The Secret Life of Pets

The Secret Life of Pets

Starring Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate

Directed by Yarrow Cheney & Chris Renaud

The Story:
Ever wonder what happens when you leave your pets alone?  For a gang of pets in New York City, they miss their owners, watch daytime telenova, host parties, eat everything out of the refrigerator, and fall in love.  Max (Louis C.K.) is a Jack Russell Terrier who is the love of owner Katie's (Ellie Kemper) eye, someone he adores more than anyone, and will do anything to protect her and keep her happy.  That is, until she comes home with Duke (Eric Stonestreet), a Newfoundland who takes over the house from Max by sleeping in his bed, eating his food, and being a major thorn in his side.

One day while at the park, Max and Duke get lost and end up on the wrong end of a fight with some strays and end up caught by Animal Control.  They're rescued by psychotic bunny Snowball (Kevin Hart), who runs a gang of flushed animals in order to destroy the humans.  Meanwhile, Gidget (Jenny Slate), a white Pomeranian, launches a full-scale search for her love Max (even if Max doesn't know it), and gathers friends Mel (Bobby Moynihan - a Pug), Chloe (Lake Bell - an obese tabby cat), Pops (Dana Carvey - an elderly Basset Hound), Buddy (Hannibal Buress - a Dachshund), and Tiberius (Albert Brooks - a red-tailed hawk) among others to find him.

The Synopsis:
So far, this summer has been filled with sequels ("Captain America," "X-Men," "Independence Day: Resurgence," "Finding Dory," "The Conjuring 2"), movies based on video games ("Warcraft") and the like.  With "The Secret Life of Pets," the summer has given us something it hasn't yet - a fully original tale.  And for anyone who thinks no one will go see an original movie, they'll be eating their words with this gem.

Sure, it seems like a lot of other things you've seen before ("Toy Story" is the best reference, as both deal with objects/creatures who act differently when alone, and both deal with a tumultuous relationship between Woody/Buzz and Max/Duke), but it's still a laugh-out-loud romp from start to finish, filled with quippy one-liners and awe-inspiring animation.

At the heart of the story is the relationship between Max and Duke, which, as I said earlier, has a lot of correlations with Woody and Buzz.  Woody was Andy's favorite toy, as Max is Katie's favorite (if only) pet.  Then along comes Buzz, and Woody gets jealous and territorial, just like Max does with newcomer Duke.  Then there's a big adventure Woody and Buzz go on, same with Max and Duke, and in the end the former adversaries become best friends.

So yeah, basically "Secret Life of Pets" is "Toy Story" but with animals instead of toys - but it doesn't make it any less entertaining.  Max and Duke have a great symbiotic relationship and both work off each other very well, as having two of today's funniest comedians (Louis C.K. and "Modern Family" Eric Stonestreet) voice the duo is icing on the cake.

The supporting cast each have their own unique personality and offer something to the table, but the main standouts are Dana Carvey's hilarious elderly Basset Hound Pops, who knows all the animals in town and the shortcuts everywhere.  Lake Bell voices Chloe, the obese tabby cat with the best one-liners in the film.  "I am your friend, and as your friend I have got to be so honest with you. I don’t care about you or your problems."  Seriously the best line I've heard in a long time. 

The main standouts - other than the two leads - lie with two incredibly different animals.  Gidget, voiced by Jenny Slate, is the privileged Pomeranian who lives across from Max, and not-so-secretly pines for him.  Everyone knows it - except for Max.  When he goes missing, she's the driving force to find him again, and unleashes her inner beast when she interrogates an alley cat (voiced by Steve Coogan) that was downright gut-wrenchingly funny. 

There's several side characters in movies who could easily hold their own in a spin-off.  Most recently, Dory proved that very well in "Finding Dory," and here the character of Snowball the rabbit, voiced by Kevin Hart, can very easily have his own film, and it would be a massive hit.  From the moment he appears, Snowball steals the scene every time, as he plays a somewhat mentally insane former magician's rabbit who was abandoned, and now seeks out vengeance with every furry fiber in his being.  It's sad to say for Kevin Hart's career, but this was the best I've seen him in any movie.  His delivery was on-point, the character is equally lovable and fierce, and it's just a revelation.  If Illumination Studios can make small yellow Minions into their own blockbuster hit, they can do the same for Snowball.

Ultimately, the only real flaw I found with the film is that there's no real in-depth character development.  In the end, it's pretty much the same as it began, with no real life lessons learned, no real changes take place.  It was like we were watching an average day in the life of a pet, and even in the most dramatic parts (there's one particular one between Duke, Max, and Duke's old home) aren't as emotionally drawing as they should've been.  Still, in the end, the film did what it set out to do - give us an enjoyable, lavish comedy about the secret life of pets.

The Summary:
For a unique film, I found it surprising that it took so long for someone to make a film about pets once their humans are gone.  Fortunately, they finally made one, and that is "The Secret Life of Pets."

The Score: A