Full of amusing characters, a fresh script, and imagination!
Directed by: Yarrow Cheney, Chris Renaud
Written by: Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, Brian Lynch
Cast: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate
Swift shot: If you are a pet owner, you know how much fun it is wondering what you are coming home to each night. For instance, as we walked in the door today after work, we were greeted with puke and a significant clue that the cat scratch post carpet was the culprit. So, I was on my hands and knees with a box cutter and scissors removing all the carpet from the scratching post to hopefully keep the cats from eating more of it. Now it is just a plank of wood, what could they possibly do to that? Well, The Secret Life of Pets writers could probably come up with a whole warped adventure, as they did a wonderful job pushing the limits of plausibility where two dogs bond while they traverse the sewers and streets of New York City along with the help of some very odd critters.
While The Secret Life of Pets is specifically targeting two audiences, namely children and pet owners, there is enough excitement to keep a variety of audiences invested in these crazy pets and their one day odyssey to find their way back home.
Max (C.K.) is a lucky rescued Terrier mix who lives with his loving, attentive owner Katie (Ellie Kemper), but it is her empathetic nature that leads her to bring a new member home one night, Duke (Stonestreet). Duke is a giant compared to Max, the mongrel is not really a bad dog, but he has the social acumen (and size) of a water buffalo. He asks Max to let him “share” his bed, for example, and pretty quickly it’s clear that Max is screwed. His good thing with Katie is over.
But, the next morning Max hatches a plan to let Duke know who is the original keeper of the ball. Duke may be a bit dull looking, but he is very passionate about staying with Katie. So there is a real struggle of brains and brawn and in the end, the conflict ends up costing them both dearly as they get captured by a city animal catcher.
Meanwhile, just across the way, Max has a stalker, err, I mean admirer in a fluffy, little white Pomeranian called Gidget (Slate). She is seriously one of the most bold characters you’ll ever come across in any film. The lengths she goes through to help Max in his journey home is the stuff told around campfires of old. If someone tells you she is about to go “Gidget on you” – you best be ready for whatever comes next! I plan on referencing her in upcoming reviews when the moment is right.
Gidget doesn’t know it yet, but Max and Duke have gotten themselves mixed up in a gang called the “Flushed Pets” led by the certifiably cute bunny, Snowball (Hart). Snowball saves Max and Duke on the condition that they join the gang. From there the film really takes shape, as Gidget enlists the help of some very interesting cohorts and Max and Duke have to find a way to get away from Snowball who is, pardon the obvious analogy, mad as a March hare.
While this is a kid’s film, and a film about “what pets get up to while we aren’t watching” – I was delighted, thrilled even, that most of the stuff you see in the countless promos and trailers doesn’t give away the goose . . . so to speak. There is a lot going on in the film as Max and Duke and the strange little groups gathered to either help them, or catch them, come into play to move the story to its conclusion.
I’m sure this film won’t be for everybody, and that’s a shame, because it fired on all the cylinders, it has a few chases and some wonderful animation while keeping even the oldest audience members laughing with the youngsters.
With colorful, cinematic sequences and effects that keep you thoroughly immersed in the action, it’s hard not to be invested in this one. In short, this isn’t just some lame movie about dogs playing with KitchenAids and poodles thrashing out to death metal, it’s got a lot more substance than meets the eye. The story explores basic themes like love and courage and it’d be a shame to poo poo (yes, I couldn’t resist at least ONE poop reference) this one as just some dumb film about pets. After all, we love our pets; they are family.
Remember, this is done by the team that gave us Minions, and speaking of the little yellow banana-munchers, there is a short called “Mower Minions” before The Secret Life of Pets that you will really enjoy.
If you are looking for the perfect, fun family film for the summer, you really can’t go wrong with The Secret Life of Pets.
