The Absolute Best Steve Carell Performance Is Tearing Up The Streaming Charts
Steve Carell made a name for himself as Michael Scott in The Office, but one of his best character performances is tearing up the streaming charts.
This article is more than 2 years old
There are a host of characters that Steve Carell has played over the years that have made the man one of the most beloved actors. From his time as Michael Scott in The Office to Andy in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, there are so many characters that bare the signature style of Carell’s on-par humorous delivery. But there is one character that has been beloved by all people. Not just fans of the raunchy adult comedies, but by families around the world. It stands as his best performance, and that is none other than his portrayal as the “evil” genius Gru, from Despicable Me. People are starting to rediscover this fact or are showing their children this genius, as the film is currently in the top five on Hulu.
The first Despicable Me film came out in 2010 and brought together Steve Carell with fellow comedic actor, Jason Segel. Segel played the villain, Vector. The cast was well-rounded out with Russell Brand (Dr. Nefario), Julie Andrews (Gru’s mother), Will Arnett (Mr. Perkins), Kristin Wiig (Miss Hattie), Miranda Cosgrove (Margo), and Jermaine Clement (Jerry the minion). The film was instrumental in bringing to light a group of workers that the world has obsessed over since, the Minions These hilarious and yellow followers of Gru brought another element to this family-friendly adventure, which also turned them into their franchise of sorts.
Despicable Me follows supervillain Gru (Steve Carell), who plans to steal the Great Pyramid of Giza, only to be outdone by his rival, Vector. He then finds himself on the outs with the Bank of Evil and the rest of the villainous world, as his ploys seem to have lost steam as of late. So, to get back in the good graces of his investors and the world, he plans to steal the moon, but only if he is successful in stealing a shrink ray first. Both Vector and Gru go for the weapon, with Gru being outdone once again by Vector. Gru attempts to steal the Shrink Ray back, only to fail miserably. He notices three orphan girls are allowed in Vector’s compound to sell him cookies, so Gru adopts the girls to help him in stealing the shrink ray back, by using the cookies as a ploy to spy on the compound. Without ruining the rest of the film for those who have not seen it, more happens that turns this family comedy into a heartwarming venture which has spawned an entire franchise.
Despicable Me is great because despite it only being the voice of Steve Carell, the film contains that same type of humor that the man has built his career on. That is not saying he can’t be a great serious actor, but he does quite well when it comes to humor. Carell along with the minions help to deliver one of his most beloved ventures that have seen the man return for two sequels (Despicable Me 2 and Despicable Me 3) and a prequel spinoff (Minions: Rise of Gru) that is set for a July 2022 release.
Despicable Me holds an 81% critic rating and 82% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film borrows heavily from slapstick cartoons like the Looney Toons but makes it its own charming story. Against a budget of $69 million, the first film in the franchise brought in a staggering $543 million in worldwide box office numbers. There is a reason that it has turned into such a huge franchise. The film brings the joys of family animation with a more charming undertone of superhero-type mayhem. Gru (Steve Carell) is one of the more beloved anti-heroes out there. And honestly, it holds its own against some of the bigger Pixar animation films, which usually dominate the market.
Despicable Me is currently available to stream on Hulu, and it sits in the top five films on the steaming platform currently. Fans of Steve Carell, who happened to not have seen this feature, should go give the film a chance. Despite it being targeted at families, the film brings a ton of humor that can be appreciated by people of all ages. Go see Gru and his lovable minions bring all kinds of chaos into the world.
