‘Despicable Me 4’ not great or terrible, but ‘Fancy Dance’ worth paying attention to

Despicable Me 4 (in theaters) 

If you’ve watched the entire “Despicable Me” series up to this point, you’ll probably end up watching this one. 

And honestly, it’s not terrible. It’s better than “Despicable Me 3,” a low point for the series, and though some of the running gags fall horribly flat there are also some nice moments. The introduction of an unexpected protégé for Gru turns out to be a lot of fun, and there are some sweet family moments. The minions are also here and still very much themselves, which means that if you like watching them you’ll enjoy everything they do here. You’ll forget it the moment the credits roll, but at the same time you know exactly what you’re getting into. 

The movie involves Gru running afoul of an old villain nemesis we’ve never heard of, which requires them going into a very haphazard witness protection program. While there are the expected gags of the family trying to fit into upper-class suburbia, Gru’s nemesis closes in while a budding supervillain makes her presence known next door. Elsewhere, a group of minions are given superpowers by Gru’s bosses. 

It’s the kind of movie designed to be watched at home, where you can make yourself some lunch or do the dishes while the slow or unfunny parts happen. If the jokes get funny, or the minions show up onscreen, you’ll easily be able to hear it from the kitchen.

Grade: Two stars 

Fancy Dance (Apple TV+)

Some streaming movies deserve the attention you’d normally give something on the big screen. 

A heartbreaking story told in a realistic but unexpectedly gentle way, “Fancy Dance” is a quiet movie that will stay with you. A Native American con woman whose sister had gone missing struggles to take care of her niece while trying to find answers about her missing sister. When the girl’s white grandparents take custody, she ends up kidnapping her niece to help her fulfill her wish to go to the upcoming powwow.

The movie is full of the kind of subtlety that rewards focus, magic woven out of the smallest touches.  Explanations for cultural details are slipped in naturally without interrupting the story at all, letting us get even deeper into the movie. The performances are all painfully genuine, never shying away from the awfulness but equally focused on the beauty. The best is Lily Gladstone, who is given the chance to shine she should have had in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” She’s broken, tough, and beautiful all at once, just trying to find a way home for everyone she loves even if she isn’t doing it the smartest way. 

The ending is the best part of the movie, beautiful and poignant in equal measure. It’s an unadulterated moment of joy that serves as the culmination of the characters’ journeys in several different ways. It leaks out onto the audience, letting us feel the hope and connection even if we don’t have the same cultural backing. Though there are definitely some questions left unanswered by the time the credits roll, it feels like we know enough.

Grade: Three stars