Despicable Me (2010)
Superbad. Superdad.
Determined to prove he's the world's greatest supervillain, Gru hatches an audacious plan to steal the Moon. To pull it off, he adopts three orphaned girls—Margo, Edith, and Agnes—intending to use them as pawns in his scheme. But the unexpected bond they form forces him to question the criminal life he's always known.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 8 July 2010 |
| Genre | Animation, Comedy, Crime, Science Fiction, Family |
| Director | Pierre Coffin |
| Starring | Steve Carell, Jason Segel and Russell Brand |
| Runtime | 95 min |
| Rated | PG |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 6.8/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 80% · Metacritic 72/100 · TMDB users 7.3/10 |
| Budget | $69 million |
| Box office | $543 million worldwide |
Where to watch Despicable Me
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What kind of watch this is
Despicable Me is a 2010 animated crime comedy that runs 95 minutes. It follows Gru, a supervillain who adopts three orphaned girls to use as pawns in his plan to steal the Moon. The tagline calls him superbad and superdad, which is a fair description of the tonal whiplash. Steve Carell voices the lead, while Jason Segel and Russell Brand round out the supporting cast. Pierre Coffin directs. The film asks what happens when a criminal mastermind accidentally becomes a father. It is a surprisingly tender look at redemption, wrapped in a heist.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes lists an 80% approval rating as of July 2026, paired with a 6.8/10 average. Metacritic sits at 72 out of 100 as of January 2026, a score it tags as generally favorable. Peter Debruge of Variety noted the film smartly turns the operation over to Gru. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone praised the directors for springing surprises. Not every critic found it profound. Christy Lemire of the Associated Press predicted no one would be any different afterward. It is fun that does not ask much of you.
How it did with audiences
It cost $69 million and earned $543 million worldwide, a margin that keeps the accounting department smiling. In the United States, it pulled in $252 million. On TMDB, users give it a 7.3 out of 10. The numbers suggest the world was ready for a dad with a villain complex.
What came next for the cast
Steve Carell pivoted from Little Miss Sunshine to Crazy, Stupid, Love., then crossed into The Big Short and Vice. Jason Segel moved from How I Met Your Mother into Bad Teacher and This Is 40. Russell Brand went from Forgetting Sarah Marshall to Rock of Ages and Arthur. Julie Andrews, who had played Mary Poppins, returned with The King's Daughter. The credits list what came next. They do not explain why.
Where it left its mark
The franchise outgrew the original film. Illumination turned the Minions into its corporate mascots, a status they earned through steady popularity since the film's release. The movie also spawned specific internet memes. One references Gru’s pronunciation of "girl." Another highlights a scene where he presents a moon-heist plan, only to stumble upon a drawing of himself on the toilet. It also launched Elsie Fisher’s career. She voiced Agnes. The drawing is the part that stuck.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Despicable Me.
Sources
- Despicable Me on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q4447 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Despicable Me (film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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