You could do far worse for family summer fun at the theater. Nothing is ever to a "Pixar Punch" level, yet the ever-present plucky pizzazz washes down the occasional preposterous stupidity with the right cooling chaser. What keeps “The Secret Life of Pets” entertaining is the redeeming measure of charisma. A slier challenge would have been to make the most of the smarter initial concept rather than blowing it up for manic energy for the sake of manic energy. Without trying for more depth, the film is detonated into a semi-moronic pursuit-and-homecoming adventure that fills the other 80% of the film. The simple and smart domestic premise suggested by the title (and advertised in its initial previews) of what pets do at home when their owners are away is spent in the first ten minutes. The creators (two directors and three writers) try too hard and clearly could not help but throw every single pickle of an idea into this one movie. It may all be whizzing fun in 3D with fan favorite voices slinging lines and jokes, but it can simply be too much. The only true annoyance is a tired Dana Carvey warble as the wily veteran.Ĭute characters aside, plenty of "The Secret Life of Pets" is an overload of zaniness. Further down the pecking order, anything Albert Brooks does in voice work will always pale in comparison to “Finding Nemo,” but Bobby Moynihan, Hannibal Burress, Slate, and Bell make for a pleasing ensemble mix of sidekicks and tag-alongs. Those two stand out above Eric Stonestreet’s co-lead. Channeling his inner Henery Hawk, Kevin Hart is the best exasperated miniature-sized blowhard in the business, live action or animated, and makes for a lively villain. Being the hero of positivity counts as playing against type for the sarcastic comedian Louis C.K. The voice cast of “The Secret Life of Pets” is composed of a few inspired choices. All have to find bravery and resourcefulness to get home again. When Gidget and Max’s friends realize he and Duke are gone, they set off to find them and recruit help in the form of a cantankerous predator red-tailed hawk named Tiberius (Albert Brooks) and a handicapped basset hound named Pops (Dana Carvey).
The combustible street-wise leader introduces Max and Duke to an underworld of “flushed pets” that have chosen to turn their back on humans after becoming cast aside or ownerless. Roaming without tags, the two are mistakenly pinched by animal control briefly only to be busted out by the rebel rabbit Snowball (Kevin Hart). While out being dog-walked, the two competitors get separated from their leashes and de-collared by some alley gang cats (led by Steve Coogan). He tries to counter Max’s sizable bullying by asserting his own authority. When Katie adopts and brings home a second dog, the wildebeest-ish Newfoundland stray named Duke (Eric Stonestreet), Max now fears that he will have to compete for affection and attention. Max has a winning group of neighboring pet buddies, including the Pomeranian Gidget (Jenny Slate) with a crush on him and the indifferent tabby cat Chloe (Lake Bell). They live in a trendy apartment with a stunning view of a towering and stylized New York City and share all sorts of quality time together.
Max (Louis C.K.) is a lovingly spoiled Jack Russell terrier hopelessly devoted to his altruistic single woman owner Katie (Ellie Kemper). With an actual point or two and the semblance of a narrative, "The Secret Life of Pets" deserves to score points with kids and adults. Though the bar was set tremendously low, the animated pet adventure has a superb amount of spunk and charm compared to last year's gibberish. After this website's zero-star review of the 2015 smash hit and brain-grating "Despicable Me" spinoff, the words "From the creators that brought you 'Minions'" do not inspire confidence as a selling point for "The Secret Life of Pets" from Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures.
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