited Series “Big Little Lies” (HBO)*
“Fargo” (FX)
“Feud: Bette and Joan” (FX)
“The Night Of” (HBO)
“Genius” (National Geographic)
Limited Series Actor Riz Ahmed (“The Night Of”)*
Benedict Cumberbatch (“Sherlock: The Lying Detective”)
Robert De Niro (“The Wizard of Lies”)
Ewan McGregor (“Fargo”)
Geoffrey Rush (“Genius”)
John Turturro (“The Night Of”)
Limited Series Actress Carrie Coon (“Fargo”)
Felicity Huffman (“American Crime”) Nicole Kidman (“Big Little Lies”)*
Jessica Lange (“Feud”)
Susan Sarandon (“Feud”)
Reese Witherspoon (“Big Little Lies”)
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Jonathan Banks (“Better Call Saul”)
David Harbour (“Stranger Things”)
Ron Cephas Jones (“This Is Us”)
Michael Kelly (“House of Cards”) John Lithgow (“The Crown”)*
Mandy Patinkin (“Homeland”)
Jeffrey Wright (“Westworld”)
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Uzo Aduba (“Orange Is the New Black”)
Millie Bobby Brown (“Stranger Things”) Ann Dowd (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)*
Chrissy Metz (“This Is Us”)
Thandie Newton (“Westworld”)
Samira Wiley (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Louie Anderson (“Baskets”) Alec Baldwin (“Saturday Night Live”)*
Tituss Burgess (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”)
Ty Burrell (“Modern Family”)
Tony Hale (“Veep”)
Matt Walsh (“Veep”)
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Vanessa Bayer (“Saturday Night Live”)
Anna Chlumsky (“Veep”)
Kathryn Hahn (“Transparent”)
Leslie Jones (“Saturday Night Live”)
Judith Light (“Transparent”) Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”)*
Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Bill Camp (“The Night Of”)
Alfred Molina (“Feud: Bette and Joan”) Alexander Skarsgård (“Big Little Lies”)*
Stanley Tucci (“Feud: Bette and Joan”)
David Thewlis (“Fargo”)
Michael K. Williams (“The Night Of”)
Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Judy Davis (“Feud: Bette and Joan”) Laura Dern (“Big Little Lies”)*
Jackie Hoffman (“Feud: Bette and Joan”)
Regina King (“American Crime”)
Michelle Pfeiffer (The Wizard of Lies”)
Shailene Woodley (“Big Little Lies”)
Variety Talk Series
“Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” (TBS)
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC) “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (HBO)*
“Late Late Show With James Corden” (CBS)
“Real Time With Bill Maher” (HBO)
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS)
Television Movie “Black Mirror: San Junipero”*
“Dolly Parton’s Christmas Of Many Colors: Circle Of Love”
“The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks”
“Sherlock: The Lying Detective (Masterpiece)”
“The Wizard Of Lies”
Variety Sketch Series
“Billy On The Street” (truTV)
“Documentary Now!” (IFC)
“Drunk History” (Comedy Central)
“Portlandia” (IFC) “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)*
“Tracey Ullman’s Show” (HBO)
Directing for a Comedy Series Donald Glover (“Atlanta”)*
Jamie Babbit (“Silicon Valley”)
Morgan Sackett (“Veep”)
David Mandel (“Veep”)
Dale Stern (“Veep”)
Directing for a Drama Series
Vince Gilligan (“Better Call Saul”)
Stephen Daldry (“The Crown”) Reed Morano (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)*
Kate Dennis (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Lesli Linka Glatter (“Homeland”)
The Duffer Brothers (“Stranger Things”)
Jonathan Nolan (“Westworld”)
Directing for a Variety Series
Derek Waters & Jeremy Konner (“Drunk History”)
Andy Fisher (Jimmy Kimmel Live”)
Paul Pennolino (“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”)
Jim Hoskinson (“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”) Don Roy King (“Saturday Night Live”)*
Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
Ron Howard (“Genius”)
James Marsh (“The Night Of”) Jean-Marc Vallée (“Big Little Lies”)*
Ryan Murphy (“Feud: Bette and Joan”)
Steve Zaillian (“The Night Of”)
Writing for a Comedy Series Aziz Ansari & Lena Waithe (“Master of None”)*
Alec Berg (“Silicon Valley”)
Donald Glover (“Atlanta”)
Stephen Glover (“Atlanta”)
Billy Kimball (“Veep”)
David Mandel (“Veep”)
Writing for a Drama Series
The Duffer Brothers (“Stranger Things”)
Lisa Joy & Jonathan Nolan (“Westworld”)
Peter Morgan (“The Crown”) Bruce Miller (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)*
Gordon Smith (“Better Call Saul”)
Joe Weisberg & Joel Fields (“The Americans”)
Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Drama
David E. Kelley (“Big Little Lies”) Charlie Brooker (“Black Mirror: San Junipero”)*
Noah Hawley (“Fargo”)
Ryan Murphy (“Feud: Bette and Joan”)
Jaffe Cohen, Michael, Michael Zam & Ryan Murphy (“Feud: Bette and Joan”)
Richard Price & Steven Zaillian (“The Night Of”)
Writing for a Variety Series
Jo Miller, Samantha Bee, Ashley Nicole Black, Pat Cassels, Eric Drysdae, Mathan Erhardt, Travon Free, Joe Grossman, Miles Kahn, Melinda Taub & Jason Reich (“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”) Kevin Avery, Tim Carvell, Josh Gondelman, Dan Gurewitch, Geoff Haggerty, Jeff Maurer, John Oliver, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss & Juli Weiner (“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”)*
Jermaine Affonso, Alex Baze, Bryan Donaldson, Sal Gentile, Matt Goldich, Dina Gusovky, Jenny Hagel, Allison Hord, Mike Karnell, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Ian Morgan, Seth Reiss, Amber Ruffin, Mike Scollins, Mike Shoemaker & Ben Warheit (“Late Night with Seth Meyers”)
Barry Julien, Jay Katsir, Opus Moreschi, Stephen Colbert, Tom Purcell, Matt Lappin, Michael Brumm, Nate Charny, Aaron Cohen, Cullen Crawford, Paul Dinello, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Daniel Kibblesmith, Michael Pielocik, Kate Sidley, Jen Spyra, Brian Stack & John Thibodeaux (“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”)
Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider, Kent Sublette, Bryan Tucker, Pete Schultz, James Anderson, Kristen Bartlett, Jeremy Beiler, Zach Bornstein, Joanna Bradley, Megan Callahan, Michael Che, Anna Drezen, Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Nick Kocher, Dave McCary, Brian McElhaney, Dennis McNicholas, Drew Michael, Lorne Michaels, Josh Patten, Katie Rich, Streeter Seidell, Will Stephen & Julio Torres (“Saturday Night Live”)
“Big Little Lies” Emmy winners Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
“This Is Us” Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
“Veep” Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
Norman Lear and Carol Burnett at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
Viola Davis at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
Emmy Awards host Stephen Colbert at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
“The Handmaid’s Tale” Emmy winner Ann Dowd at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
“9 to 5” stars Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
“Big Little Lies” Emmy winner Alexander Skarsgård at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
“Mom” stars Anna Faris and Allison Janney at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
“Atlanta” Emmy winner Donald Glover at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
“Saturday Night Live” Emmy winners Dave Chappelle and Melissa McCarthy at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
“Saturday Night Live” Emmy winner Kate McKinnon at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
“The Crown” Emmy winner John Lithgow at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
“Big Little Lies” Emmy winner Laura Dern at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017 (Photo by Trae Patton/CBS)
