Minions

Can there really be too much of a cute thing? Im talking about the minions those tiny, yellow, goggle-eyed creatures who served the villainous Gru (indelibly voiced by Steve Carell) in twoDespicableMe blockbusters. Its not whether this prequel can mint money; thats a given. The questions is: Can the minions carry a movie all by their mischievous mini-selves?

Fraid not. This origin story, while being utterly harmless and far from despicable, wears out its welcome way too soon. For starters, all the good stuff is front-loaded. Thats a prologue that traces the minion story from the time of the T-Rex through Dracula, Napoleon and whole slew of evildoers. The movie, directed by Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin from a script by Brian Lynch, never tops that inspired intro. In their search for the ultimate villain, the minions led by Kevin, Stuart and Bob (all voiced in delightful gibberish by Coffin) hit a few dead ends, including a family of crooks (dad is voiced by Michael Keaton, mom by Allison Janney). At a Villain-Con convention in Orlando, they find the scheming Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock) and her inventor husband, Herb (Jon Hamm). Scarlet enlists their help in stealing Queen Elizabeths crown. Its a botch job, much like the movie. Its always fun to watch the minions shake their sillies out. But occupying the star spot instead of the chorus is a burden these fabulous freaks cant quite shoulder.