The plot of the movie “Despicable Me 4” is uncertain, which makes it good for watching it on TV

Full of small fragments, it doesn’t quite hold together as a film. As a result, it doesn’t require concentration, only a passing knowledge of the plot.

In this episode, Gru (Steve Carell) goes up against a classmate who won the honors award. The guy — who turns into a cockroach — is out to get Gru and his family. To protect them, the AVL (Anti-Villain League) sends them to a community that seems just as repulsive. A wannabe villain lives next door, and before any of that can get going, the Minions manage to pull off sight gags and the visual equivalent of dad jokes. They’re funny, but they really have nothing to do with the revenge story surrounding Gru’s clan.

Instead, Despicable Me 4 is best treated as a snack.

It’s interesting how director Chris Renaud manages to turn the reformed supervillain and his family into the Universal Studios version of “The Incredibles.” Gru Jr. is practically a clone of Jack-Jack. He gets into a lot of trouble and manages to find a warm place in his father’s heart. Meanwhile, the family must assume new identities to keep the haughty neighbors (voiced by Stephen Colbert and Chloe Fineman) from discovering the real Gru. That means pretending to play tennis and spoiling his daughter Poppy (Joey King) in her sinister aspirations.

Hovering above the heroes’ heads in a cockroach, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his girlfriend Valentina (Sofia Vergara) must face problems that mere mortals take for granted.

When you see them at the gas station, you realize a lot of this must have been made up while the writers were waiting on the freeway in L.A. Lucy (Kristen Wiig) has one of those moments in the grocery store; the Minions enjoy the visual gags during a montage of all the different parts of the world.

It’s clear the film was made with an international audience in mind, designed to sell lots of merchandise and cause parades at Universal’s theme parks.

Once again, “Despicable Me 4” is everywhere. When the honey badger becomes a new character, you know there’s an economy behind his inclusion. Honey badger? Coming soon to a Happy Meal near you!

Kids will undoubtedly love TikTok’s approach to storytelling. They won’t necessarily get the premise of a lifelong grudge, but they will love the Super Minions that join the fray (and may hit stores just in time for Halloween).

Vergara and Ferrell really get it going and give you a reason to look up from your cell phone. When they break out into “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” you realize this is part of a formula that started with “Shrek” and blossomed into “Trolls.”

As far as summer cartoons go, “Despicable Me 4” isn’t quite in the same league as “Inside Out 2,” but it does keep kids from running up and down the aisles at the theater. For that, we can be grateful.