Movie Review: Minions & Monsters

“Minions & Monsters” is the seventh cinematic outing for the Minions, the jellybean-like animated gibberish-spewers all voiced by Pierre Coffin. Apparently, long before they met Gru of “Despicable Me,” they had an adventure in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

At the beginning of the story, the Minions are once again looking to serve the most despicable master possible, despite not having an evil bone in their bodies. A creative Minion named James screws things up with multiple masters, but friends Henry and Ed think he’s funny and stick by him.

Washing up on American shores sometime in the 1920’s, the Minions soon find themselves unlikely stars in the movie industry, thanks to a short-tempered director (Christoph Waltz) and a twin pair of ambitious executives (both Jeff Bridges). I love this portion of the film and all its references to cinematic classics, as should redblooded cinema lover.

The good times don’t last, and the Minions soon need to find a new master. Most of them settle on possibly-fraudulent space alien Dort (Jesse Eisenberg), but James and his cohorts befriend puny monster Goomi (Trey Parker), who can summon other monsters to consume whatever they can. Can the Minions save Hollywood and maybe win an Oscar in the process?

The movie, as always, depends on your tolerance for the Minions’ lowbrow schtick. Here, they’re most effective when the movie is actively celebrating the art of schtick, but otherwise, I feel that they miss more gags than they hit. “Minions & Monsters” comes close to getting my recommendation, but it falls short by a margin thinner than a 1920’s mustache.

Grade: C

“Minions & Monsters” is rated PG for violence/action, language, and rude/macabre humor. Its running time is 90 minutes.

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Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.