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Despicable Me 4
Movie

Despicable Me 4

2024 • Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Woke Score
2.4
out of 10

Plot

Gru, Lucy, Margo, Edith, and Agnes welcome a new member to the family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad. Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal and his girlfriend Valentina, and the family is forced to go on the run.

Overall Series Review

The latest installment of the Despicable Me franchise focuses heavily on the theme of family dynamics, particularly Gru's adjustment to fatherhood with the new baby, Gru Jr., who actively dislikes him. The plot is driven by a traditional conflict: an escaped, vengeful villain named Maxime Le Mal forces Gru and his family into a witness protection program in a suburban community. The second major thread involves a teenage neighbor, Poppy Prescott, an aspiring villain who blackmails Gru for mentorship. The narrative centers on the Gru family unit—Gru, Lucy, and their four children—as they struggle to blend into a 'normal' life while being hunted. While the film introduces a competent female side villain, the core emotional arc reinforces the importance of the nuclear family, teamwork, and a father's protective role. The comedy relies heavily on slapstick, Minion antics, and the family’s inability to conform to mundane suburban norms, rather than on social commentary.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

Characters are defined by their status as agents, villains, and family members, with the main conflict being a personal rivalry and a father's struggle with his son. The film's ensemble cast features diverse voice actors, but the narrative does not rely on race, immutable characteristics, or intersectional hierarchy to establish character merit or plot motivation. Heroes and villains are judged purely on their actions and skills.

Oikophobia3/10

The central family is forced to go into hiding in an upscale, 'normal' American suburb. The humor comes from their inability to assimilate, as they are a large, eccentric family who are 'too much' for the mundane neighborhood. This frames the suburban home culture as comically bland, but the film's highest value remains the Gru family unit as a shield against chaos, not a systemic demonization of Western heritage.

Feminism3/10

Lucy Wilde is portrayed as a highly capable and competent Anti-Villain League agent who actively participates in all missions and successfully balances a career with being a mother. The new character, Poppy Prescott, is an ambitious female character who is explicitly a self-starting villain, making her a 'Girl Boss' type in a criminal context. The main emotional conflict, however, centers on Gru's struggle to bond with his new baby, reinforcing the value and protective nature of traditional male fatherhood.

LGBTQ+1/10

The family unit consists of the married, male-female pairing of Gru and Lucy, their three adopted daughters, and a new biological son. The narrative maintains a normative structure where the traditional nuclear family is the foundation that must be protected. The plot contains no references to alternative sexualities, gender ideology, or deconstruction of biological reality.

Anti-Theism3/10

The movie operates within the morality of a super-villain world, where the moral lesson is about teamwork and familial love over a life of self-centered crime. The film's 'good vs. evil' framework is purely secular, focusing on personal choices and criminal acts rather than any religious or theological concepts. The subject of traditional religion is entirely absent, indicating a spiritual vacuum rather than outright hostility.