‘Minions & Monsters’: Illumination’s Tiny Troublemakers Pull off a Chaotically Charming Tribute to Cinema 

Alci Rengifo

Here come the Minions in their latest movie, “Minions & Monsters,” to deliver a summer celebration of the history of cinema, the nature of auteur theory and the perils of fame. Wait, what? For years this franchise has defined pure screwball entertainment, designed to shoo away stuffy viewers too mature for purposeful stupidity or yellow butts. Yet, it can’t be denied the Minions have become a pop culture staple since the first “Despicable Me” movie. Take the tram up to Universal Studios Hollywood and there’s one of the yellow guys peeking over at the city from the theme park. Made with the franchise’s typical free-wheeling attitude, this is a surprisingly fun serving for film buffs and younger viewers who will connect the dots later.

After a rather brilliant opening where the tiny, pill-shaped misfits are inserted into classic sequences from the early days of film as a medium, the plot kicks in. A tour guide (Allison Janney) guides visitors through the Universal Studios museum, chatting about the history of cinema while passing by various displays, including an encased George Lucas (voiced by Lucas himself). When the group reaches a display about two Minions, James and Henry (both voiced by co-creator and director Peter Coffin), the tour guide reveals their link to the history of filmmaking. First, we get a quick recap of the Minions’ classic plight of needing to find a villainous overlord to serve, or “big boss.” After causing harm to an ancient Cyclops thanks to James, who has a natural gift for drawing, they traverse through centuries before making it to 1920s California. The Minions (all voiced by Coffin) end up accidentally causing destructive chaos when chasing a Western outlaw who turns out to be an actor for the latest film by Max (Christoph Waltz). Their antics make such an impression that studio bosses Frank and Elwood Bright (Jeff Bridges), want more of the Minions in future films. All is glamorous for the gang, until the era of sound begins.

This is all just the beginning of an impressively well-balanced set of various storylines in the screenplay by Coffin and Brian Lynch. The main connecting theme is a celebration of the artistic calling. James is like a conduit for that kid who loves to draw and is always lost in their imagination, at times inspiring the finger wagging of adults. His journey is told with hilarious little nods at Old Hollywood and cinema in general. When the Minions seek a new master, they row across the oceans with stern leader Dick beating a drum as in “Ben-Hur.” Only Henry gets James and they become instant buddies, lazying about at the far end of the boat. While beginning to narrate the story, the tour guide balances an inflatable globe like Charlie Chaplin in “The Great Dictator.” When literally crashing into ‘20s Los Angeles packed in a runaway train, our anti-heroes rush past Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, then getting squished through gears of a factory nodding at “Modern Times.” Not only is it all a lesson in film history, but a celebration of the humorists who in a sense paved the way for a franchise of this kind. 

Like more than a few silent stars of the era, the Minions are then cursed by the arrival of sound. The studio bosses are shocked at how scenes (which include homages to classics like “The Maltese Falcon” and “Citizen Kane”) are ruined by the Minions’ garbling language that sounds like Spanish mixed with Italian, English and anything else. The pill-shaped stars who are fired, left out in the rain and losing their lavish mansions (including the grand game room that looks like an indoor theme park). Yet, James is determined to make a monster movie to recover their fortunes and, along with Henry and Ed, a deaf Minion, uses an ancient book of spells from a previous master to summon the real deal. Instead of a big monster, however, their first conjuring turns out to be Goomi (Trey Parker), a fast-talking sort of mini-Cthulhu. Goomi seems to be a metaphor for those manipulators you need to watch out for in the industry, making big promises to James and stroking his ego, while actually scheming to unleash some massive, terrible monsters on the world. When Henry tries to warn his friend, James is too obsessed with the need to make his movie. 

Meanwhile, Dick and the other Minions find a new big boss in Dort (Jesse Eisenberg), a likeably goofy robot alien staying with a roommate while plotting to take over Earth. In a cute and quirky nod at another important history of the times, Dort falls for Debbie (Zoey Deutch), a suffragette involved with local marches. It’s rather ingenious how Coffin has crafted the elevated, period piece version of a whacky Minions adventure. Of course, there will be absurd chases involving crazy monsters, the Minions going berserk in flying saucers, running around with chainsaws and one even becoming a demented clown. This is the kind of absurd comedy where the filmmakers can get away with showing a Minion fall asleep as a palace guard and accidentally behead the king. Yet, “Minions & Monsters” stands apart by genuinely giving kids a lesson in cinematic history. You can enjoy this one without having seen the other “Despicable Me” movies or “Minions” spinoffs. Like other classic cartoons, the references and in-jokes are seeds that will sprout later, when the child of today will watch a film on a streamer like the Criterion Channel and instantly realize their origins. Plus, it’s just another dose of anarchic joy, tapping into that inner troublemaker who likes to make funny noises and laugh in the face of fear or proper manners.

“Minions & Monsters” releases July 1 in theaters nationwide.